Peter Kingston and Charlie Gaffney sign with the Tacoma Defiance

The Tacoma Defiance announced on Friday, February 28th that they have signed Peter Kingston and Charlie Gaffney to MLS Next Pro contracts.

The pair of Ballard FC wingers are not the only Ballard FC alumni on the Defiance as they join Lars Helleren and Danny Robles. Now, six of the eleven starters from Ballard FC’s 2023 National Championship match are part of the Seattle Sounders organization: Lars Helleren, Danny Robles, Charlie Gaffney, Peter Kingston, Demian Alvarez (drafted), and Leo Burney (homegrown).

Kingston and Gaffney both played three seasons with Ballard FC and have been with the club since the very beginning, starting in the club’s inaugural match against Lane United in 2022. Typically, Gaffney started in the right wing with Kingston on the left although both had positional versatility and could play elsewhere in the attack.

Peter Kingston

Kingston is a Seattle Sounders Academy product who left the Academy for Seattle University in 2020. As a freshman, Kingston played in all eleven matches (COVID season), and made five starts. Then as a sophomore, Kingston played in 21 matches and made 20 starts for a Redhawk team that won the WAC Tournament Title and made the NCAA Tournament. Kingston finished the season strong with three assists in the last four matches of the season, including one in the WAC Tournament Championship match.

Kingston’s first two seasons at Seattle University earned him a spot on Ballard FC’s inaugural roster for the 2022 season. That season, Kingston played in all 17 Ballard FC matches, and started in all 15 USL League Two (USL 2) contests. Across all competitions, Kingston scored two goals and had five assists. Kingston’s efforts helped Ballard FC finish second in the Northwest Division and make their playoff debut.

Kingston returned to Seattle University that fall where he played 13 matches, starting 12 and contributing two assists in a season that was affected by injury. Despite the injury, Kingston came back to Ballard FC in top form. Kingston played in all 18 Ballard FC matches in 2023, starting in 17. That summer, Kingston scored seven goals and recorded 11 assists, helping Ballard FC win the club’s first division title, conference championship, and national championship. In the national championship match, Kingston scored the match winner in stoppage time and was named USL 2 Final MVP.

After winning a national championship with Ballard FC, Kingston played his first year for the University of Washington after transferring from Seattle University. Kingston made an immediate impact for the huskies, playing in 17 of the team’s 18 matches while making 16 starts. That season, Kingston scored his first two collegiate goals and also recorded four assists.

After a season with the dawgs, Kingston returned for his third summer with Ballard FC. After playing primarily as a winger in his first two summers, Kingston played as a midfielder in 2024. In this new role, Kingston scored two goals and added six assists to help Ballard FC repeat as Northwest Division Champions.

Kingston then returned to Montlake for his fifth and final season of college soccer, saving the best for last. In 2024, Kingston scored six goals and had five assists helping him earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors for a husky team that made the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Kingston has a storied Seattle soccer career that includes the Sounders Academy, Seattle University, the University of Washington, and of course Ballard FC. Now, that story continues with the Tacoma Defiance.

Charlie Gaffney

Gaffney played his club soccer for both the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers academies, earning him a spot with the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in 2021. In his freshman season, Gaffney played in 14 matches and made five starts. Gaffney scored his first collegiate goal and contributed two assists while also winning Rookie of the Week in mid September.

Gaffney then joined the Ballard FC inaugural roster in the summer of 2022. That season, Gaffney played in 11 matches and made eight starts while dealing with a midseason injury. Gaffney scored three goals and added five assists in 2022, with one of his goals coming in the opening round playoff win against Project 51O.

Gaffney then returned to Penn for his sophomore season where he played 17 matches, starting seven and contributed a goal and seven assists as Penn won the regular season Ivy League Title. That title would be a start of a very successful trophy run for Gaffney.

The next summer, Gaffney won three titles with Ballard FC: the division championship, conference championship, and national championship. Gaffney scored two goals and added three assists in the 2023 season, including an assist in the playoffs against FC Olympia and also the winning goal in the Western Conference Championship.

Gaffney went on to win one more title in 2023, winning his second straight Ivy League Regular Season Title with Penn. Gaffney played in 16 matches, starting in 15, and played over 1,000 minutes. Then the following summer, Gaffney won a second straight Northwest Division Title with Ballard FC, scoring three goals and adding two assists.

In his final collegiate season, Gaffney won a third Ivy League Regular Season Title with Penn while adding a goal and two assists.

After playing with teammate Leo Burney at the Sounders Academy, Penn, and Ballard FC, Gaffney will be with Burney once again. This time, they will be together in the Sounders organization after Gaffney signed with the Defiance.

Ballard FC is incredibly proud to be part of the career pathway for both Kingston and Gaffney, and we cannot wait to watch them both flourish at the next level. Fans can follow all of our Ballard alumni in the pros with our alumni page.