Ballard FC is thrilled to announce the appointment of Pedro Millan as the club’s new head coach. Millan succeeds Mutanda Kwesele, who was recently appointed head coach of the U.S. Soccer Boys’ Under-15 and Under-16 National Teams. Ballard FC thanks Kwesele for his leadership and contributions to the club and wishes him continued success in his new role with U.S. Soccer.
With extensive experience in player development, coaching, and the Seattle soccer community, Millan brings a wealth of knowledge and a strong foundation in the game as he takes charge of Ballard FC.
Millan joins Ballard FC after over 20 years of coaching and leadership experience in the Pacific Northwest and abroad. He currently serves as the Director of Coaching for boys at Pacific Northwest Soccer Club, locally known as PacNW, where he oversees player development and works with teams spanning multiple age groups. Millan also served briefly as an assistant coach with the University of Washington Men’s Soccer Team, bringing experience of coaching at the collegiate level to his new role.
“Pedro represents everything we are looking for in a head coach. He’s deeply passionate about soccer and about helping players become the best versions of themselves, and his record speaks for itself; many of the players he coached have gone on to do amazing things. Most important to me, though, is that his players love playing for him. He creates a competitive and joyful environment, and he genuinely cares about both his players and his coaches,” said Sam Zisette, Co-Founder and President.
This appointment marks an exciting new chapter for Ballard FC as the club continues to build on its success in USL League Two. With a commitment to the local soccer community and developing talent, Ballard FC looks forward to the next phase of its journey under Millan’s leadership.
Millan’s extensive experience within the Seattle soccer scene will help Ballard FC continue to prioritize showcasing hyperlocal soccer from our community. Millan has coached many players who have played for Ballard FC at either PacNW or with the Husky soccer program.
When asked about having prior relationships with players, Millan said “I think it’s a benefit to everybody to be honest. I was very fortunate to coach a lot of players that have played for Ballard… some of them I knew at age 11 were going to be heck of players like Zach (Ramsey), or Cam (Cruz), or Sean (Sent). In my experience, when you coach someone at U13-14, and then again at the U19 level, it makes it a lot easier.”
Millan went on to discuss how teams with a large percentage of players from the same area can excel, citing past and present Spanish National Teams as examples as they have heavily relied on FC Barcelona players. He also gave the example of the 2025 Washington Men’s Soccer Team that won the National Championship with primarily in-state talent.
Millan believes that this contributes to Ballard FC’s success, especially in such a short season for USL League Two clubs. In 2025, Ballard FC made the National Final with 35 of the 38 players on the roster growing up playing soccer in Washington and/or played collegiate soccer in Washington. One of the only three players who did not play soccer locally was Abeselom Zemenfes, who made the team from open tryouts after moving to Seattle from Ethiopia. Fans can expect similar roster compositions under head coach Millan.
Millan is not just a fan of the Spanish National Team; he also coached in Spain while earning his master’s degree in Talent Identification and Development in Football from Real Madrid FC. Highlights from Millan’s coaching and playing résumé can be found below.
Millan served as the Director of Camps for Real Madrid FC, a role he also did with the Seattle Sounders. Although Millan was at Madrid during José Mourinho’s first spell as Real Madrid manager, he says he “was more aligned with the possession-style” play of Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona.
The plan is to deploy that same possession style of play with Ballard FC. Discussing what fans should expect from a Millan-coached Ballard FC side, the new manager said that he wants “to make sure that people come here to see top players that are on the ball very often. I want an attacking system of play that’s always asking the players to do more. … It should be very fun.”
Millan wants fans to be able to go into the match with an idea of what they might see, referencing clubs that have clear styles of play like Ajax and Manchester City.
Looking ahead, Millan is “most excited about the opportunity to coach players at the very top level, in an environment that allows the top players to manifest. We all want to win, but beyond winning, I want to do it with people I care about, playing in a way that makes sense, at a club that’s invested in its community.”
In addition, Millan mentioned that he is excited for the U.S. Open Cup, noting that it is one area where the club is looking for greater success. Millan’s first match in charge of Ballard FC will come in the first round of the 2027 Open Cup in April, about a month before the USL League Two regular season. Millan will look to deliver the club’s first Open Cup victory after the club suffered narrow 1-0 losses to Spokane Velocity FC in both 2024 and 2025.
Fans are encouraged to watch the full 23-minute interview with Millan below or on the club’s YouTube page.
Millan’s first training session as Ballard FC head coach will be open tryouts next month. Coach Millan and Ballard FC will host open tryouts at Interbay Stadium on Sunday, December 27th. Learn more and register for tryouts.
Written by Max Dresbach
