Ballard FC’s first-ever U.S. Open Cup Qualifying match will be Saturday, November 1st at 12:00pm as they host Sharktopus FC at Interbay Stadium.
After getting a bye through the first two rounds, Ballard FC enter qualifying in the third round needing two straight wins to book their ticket to the Open Cup itself for the third consecutive year. The next and final round of qualifying will take place on November 22nd or 23rd with matchup details to be determined after the completion of the third round.
Let’s meet the third round opponents.
Sharktopus FC
Sharktopus FC is a local UPSL (United Premier Soccer League) and CPL (Cascadia Premier League) club that has been very successful over the past two years, winning the CPL in 2024. On Tuesday night, they defeated Bellevue Athletic FC 5-0 in a replay after the original match was ruled a no contest after a referee controversy. The first meeting was a 4-3 Bellevue Athletic win in extra time to advance to the third round, courtesy of a hattrick from Jacen Stein and a matchwinner from Tyler Hopp.
Then in Tuesday’s replay, the match was a dominant Sharktopus victory at Marymoor Park. The Sharktopus attack was led by former Love is Blind star, Kwame Appiah, who had two goals and one assist on Tuesday. The Ballard backline will look to shut down Appiah to keep Sharktopus at bay
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs as they battle not just for an Open Cup spot, but also local bragging rights. Additionally, this will be the first match with Mutanda Kwesele as Head Coach of Ballard FC after he was named to the position earlier this month, replacing James Riley.
The Ballard FC roster has officially been announced. It is primarily composed of post-college Ballard FC alumni and other experienced players in the Seattle area. The roster does not include any current collegiate players, even those playing at local universities as it is prevented by NCAA rules.
Check out U.S. Soccer’s announcement to see the full Third Round Qualifying Schedule.
Now let’s review the important info for the upcoming match.
Match Details
Gates: Gates open at 11:30am. Entrance is FREE, however we strongly encourage donations. The Ballard Food Bank will be accepting food and hygiene products, while the Bridges United Foundation is accepting donations of soccer gear as well as Venmo donations to help support their free soccer programming across greater Seattle.
Live Stream: A stream will likely be available for this match with the link posted on social media prior to kickoff.
Written by Max Dresbach
