Ballard FC

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Ballard FC
Ballard FC logo.png
Nickname(s)The Bridges
FoundedDecember 1, 2021
StadiumInterbay Stadium
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Capacity900
Owners Lamar Neagle
Chris Kaimmer
Sam Zisette
Head coach James Riley
League USL League Two
2024 1st, Northwest Division
Playoffs: Conference Quarterfinals
Website https://www.goballardfc.com
Soccerball current event.svg Current season

Ballard FC is an American soccer club based in Seattle, Washington, competing in the Northwest Division of USL League Two. They began play in the 2022 season and won their first league championship in 2023. The team plays their home matches at Interbay Stadium alongside their women's affiliate, Salmon Bay FC. Their temporary home venue for the 2024 season was Memorial Stadium at the Seattle Center.

Contents

History

The club was founded in 2021 and is owned by former Seattle Sounders FC player Lamar Neagle, Chris Kaimmer, and Sam Zisette. It is based in the Ballard neighborhood and would play home matches at the Interbay Stadium. [1] [2] The club's largest supporters' group is The Bridge Keepers. [3]

Ballard FC made their league debut on May 21, 2022, defeating Lane United FC 6–1 in front of 1,200 spectators. [3] The team finished second in the USL2 Northwest Division behind Oregon's Capital FC and qualified for the league playoffs. They advanced to the Western Conference Final in Des Moines, Iowa, where Ballard FC lost 2–1 to the eventual league champions Ventura County Fusion. [4] [5] Captain and defender Lesia Thetsane was a finalist for the USL2 Player of the Year Award and was one of 14 players to return for the club's second season in 2023. [6]

Head coach Jason Farrell left the club in July 2023 after they had clinched a playoff berth and was replaced by Ethan O'Neill on an interim basis. [7] Ballard FC secured their first Northwest Division title and hosted several playoff matches at Interbay Stadium. [8] The club advanced to the USL League Two Championship, which they would host at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington, against Lionsbridge FC on August 5, 2023. Ballard FC won their first championship 2–1 with a goal in stoppage time scored by Cameron Martin in front of a sellout crowd of 3,416. [9] [10] The club are the second from Washington to win the league's championship, after Kitsap Pumas in 2011, and earned qualification to the 2024 U.S. Open Cup. [11]

On March 20, 2024, Ballard FC played their first U.S. Open Cup match at Memorial Stadium, their temporary home during year-long renovations to Interbay Soccer Field. The team lost 1–0 to Spokane Velocity FC, a new USL League One team based in the state. [12]

Stadium

Ballard FC plays their home matches at Interbay Stadium, a 900-seat stadium [13] in the Interbay neighborhood south of Ballard. The stadium was built in 1997 for the Seattle Pacific Falcons collegiate soccer teams and is also used by the sister team Salmon Bay FC. [1] It has a grass pitch and a maximum capacity of 1,200 spectators when including standing areas. [14] The team temporarily moved to Memorial Stadium at the Seattle Center for the 2024 regular season while renovations at Interbay Stadium are made to comply with accessibility requirements. [15] Ballard FC returned to Interbay Stadium for the 2024 playoffs. [16]

Club identity

The club crest, designed by a Ballard-based agency, was released alongside the founding announcement in December 2022. [17] [18] The crest depicts the Ballard Bridge over a sunset.

Ballard FC's primary jersey is cream-colored with red accents; the inaugural 2022–23 home jersey included a sublimated wave pattern derived the Flag of Seattle. [19] The club collaborates with local artists for third jerseys each year.

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2022 Home
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2023– Home
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2022–23 Away
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2024– Away
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2022 Third
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2024– Third

Players and staff

Technical staff

Technical staff of Ballard FC
PositionName
Head coach Flag of the United States.svg James Riley
First assistant coach Flag of Zambia.svg Mutanda Kwesele
Assistant coach Flag of the United States.svg Josh Chasan
Head of goalkeeping Flag of the United States.svg Ben Dragavon
Assistant GK coach Flag of the United States.svg Sean Rash
Head of strength & conditioning Flag of the United States.svg Bo Pearson

Roster

Ballard FC roster
PositionNameNumber
Goalkeeper Flag of Italy.svg Pierluca Carnovale 0
Defender Flag of the United States.svg Christian Engmann 2
Midfielder Flag of the United States.svg Chris Meyers 3
Defender Flag of the United States.svg Leo Burney 4
Forward Flag of the United States.svg Austin Brummett 5
Midfielder Flag of Japan.svg Taketo Onodera 6
Forward Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Gaffney 7
Midfielder Flag of the United States.svg Joe Dale 8
Forward Flag of the United States.svg Alex Mejia 9
Midfielder Flag of the United States.svg Peter Kingston 10
Forward Flag of the United States.svg Richie Aman 11
Defender Flag of Lesotho.svg Lesia Thetsane 12
Goalkeeper Flag of the United States.svg Conrad Lee 13
Goalkeeper Flag of the United States.svg Adam Braman 13
Midfielder Flag of the United States.svg Cameron Yriondo 14
Midfielder Flag of the United States.svg Ray Mendez 15
Forward Flag of the United States.svg Elliot Spatz 17
Midfielder Flag of Cameroon.svg Jibril Rodet 18
Midfielder Flag of Scotland.svg Rhys Gourdie 19
Defender Flag of the United States.svg Isaac Ketcham 20
Defender Flag of the United States.svg Demian Alvarez 21
Defender Flag of the United States.svg Bryson Hankins 22
Midfielder Flag of the United States.svg Sean Sent 23
Defender Flag of the United States.svg Khai Brisco 24
Forward Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Holmes 25
Midfielder Flag of the United States.svg Rafi Otero 26
Midfielder Flag of the United States.svg Cameron Cruz 27
Forward Flag of the United States.svg Kojo Dadzie 28
Forward Flag of Norway.svg Daniel Burko 29
Goalkeeper Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Lanphier 30
Defender Flag of the United States.svg Luke Hammond 33

Year-by-year

Season records for Ballard FC
YearDivisionLeagueRegular seasonPlayoffsOpen Cup
2022 4USL League Two2nd, NorthwestConference FinalsDid not enter
2023 4USL League Two1st, NorthwestChampionsDid not qualify
2024 4USL League Two1st, NorthwestConference Quarterfinals1st Round

Honors

League

Player

Honored players on Ballard FC
YearPlayerCountryPosHonor
2022Ian MejiaFlag of the United States.svg  USA FWAll-Western Conference Team
Lesia Thetsane Flag of Lesotho.svg  LES DF
2023 Lesia Thetsane Flag of Lesotho.svg  LES DFTeam of the Year
Stas KorzeniowskiFlag of the United States.svg  USA FWNorthwest Division Player of the Year
2024Christian EngmannFlag of the United States.svg  USA DFTeam of the Year

References

  1. 1 2 Evans, Jayda (December 1, 2021). "Seattle is getting a minor-league soccer team. Here's how Ballard FC went from vision to reality". The Seattle Times . Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  2. ↑ "About – Ballard FC". Ballard FC. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Evans, Jayda (May 21, 2022). "Ballard FC kicks off its existence with passionate fan base already installed and an easy win". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  4. ↑ Van Belle, Greg (September 21, 2022). "Ballard FC: An Inaugural Season to Remember". Sounder At Heart. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  5. ↑ Evans, Jayda (July 28, 2022). "Ballard FC look to continue 'surreal' run in USL2 playoffs". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  6. ↑ Evans, Jayda (May 20, 2023). "Ballard FC looking to build on success of first season in Year 2: 'We set the bar really high'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Head Coach Jason Farrell Taking Next Step in Career, Leaving Ballard FC". Ballard FC. July 3, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ Walker, Meghan (July 18, 2023). "Ballard FC to host U.S. League Two playoffs in Interbay Stadium this weekend". MyBallard. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ Kennedy, Paul (August 5, 2023). "Ballrad FC wins USL League Two title" . Soccer America . Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Lionsbridge FC falls in national championship game on stoppage-time goal near Seattle". The Virginian-Pilot . August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  11. ↑ Evans, Jayda (August 5, 2023). "Ballard FC prevails in a thrilling USL League Two final". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  12. ↑ Evans, Jayda (March 20, 2024). "Ballard FC falls to Spokane Velocity in U.S. Open Cup after late controversy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Interbay Soccer Stadium". Seattle Pacific Falcons . Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  14. ↑ Evans, Jayda (October 11, 2023). "Ballard FC moves matches to Memorial Stadium for 2024 season". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  15. ↑ Van Belle, Greg (October 10, 2023). "Ballard FC will play 2024 season at Memorial Stadium". Sounder At Heart. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Playoff Preview: Ballard FC Hosting First Two Rounds at Interbay Stadium". Ballard FC. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Ballard FC Launches into USL League Two" (Press release). Ballard FC. December 1, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Ballard FC". Flying Eye Design - A Seattle Graphic Designer -. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Ballard FC Inaugural Home Jersey Revealed, Available for Pre-Sale". Ballard FC. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
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