Tacoma Defiance announced on Thursday the addition of two former Sounders Academy players as the team continues to build its roster ahead of the 2023 season after not returning 8 players following the end of the 2022 season. Gio Migliette, 23, and Paul Rothrock, 24, both return to the Sounders organization after spending time with the Academy and making appearances with Sounders 2 as amateurs.
Gio Miglietti is a centerback who made the move to that position for his senior year at the University of Washington after having played primarily as a forward previously. According to Huskies Head Coach Jamie Clark, from Miglietti’s UW bio, “Gio is a hard-nosed player that can play any central position from target forward to central defender .