Pro Check-In: How the Ballard FC Alumni are doing at the Next Level

USL League Two is a pre-professional league that prides itself on the “path to pro,” providing a platform for aspiring professional players to shine and earn pro contracts. Ballard FC is no different and is one of the shining examples of the path to pro pipeline with over 30 players either signing pro contracts or getting selected in the Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft since the club’s inaugural season in 2022.

Major League Soccer

In the past 12 months, three Ballard FC alumni have signed MLS contracts and three have made their MLS debuts.

In October of last year, three year Ballard FC player, Peter Kingston, became the first Ballard FC alum to make his MLS debut after being called up during the International break. Since then, Kingston earned his first Sounders start and got his first two Sounders assists in March of this year before signing a first-team contract in April. The 2023 USL League Two Final MVP and Ballard FC’s leader in assists for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, has played in 24 matches across all competitions for the Sounders and has recorded two assists, both of which coming in the Concacaf Champions Cup against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Before signing his first-team contract, Kingston played in four matches for the Tacoma Defiance in 2026 alongside former Ballard FC teammates Demian Alvarez, Danny Robles, Charlie Gaffney, and Joe Dale.

Also making his MLS debut with the Seattle Sounders recently is Charlie Gaffney, who signed for the Tacoma Defiance at the same time as Kingston in March of 2025. After a good season with the Defiance in 2025, the three-year Ballard FC player truly broke out in 2026. Gaffney has the highest average FotMob rating (7.38) out of anyone of the Defiance and leads the team in assists with eight, a Tacoma Defiance single-season record. His efforts did not go unnoticed by Brian Schmetzer and the Sounders first-team as he was called up last month. Gaffney made his first-team debut and first Sounders start against Chivas in Leagues Cup. Then, he made his MLS debut as he came off the bench against the Vancouver Whitecaps on August 17th. Ballard FC’s assist leader in 2022 has played in two matches for the Seattle Sounders in 2026 while also playing in 24 matches for the Defiance in MLS Next Pro, recording two goals and eight assists.

The third Ballard FC alum to make his MLS debut in the past 12 months is Stas Korzeniowski, Gaffney’s teammate at the University of Pennsylvania and like Kingston, Korzeniowski also scored in the 2023 USL League Two National Final. In December of 2023, Korzeniowski was drafted in the second round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by the Philadelphia Union after scoring 18 goals for Ballard FC earlier that summer, a single-season club record. Then after finishing his collegiate career at Penn, Korzeniowski joined Philadelphia Union II in MLS Next Pro for the 2025 season. After recording 12 goals and one assists across 25 matches, Korzeniowski earned a first-team contract which he signed with the Union in January of this year. He made his first-team debut and first Union start in the Concacaf Champions Cup against Defence Force on February 18th, and then made his MLS debut in the following match against DC United. Korzeniowski would top off an incredible month by scoring his first two Union goals on February 27th in the second leg against the Defence Force. Korzeniowski would get his first MLS goal involvement with an assists against Orlando City in May. Then last month, he was sent on loan to USL Championship side Rhode Island FC where he already has two goals in his first two starts. In 2026, Korzeniowski has 10 appearances across all competitions for the Union with two goals and one assist. For the Union II, he has 10 goals and two assists in just eight MLS Next Pro appearances, and now he has two goals in three appearances in the USL Championship for Rhode Island FC.

Our last player to sign a MLS contract recently is Richie Aman who is also on loan in the USL Championship. The two-year Ballard FC player was drafted last December in the first round of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United after leading Ballard FC in assists in 2025 and being a Mac Hermann Finalist for the National Champion Washington Huskies. Aman was then signed to a first-team contract in January of this year. Before the MLS season began, Aman was sent on loan to Loudon United of the USL Championship where he has made 26 appearances across all competitions, scored one goal and assisted six times.

USL Championship

Joining Korzeniowksi and Aman in the USL Championship are Charlie Lanphier and Angelo Calfo.

Lanphier signed for the Las Vegas Lights in 2026 after two straight NW Division Title-winning seasons in goal for Ballard FC in 2024 and 2025. Signed originally as a backup goalkeeper, Lanphier has made quite an impact in his first professional season as the Lights goalkeeping room has rotated quite a bit this season. Lanphier has started in 13 matches across all competitions in 2026 and kept three clean sheets. In week 24, Lanphier was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week and won Save of the Week.

Angelo Calfo captained Ballard FC in their inaugural 2022 season, guiding the team to their first-ever playoff appearance. Calfo has been playing professional soccer ever since. He won a National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) National Championship in 2023-24 with Flower City Union before the league was disbanded, he then played overseas in Australia with Weston Bears FC in 2024, before coming back stateside to play in USL League One with Texoma FC last year. Now, Calfo is a starting defender for the USL Championship’s Miami FC. In 2026, Calfo has played in 27 matches across all competitions for Miami, starting in 25.

USL League One

The first alum in USL League One featured is one who may soon be a USL Championship player. Omar Yehya who played for Ballard FC in 2025, joined AC Boise ahead of the inaugural USL 1 season in 2026. Now, AC Boise are moving up to the USL Championship in 2027. With 22 appearances in all competitions and an assists while playing mostly as an impact sub, Yehya will hope to move up to the Championship with Boise next season.

Two players from the 2026 Ballard FC roster find themselves on Chattanooga Red Wolves SC as they both signed contracts midseason with the USL 1 club. Christian Engmann, the only Ballard FC player to feature in a match in all five seasons of the club’s existence, signed for the Red Wolves on May 26th after captaining Ballard to a home-opening victory over FC Olympia. Despite battling injury, Engmann has made five appearances for the Red Wolves so far this season.

Engmann’s Ballard FC and San Diego State University teammate, Beto Apolinar, joined Engmann in Chattanooga in July after winning his second straight NW Division Title with Ballard FC. The midfielder has appeared in nearly every match since signing for the Red Wolves, making his pro debut and racking up seven USL 1 appearances.

Another player from the Ballard FC 2026 roster to join the USL 1 ranks is Alex Villanueva who signed for Grenville Triumph SC after helping Ballard FC win the division title and advance to the USL 2 Western Conference Final. Since signing for Greenville in August, Villanueva has played in all three matches for the Triumph, starting the last two and winning a penalty in his most recent match.

Two more former Ballard FC players are competing in USL 1 this season as Daniel Burko leads the line for Westchester SC and Johan Garibay is in goal for One Knoxville SC. Burko played for Ballard FC in 2024, scoring three goals for the NW Division Champions. Burko has played 29 matches in all competitions for Westchester, scoring four goals and assisting four times. Garibay was one of Ballard FC’s goalkeepers in 2022. After winning the USL 1 National Title with Knoxville in 2025 where he played primarily as a backup goalkeeper, Garibay has won the starting job in 2026 with 25 starts and six clean sheets.

MLS Next Pro

The largest contingent of Ballard FC pros is in MLS Next Pro (MLSNP), the third division of U.S. Soccer and on par with USL 1. There are nine alums who have played for or been signed to a MLSNP club in 2026. Gaffney, Kingston, and Korzeniowski have already been discussed and of those three, only Gaffney is still competing in MLSNP with the Tacoma Defiance.

Alongside Gaffney on the Defiance are Danny Robles, Demian Alvarez, and Joe Dale. All seven Ballard FC players to have played professionally for the Defiance since 2023 (including former players Leo Burney and Lars Helleren) were part of Ballard FC’s National Championship squad in 2023.

Robles played for the Defiance back when they were in USL Championship from 2018 to 2021 before joining USL 1’s Northern Colorado Hailstorm in 2022. While out of a contract, Robles joined Ballard FC in 2023 and helped the club win its first National Title before rejoining the Hailstorm later that Fall. Robles would win a USL Cup with the Hailstorm in 2024 before rejoining the Defiance in 2025. In 2026, Robles has played in 18 MLSNP matches, made eight starts, and scored one goal from midfield.

Alvarez was drafted by the Seattle Sounders in December of 2024 in the second round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft after two great seasons with Ballard FC and a standout collegiate career that included stops at Seattle Pacific University and Seattle University. Alvarez signed with the Defiance ahead of the 2025 season and has been a key defender for them ever since. This season, Alvarez has played in 14 matches and made 12 starts.

Dale, or “Mr. Ballard” as he is sometimes called, was drafted by the Seattle Sounders last December in the second round of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft after four great years with both Ballard FC and the University of Washington where he captained both sides and won National Championships with each. After a great start to training, Dale joined the Sounders for the preseason trip to Portugal and earned himself a contract with the Tacoma Defiance. Unfortunately, Dale is yet to make his professional debut due to a season-long injury.

Outside of the Defiance, there are three more Ballard FC alums competing in MLSNP.

Three-year Ballard FC player, Charlie Holmes, plays for FC Cincinnati 2 where he signed after a great collegiate career which included two-year stints at both Bucknell and UConn which sandwiched his three trophy-filled summers with Ballard FC. In his first season as a pro, Holmes has made 25 appearances, 21 starts, and scored two goals.

Holmes’ UConn and Ballard FC teammate, Austin Brummett, is also playing in MLSNP with the Houston Dynamo 2. Brummett played for Ballard FC in 2024 and 2025, leading the club in scoring in 2024 and then leading the club in goal contributions (goals + assists) in 2025. After being drafted in the third round of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, Brummett signed with Dynamo 2 and immediately became team captain. Brummet has 11 goals and one assist in 24 appearances this season.

Last but not least is Brummett’s strike partner from the 2025 Ballard FC season, Charlie Kosakoff. Kosakoff led Ballard FC in goals during the 2025 season with nine goals in his final nine matches, including five playoff goals. Then, Kosakoff led the line for the Washington Huskies as they won the National Championship. After the collegiate season, Kosakoff signed with Los Angeles FC II where he has played in 24 matches, started 20, and scored six goals while recording four assists. Kosakoff’s impressive play was recognized by the first team as he made the bench for Los Angeles FC against DC United last month.

International

Ballard FC alumni are not just playing professionally here in the states as a trio of alums are plying their trade internationally.

Leo Burney, three-year Ballard FC player and the first Ballard FC alum to sign a first-team contract with an MLS club is playing in Ireland’s first division with Drogheda United. Burney started alongside Alvarez at center back in the 2023 National Final for Ballard FC and he played with both Gaffney and Korzeniowski at Penn. After graduating from Penn, Burney signed a homegrown contract with the Sounders in December of 2024. Despite battling injury, Burney won a Leagues Cup title with the Sounders and made 19 appearances for the Tacoma Defiance in 2025. Burney went across the pond joined Drogheda ahead of the 2026 season, making 20 appearances and starting 16 times. He has scored two goals, including the winner in their most recent match.

Also in Ireland is Rhys Gourdie who played for Ballard FC in 2024 and is now suiting up for Cobh Ramblers in Ireland’s second division. Gourdie helped Ballard FC win a NW Division Title in 2024 before joining Cobh in 2025 after graduating from the University of Washington. Gourdie has three goals this season for the Ramblers who currently sit in a promotion playoff spot.

Then in Asia, Kojo Dadzie who has been playing in Japan since completing his collegiate career. Dadzie played for Ballard FC in 2023 and 2024, helping the club win its first division, conference, and national titles, before joining Gainare Tottori in the Japanese third division. After an injury-ridden spell with Gainare Tottori, Dadzie joined Cento Cuori Harima of the Japanese fifth tier ahead of the 2026-27 season and has already made two appearances.

And that’s a wrap on all 21 Ballard FC alumni currently playing professional outdoor soccer. More player signings are sure to come with alumni currently on trial or finishing their final seasons of college soccer this fall. Fans should check the alumni page as well as follow along on the club’s social media for more updates.

Written by Max Dresbach