Ballard FC Fall in Final Round of Open Cup Qualifying, lose 1-0 to Valley FC

Ballard FC will not compete in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after losing 1-0 to Valley FC in the final round of qualifying on Saturday, November 22nd.

With fans tailgating hours before kickoff, this Saturday’s Open Cup Qualifier was not your normal non-ticketed offseason contest. It was a tense and physical affair with both sides egged on by the respective fanbases. Despite being all the way from Fresno, CA, there was quite the traveling support for Valley FC with their fans even bringing drums into Interbay Stadium.

The strategies from each team were clear from kick off. Ballard FC dominate the ball and possession, looking to create opportunities through constant pressure with the ball. The visitors were more direct as they sat back, comfortable to play the majority of the match in their defensive half. However, whenever Valley FC had the opportunity to spring a counter attack they did so at speed, looking to find MLS veteran Quincy Amarikwa and the rest of the attack with quick long balls behind the Ballard backline.

Center referee Chris Turner allowed a lot of physical play on Saturday, but the first yellow card still came in the 30th minute as Valley’s Josh Zambrano entered the book. That would be the first of many cautions for the visitors who continued to be the aggressors on the pitch.

Just minutes after the yellow card, the hosts thought they had found the opening goal as Nii Engmann’s shot found the back of the net but their joy was short-lived as the assistant referee raise his flag for offsides.

Right before the 40th minute mark came the match’s first substitution as Evan Aune replaced the injured Jordan McCrary, meaning the hosts would field a new center-back partnership for the final 50 minutes of the match.

The two teams went into the locker rooms scoreless after a feisty first 45 minutes. The match only got more fierce after the break as three yellow cards were handed out in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Lamar Neagle received Ballard FC’s first caution which was quickly followed by two yellow cards for the visitors.

In the 64th minute, Head Coach Mutanda Kwesele made his second change of the night as Scott Menzies replaced Engmann on the left wing.

For the final twenty minutes of the match, the visitors began to gain more momentum and control of the match and found more success on the counter. Amarikwa narrowly missed a one on one opportunity against Lars Helleren as the shot rolled just past the right post.

In the final ten minutes, the two teams traded chances as both looked for the winner. Neagle came close with a header from eight yards out.

Then in the 87th minute the deadlock was finally broken as Ernesto Espinoza’s free kick sneaked into the bottom corner to give Valley FC the lead. From there, the visitors dropped back even further to protect the narrow lead as Ballard FC threw everyone forward.

Despite the ten minutes of stoppage time and countless crosses into the box, the hosts could not find an equalizer before the final whistle blew.

For the first time in three years, the Open Cup will be played without Ballard FC in 2026 as Valley FC will make their competition debuts in March.

Despite the result, the Ballard FC fans showed once again why they are some of the best in the nation. Even in the offseason with the dark, wet, and cold weather, the fans still packed Interbay Stadium.

Together, the fans donated over 1,500 pounds of food for the Ballard Food Bank and raised over $1,500 combined for the food bank and the Bridges United Foundation.