Tacoma Defiance appoint Paulo Nagamura, João Paulo to build on player development pathway

Tacoma Defiance are ushering in a new era of experience in 2026. The Seattle Sounders’ MLS NEXT Pro affiliate recently unveiled two major additions to its coaching staff in Head Coach Paulo Nagamura and Assistant Coach João Paulo.

Nagamura was born and raised in Saõ Paulo and was a member of Saõ Paulo’s academy before joining English power Arsenal’s youth and reserve ranks. He then began his professional career in Major League Soccer in 2005 with the LA Galaxy and spent over a decade across MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.

Nagamura retired with Sporting Kansas City in 2016 and immediately began working as an assistant coach with then-Swope Park Rangers, SKC’s Second Team. His managerial career has included a head coaching stint with MLS NEXT Pro side Sporting Kansas City II, MLS head coach at the Houston Dynamo and most recently an MLS assistant role with the Chicago Fire.

“The fact that Paulo has First Team head coaching experience and assistant coaching experience just means you’re getting a three-dimensional person,” said Sounders Director of Development and former Tacoma Defiance Head Coach Wade Webber. “I’ve been impressed by his work ethic, his kindness, his attention to detail and his empathy.”​

Webber also believes that Nagamura’s hire will help in the growth of João Paulo, his fellow countryman heading into his first coaching experience following his recent retirement from a 16-year playing career. Webber hopes the relationship is symbiotic and the two can each learn from each other.

 “I think Paulo will be a key figure in JP’s development,” said Webber. “We’re trying to surround JP and Paulo with a group of people that are on their side, want them to succeed, and are doing what they can to lift certain burdens until they’re ready to bear those burdens.”

Nagamura, especially, is excited to have a former Sounders player on his staff who can help acclimate him and bring him up to speed as quickly as possible.

“It’s great to have a club legend on staff,” said Nagamura. “I’ve been learning a lot from him in relation to the culture of the club, the structure of the club. He’s been very good with that, and he also knows how [First Team Head] Coach Brian [Schmetzer] likes to play, what his tendencies are, and we can mix and blend that with the way that we want to play to make sure that the players are going from Academy and Second Team are not feeling too much of a difference when they go to a First Team environment.”

João Paulo has seen firsthand the ways that the club has prioritized youth development, perhaps no better example than his former central midfield partner Obed Vargas. The 20-year-old Mexican international joined the Sounders Academy as a teenager before progressing through Defiance and ultimately breaking through in the First Team. In the second leg of the 2022 Concacaf Champions League Final, João Paulo suffered an ACL injury, forcing him to exit early and for a then-16-year-old Vargas to step up in a massive moment. Vargas fit in seamlessly and went on to make more than 100 First Team appearances for the Sounders, en route to a 2025 MLS All-Star nod, the No. 1 ranking on MLS’ 22 Under 22 and this past week a momentous move to La Liga’s Atlético Madrid.

“Our challenge is to bring the next Obed, the next Snyder [Brunell], the next Stuart [Hawkins],” said João Paulo, referencing two other teenage standouts who have made the jump to the First Team. “For us, it’s a very clear balance between winning and also prepping these guys for the future. Kind of this right balance…developing this new generation, but to achieve that, you need results as well.”

The Sounders’ investment in youth development is part of a larger domestic trend of clubs progressing homegrown talent through their ranks, one that Nagamura expects to pay dividends for American soccer at large.​

“The first thing that was really clear for me is that this is a club that really invests in a pro pathway,” said Nagamura. “The club has been doing a very good job with that, with the development of younger players. There are very good examples…I believe that will help the growth of the sport, the growth of the players in general and will produce a much better pool of players for the U.S. national team. So, it’s a bright future.”

Nagamura and João Paulo hope to continue a long line of success for Defiance, who begin their 2026 campaign on March 1 at Starfire Sports against LAFC 2. Nagamura places a ton of emphasis on the training environment and his players getting better every day. He expects his teams to be in control, disciplined, organized and mentally strong and hopes to foster an atmosphere where players and coaches alike are committed in their goal of excellence.

“Being here already two weeks, I’ve seen it,” said Nagamura. “This is very well-established already in the club, and of course I have my philosophy and methodology, but it’s also adapting to what the club has been doing so well in the last few years and make sure that that plan goes well.

“I hope that when [fans] come and watch, it’s going to be entertaining,” he contined. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about the fans here, and hopefully they can come and support us as well.”