The former Seattle Sounder and U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder is joining Ballard FC for their 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run.
After playing for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Rowe was drafted by the New England Revolution in 2012 to kick off an eleven year Major League Soccer (MLS) career. Rowe played for the Revolution, Sporting Kansas City, Real Salt Lake, and New England again before ending his career with the Seattle Sounders.
After a number of successful seasons with the Revolution, Rowe earned his first U.S. Men’s National Team cap in 2017 in a 2-1 friendly win against Ghana. He then got called into the CONCACAF Gold Cup later that summer, winning his first trophy as a professional. Rowe played in two matches during the Gold Cup, assisting in the opening draw with Panama and then scoring his first international goal in the final group stage match against Nicaragua.
After leaving the revolution in 2018, Rowe had short spells with Kansas City, Salt Lake, before returning to New England ahead of the 2020 season. After another 1,000 minute season for the Revs, Rowe finally returned home and signed with the Seattle Sounders in 2021. He made an immediate impact in Seattle, playing over 2,500 minutes in his first season with the club. Then in 2022, Rowe and the Sounders became the first MLS club to win the CONCACAF Champions League. He played in all eight knockout matches and scored one goal in the competition.
Despite retiring at the end of the 2023 season, Rowe’s Seattle soccer story is not quite done. He will join Ballard FC this spring for the club’s 2025 Open Cup run. Rowe and Ballard FC will kick off with the match against Spokane Velocity on Wednesday, March 19th at Interbay Stadium.
See Kelyn Rowe play again by getting tickets to Ballard FC’s First Round Open Cup match!
