This Wednesday June 24th, Ballard FC hosts cross-town rivals West Seattle Junction FC for ‘Victor Meléndez Night’ at 4:00pm at Interbay Stadium. Wednesday is also a doubleheader, with Salmon Bay FC hosting Tacoma Galaxy at 7:30pm in their second to last regular season home match of the season.
Since their inaugural season in 2022, Ballard FC have honored a local artist every year through a collaboration jersey that is worn for a special match. This season, that artist is Victor Meléndez, a local illustrator and designer whose work can be found all around Seattle. Read more about the Victor Meléndez Kit here. The artist collaboration series highlights and amplifies local artists who make our community a more vibrant place to live.
On the pitch, the match should be a fierce and competitive battle given the rivalry between the two teams. Let’s meet Wednesday’s visitors.
West Seattle Junction FC
After finishing mid-table in their inaugural 2024 season and sixth place in the 2025 season, the Junction are off to a similar start in 2026 as they sit in sixth place again through eight games.
The Junction attack is led by former Ballard FC striker, Alex “El Tigre” Mejia, who leads the team with four goal contributions (three goals and one assist). Mejia is not the only former Ballard player on the side as Cameron Yriondo is back with the Junction again.
This Wednesday’s match comes right after Junction hosted Ballard FC on Sunday, June 21st, a match in which Ballard FC took home all three points after a comeback 2-1 victory. With an all-time record of 0-3-1 against Ballard FC, Junction will be desperate to get a result on Wednesday.
Get tickets to Wednesday’s match here or get discounted double header tickets here.
MATCH DETAILS
In addition to all the information below, fans should read this year’s “Know Before You Go” matchday guidelines and all of the below information to learn everything you need to know ahead of Wednesday’s match.
Doubleheader: After the match is over, fans with tickets to both matches will need to leave before the gates reopen at 6:30pm for the Salmon Bay FC match!
Get Out of Work: In the spirit of local rivalry and the summer of soccer, Ballard FC encourages fans to get out of work early and come enjoy the match. This match also serves as a great match for kids and families!
Gates: Gates open at 3pm! We recommend arriving early to enjoy the food and beer offerings, watch the players warm up, beat the hassle of traffic and parking, and to enjoy all of the prematch festivities. There will be a “happy half-hour” on Wednesday with all alcoholic drinks half off from 3:00-3:30!
Food Vendors: Beyond the thrilling soccer action, Wednesday’s match will feature an array of food vendors, including Falafel Salam, Kathmandu Momocha and Mainstay Provisions. Also, before you head to Pagliacci Pitch, you can take advantage of the Pagliacci Pizza BOGO slice deal on game days. Just show your ticket at any Pagliacci location and get two slices for the price of one. Outside food is not allowed in the venue except for Pagliacci Pizza. Fans can also purchase snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and hot dogs (including the famous “Ballard Dog”) from the concession stand.
Ballard Food Bank: We also encourage fans to support the community by bringing donations of past and canned sauce for the Ballard Food Bank.
Beer Garden: The Bridges United Foundation Beer Garden is back and better than ever this season. The Beer Garden proudly serves Stoup Brewing. In addition to beer from Stoup, fans can purchase tequila from Orgullo Ajeno Tequila, cider from Incline Cider, N/A beer from Athletic Brewing, and wine from Vino FC. The Beer Garden is all ages, however there is a 21+ zone in the southeast corner of the stadium, which includes the new bleachers that were installed during phase one of the Interbay Stadium Expansion, which was completed earlier this month. Although alcohol can only be purchase inside the Beer Garden, fans can now take beer, wine, and cider outside of the Beer Garden and back to their seats or standing room area. Check out the Beverage Map below.
Transportation: Parking is extremely limited and will not be available in the parking lot by the time gates open. Street parking can be found to the north, east, or west of the stadium. We highly recommend alternative forms of transportation, including biking as we will have the Wombi Bike Parking area available at every home match this year. Please also consider riding King County Metro on game day, where youth through age 18 always ride free! Check out transit mode in Google Maps, the TripPlanner.kingcounty.gov website, or an app like OneBusAway. For more information, check out our full matchday transportation guide.
Live Stream: Can’t make it to the match? All Ballard FC home matches can be found on the Ballard FC streaming page and will be streamed live on SportsEngine Play.
