Ballard FC’s fourth round U.S. Open Cup Qualifying match will be Saturday, November 22nd at 5 p.m. as they host Valley 559 FC at Interbay Stadium. The winner of this match will advance to the tournament proper which will start in March of 2026.
After defeating Sharktopus FC 5-1 this past Saturday, Ballard FC are now in the final round of Open Cup Qualifying as they look to make the tournament for the third consecutive year. The club qualified for the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Open Cup through their USL League Two performance, but this year is different. Despite making it to the National Final, Ballard FC did not receive an automatic bid to the Open Cup because the bids are based on regular season performance where the club narrowly missed out on one of the top spots.
Fortunately for Ballard FC, this is the first year where USL 2 clubs who did not automatically qualify for the tournament can enter the fall Open Cup Qualifying Tournament alongside other amateuer clubs, providing a secondary route to the cup. Now, Ballard FC is just one victory away from qualification.
Let’s meet their opponents.
Valley 559 FC
Valley 559 FC or Valley Football Club is a United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) team based out of Fresno, California. They have been incredibly successful locally at the UPSL level, winning three straight NorCal South League Championships.
Valley FC received a bye for the first round of qualifiers before entering in round two. In the second round, Valley FC defeated Real San Jose 2-1 thanks to goals from Chiva Cuevas and former MLS player, Quincy Amarikwa.
The Fresno footballers were even better in round three, picking up a resounding 5-2 win over FC Folsom. Amarikwa scored his second goal in as many matches. Joining the former San Jose Earthquake on the scoresheet was Ernesto Espinoza who scored twice as well as both Mason Gonzalez and Aaron Huerta with a goal each.
Now, Valley FC will look to book their ticket to the Open Cup itself by coming to Seattle and defeating Ballard FC in a few weeks.
This will be a tough task for the visitors as the hosts have only lost once at Interbay Stadium since the beginning of the 2025 USL 2 season.
Check out U.S. Soccer’s announcement to see the full Fourth Round Qualifying Schedule.
Now let’s review the important info for the upcoming match.
Match Details
Gates: Gates open at 4:30 p.m. 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.
In the club’s third round match, fans donated over $1,000 to the food bank and foundation combined while also donating over 800 pounds of food. Now more than ever, it is essential that everyone has access to food and Ballard FC is committed to helping that become a reality.
Live Stream: A stream will be available for this match on the Ballard FC YouTube page. The link will also be posted on social media prior to kickoff.
Written by Max Dresbach
Season Tickets are now available for the 2026 season, learn more and browse ticket options today!
