Open Cup

This fall, Ballard FC is entering Open Cup Qualifying as the club looks to make a third straight Open Cup appearance.

For the last two years, Ballard FC has competed in and hosted the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The club is incredibly proud and grateful to have competed in the nation’s oldest and most prestigious soccer competition and wants do so again. 

However, this time it will be different. Despite making it to the USL League Two National Final, Ballard FC did not receive one of the nine automatic bids to the Open Cup. Last week, the USL announced which nine USL 2 clubs are already qualified for the 2026 Open Cup.

The USL gives these bids to the nine division winners with the best points per match in the regular season. Although Ballard FC did win a third straight Northwest Division Title, they did not finish amongst the top nine division winners.

The Northwest Division is one of the most competitive division in USL 2 with 3 of the last 5 Western Conference Champions coming from the division as the Portland Timbers U23 in won 2021, and then Ballard FC in both 2023 and 2025. Although the strength of division undeniably helps prepare teams for a deep playoff run, it also makes Open Cup qualification more difficult compared to other divisions across the league.

Without an automatic bid, the club is still determined to take part in the 2026 edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. With Fall Open Cup Qualifying open to all “amateur” clubs, including USL 2 clubs as of 2025, Ballard FC entered the name to take advantage of a second chance to qualify for the tournament proper.

“Every season, one of our goals is to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup. It was incredible to compete in the last two editions of the Open Cup and we want to do everything in our power to take part again. That’s why we’ve entered into qualifying this fall with all eyes set on making the cup and going on a run in 2026.” said Sam Zisette, club President and Co-Founder.

After receiving a bye for the first two rounds, Ballard FC will enter qualifying in the third (semifinal) round on November 1st or 2nd and will need to win two matches to experience the magic of the cup once again. The exact date, time, location, and opponent for this third round match will be released in late October.

These Open Cup Qualifying matches will not be heavily promoted on the club’s social channels due to the fall being Ballard FC’s traditional “offseason,” but we encourage our fans to engage and follow along by finding match details and roster information at goballardfc.com/2026-open-cup.

Open Division Breakdown

For the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the Open Division qualifying rounds began in September 2025 and will continue into November. A record 146 amateur clubs are participating in the qualifying process for 16 spots in the tournament proper, which is scheduled to begin in March 2026.

Increased Qualifying Spots

There are now 16 spots for qualifiers, up from 14 in 2025, making it the most-ever slots allocated to the qualifying tournament.

Record Number of Teams

A record 146 teams entered the qualifying tournament, including more National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two (USL2) teams than in previous years.

Qualifying Rounds

The competition started with 22 matches earlier this month with 101 teams receiving byes into the Second Round.

Finalists

The 16 clubs that win their final qualifying matches will earn spots in the First Round of the main tournament, which begins in March.

Written by Max Dresbach

In the first round of the U.S. Open Cup, Ballard FC went head to head with Spokane Velocity in a repeat matchup of last year — this time in front of a sold-out Interbay Stadium. The official attendance for Wednesday’s match was 1,508, a stadium record.

In a match full of energy, physicality, and plenty of chances, both sides fought through 120 tense minutes. Ballard FC pushed on tirelessly, creating numerous opportunities and showcasing defensive resilience, but fell in the dying moments of overtime to a heartbreaking last-minute deflected goal.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Ballard FC squared off against Spokane Velocity with contagious energy buzzing through the record breaking crowd at Interbay Stadium.

The match took off straight away, with a frenzy of hard challenges and a fast-paced rhythm. Inside the first 10 minutes, the home side had two good efforts at goal – Charlie Kosakoff’s strike deflected wide, and Kelyn Rowe tried an audacious chip shot from distance that had the fans on their feet.

Captain Joe Dale led by example with his work rate and tenacity. Dale would receive the first yellow of the match in the 23rd minute after a crunching challenge. Velocity followed suit a couple minutes later with a yellow card of their own. The tempo slowed slightly after the cards, but the intensity remained high as both teams battled for a breakthrough.

Velocity showed signs of threat in the final minutes before halftime, with a shot from the top of the box that was blocked and followed by a dangerous cross which flew across the six yard box untouched.

The second half kicked off in the same relentless fashion, with both sides pushing for the opener. Velocity fired a long-distance strike just over the bar in the 52nd minute. Moments later, Austin Brummett drove a dangerous ball across the Velocity box that deflected narrowly wide.The tension continued to rise with each chance gone by.

The match began to feel like a basketball game, swinging end-to-end with increasing urgency. In the 61st minute, Velocity whipped in a dangerous ball that was headed just over the bar. Four minutes later, Ray Mendez cut open the defense with a diagonal pass to Brummett, whose low shot forced an excellent save from Spokane’s Ryan Bilichuk. From the ensuing corner, Velocity countered quickly, and Davis Mungomba took a yellow to break up the play.

Chances for both sides kept coming as regulation time ticked down. In the 67th, Kosakoff did well to break free one-on-one, but his shot rifled over the target. Brummett was dragged down just outside the box, and Luke Hammond’s free-kick effort was deflected out for a corner.

The Ballard FC backline stood tall in the closing moments, with Harrison Bertos making a fearless double block in the 81st minute and Dale clearing a shot off the line to preserve the 0-0 scoreline.

In stoppage time, substitute Alex Mejia found space in the box and attempted a near post shot that was denied, sending the match into extra time.

The match became very cagey in extra time with both teams looking to defend their goal and hit on the counter. In the 101st minute, Ballard had two close-range chances that were blocked following a corner. Just before the halftime whistle, substitutes Sean Sent and Zach Ramsey combined in the box, but the ball was pressured away.

The final 15 minutes opened with rising tension as yellow cards were shown to Mejia and to the Spokane Velocity bench. With penalties imminent, Velocity struck in the 120th minute as substitute Anuar Peláez unleashed a shot that cruelly deflected past Charlie Lanphier and into the back of the net.

Then in the 124th minute, substitute Nii Engmann flicked on a header towards Bertos who found the back of the net, sending Interbay into chaos — only for celebrations to be cut short by a razor thin offsides call. The final whistle then blew on a crushing 1-0 defeat.

The match feels eerily similar to last year with Spokane Velocity getting the winner in the dying moments, breaking the hearts of the home crowd.

The magic of the Open Cup was in full effect on Wednesday night with hyperlocal soccer on full display for over 1,500 fans watching in person and few thousand watching at home.

HOW WE LINED UP?

STARTING XI: Lanphier, Hammond, Bertos, Mungomba, Dale, Rowe, Philibbosian, Brummett, Aman, Mendez, Kosakoff

SUBS: Ramsey, Mejia, Sent, Ketcham, N. Engmann

WHAT’S NEXT?

While the result stings, we are proud of the ability, fight and heart shown by this group of players and grateful for the incredible fan support. We now turn our focus to the upcoming USL League Two season. We are ready to build on this performance, and compete a league title starting in May. The energy at Interbay was electric — and we can’t wait to see you there in the summer!

Up The Bridges!

HIGHLIGHTS:

GALLERY:

POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS:

Ballard FC announced its U.S. Open Cup first round round roster ahead of their matchup on Wednesday, March 19th, against Spokane Velocity FC at Interbay Stadium.

Ballard FC, the defending USL League Two (USL 2) Northwest Division Champions, have a squad of 26 players that includes 13 returners from last season’s division title roster as well as some exciting new additions. These 26 players were selected by Head Coach James Riley from a larger pool of eligible players. Of these players, 18 will be selected for the matchday roster. 

Some players that Ballard FC have announced for the USL 2 season were not available for the U.S. Open Cup due to various circumstances. Some players participating in the U.S. Open Cup will not be participating in the USL 2 regular season. This is the nature of the tournament and putting an amateur roster together months in advance of the traditional USL 2 season.

Now, let’s examine the roster from back to front:

In goal, we have three returners from the 2024 season competing for the starting spot. Charlie Lanphier, who started for Ballard FC in 2024, returns to the squad after winning a WAC Tournament Title with Seattle University in the fall. Pierluca Carnovale is also back at Interbay Stadium after starting for Seattle Pacific University in 2024. The Ballard High School graduate has been with Ballard FC since 2023 and was in the matchday squad for the National Championship. Lastly, we have Jackson Buck to round out the goalkeeper crew. Buck made four starts across all competitions for Ballard FC in 2024, going undefeated in those four matches.

In defense, key returners include Luke Hammond and Isaac Ketcham. By the end of the season, Hammond became the starter at left back for Ballard FC in 2024, assisting our lone playoff goal against Project 51O. Ketcham is a phenomenal squad player as he can play both center back and left back at a high level. Last year, Ketcham started at center back alongside Demian Alvarez for our Open Cup match. Joining Hammond and Ketcham are the starting center backs from Seattle University and the University of Washington, Davis Mungomba and Harrison Bertos. After being hampered by injury, Mungomba started six of Seattle University’s final seven matches to help them win the WAC Tournament Title. Bertos had a great Sophomore season with the huskies, winning Top Drawer Soccer (TDS) National Team of the Week honors once and being selected in the MLS SuperDraft by San Diego FC. The defense is rounded out by Kaydin Wall, Dylan Wojdyla, Sean Russell and Leon Niederelz.

The midfield group is highlighted by returners Ray Mendez and Sean Sent as well as former Seattle Sounder Kelyn Rowe. Mendez rejoins Ballard FC after winning GNAC Player of the Year with Seattle Pacific University while Sent will come back to Seattle after transferring to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for his final year of eligibility. He’ll be joined by another UCLA midfielder, Rowe, who is coming out of retirement to join Ballard FC’s Open Cup run. Rowe played over 300 MLS matches in his career, and made 86 appearances for the Seattle Sounders. The rest of the midfield group includes Andre Philibbosian, Zach Ramsey, Abeselom Zemenfes, and returner Cristian Chel Lara. Philibbosian (Seattle U), Ramsey (UW), and Chel Lara (SPU) all contributed heavily to their college programs as freshman in 2024. Ramsey was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, while Philibbosian made the WAC All-Freshman Team and was recognized as a TDS Top 100 Freshman at the end of the season.

Arguably the toughest competition for minutes is in attack. The winger group is highlighted by the husky trio of Joe Dale, Richie Aman, and Cameron Cruz who all return to Ballard FC. Dale is a four year player for the club, one of only three players who have been with Ballard FC since the very beginning whereas Aman and Cruz are returning for their second seasons. they are joined by Nii Engmann, brother of Ballard FC defender Christian Engmann, and David Campos to finish out the winger group. Then up top, returners Austin Brummett and Alex Mejia are joined by the University of Washington’s Charlie Kosakoff. Brummett was Ballard FC’s leading scorer in 2024 while Mejia scored two clutch goals in the final two regular season matches. Mejia is the only player still with Ballard FC that started in the club’s inaugural match. Kosakoff joins the roster after a great season with huskies where he was second on the team for both goals (5) and points (14).

Take a look at the full roster below as Ballard FC prepares for Wednesday’s match. Get your tickets today!

Ballard FC U.S. Open Cup First Round Roster

Number	Name	Position
10	Richie Aman	Forward
4	Harrison Bertos	Defender
9	Austin Brummett	Forward
1	Jackson Buck	Goalkeeper
	David Campos	Forward
41	Pierluca Carnovale	Goalkeeper
22	Cristian Chel Lara	Midfielder
27	Cameron Cruz	Forward/Midfielder
14	Joe Dale	Forward/Midfielder/Defender
12	Nii Engmann	Forward
3	Luke Hammond	Defender
20	Isaac Ketcham	Defender
29	Charlie Kosakoff	Forward
13	Charlie Lanphier	Goalkeeper
16	Alex Mejia	Forward
19	Ray Mendez	Forward/Midfielder
7	Davis Mungomba	Defender
	Leon Niederelz	Defender
26	Andre Philibbosian	Midfielder
11	Zach Ramsey	Midfielder/Forward
8	Kelyn Rowe	Midfielder
	Sean Russell	Defender
23	Sean Sent	Midfielder
18	Kaydin Wall	Midfielder/Defender
31	Dylan Wojdyla	Defender
25	Abeselom Zemenfes	Midfielder

The former Seattle Sounder and U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder is joining Ballard FC for their 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run.

After playing for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Rowe was drafted by the New England Revolution in 2012 to kick off an eleven year Major League Soccer (MLS) career. Rowe played for the Revolution, Sporting Kansas City, Real Salt Lake, and New England again before ending his career with the Seattle Sounders.

After a number of successful seasons with the Revolution, Rowe earned his first U.S. Men’s National Team cap in 2017 in a 2-1 friendly win against Ghana. He then got called into the CONCACAF Gold Cup later that summer, winning his first trophy as a professional. Rowe played in two matches during the Gold Cup, assisting in the opening draw with Panama and then scoring his first international goal in the final group stage match against Nicaragua.

After leaving the revolution in 2018, Rowe had short spells with Kansas City, Salt Lake, before returning to New England ahead of the 2020 season. After another 1,000 minute season for the Revs, Rowe finally returned home and signed with the Seattle Sounders in 2021. He made an immediate impact in Seattle, playing over 2,500 minutes in his first season with the club. Then in 2022, Rowe and the Sounders became the first MLS club to win the CONCACAF Champions League. He played in all eight knockout matches and scored one goal in the competition.

Despite retiring at the end of the 2023 season, Rowe’s Seattle soccer story is not quite done. He will join Ballard FC this spring for the club’s 2025 Open Cup run. Rowe and Ballard FC will kick off with the match against Spokane Velocity on Wednesday, March 19th at Interbay Stadium.

See Kelyn Rowe play again by getting tickets to Ballard FC’s First Round Open Cup match!

For the second straight year, Ballard FC is hosting Spokane Velocity in the U.S. Open Cup.

The U.S. Open Cup is the oldest soccer competition in the country. “Amateur” clubs such as Ballard FC do not automatically qualify for the tournament. Ballard FC qualified based on their 2024 league standing, and is one of nine USL 2 clubs in the 2025 U.S. Open Cup. This is the second year in a row that Ballard FC is hosting their first round Open Cup match, but this year it will be at Interbay Stadium.

After a summer at Memorial Stadium, Ballard FC is back at Interbay for 2025. Fans will be looking forward to returning to Interbay Stadium, which is much closer to Ballard and will also allow fans to watch the match live from the beer garden.

With a spot in the Open Cup Second Round on the line, let’s preview Wednesday’s match.

Previous Encounter

Last year, Spokane Velocity defeated Ballard FC 1-0 with a late winner deep into the second half. The two teams went into halftime scoreless with neither side threatening, but the match would open up in the second half.

Ballard FC’s Lesia Thetsane came close to breaking the deadlock after coming into the match as a substitute, but his shot was saved.

The match looked set for extra time, but Spokane would find a winner in the dying moments. A long throw into the box found the foot of Andre Lewis who volleyed home the opening goal with one of the final kicks of the match.

Preview

Wednesday’s Open Cup match will be Spokane’s second competitive match of 2025 as they kick off USL League One (USL 1) play this Saturday, March 16th against One Knoxville SC. Spokane’s most recent match was a 3-0 defeat in the USL 1 Final against Union Omaha. Despite the loss, Spokane had an amazing debut season in USL 1 and will look to compete for the league title once again in 2025.

For Ballard FC, Wednesday’s cup match will be the hosts’ first competitive match since July of 2024. With the USL 2 season not starting until May, the club’s Open Cup roster will look a little different than the roster for the regular season. Ballard FC’s official Open Cup First Round roster was announced Monday, and is primarily made up of players from local colleges such as the University of Washington, Seattle University, and Seattle Pacific University. However, former Seattle Sounder and USMNT midfielder Kelyn Rowe has joined the squad for the Open Cup run and will bring invaluable experience.

After losing in 2024, Ballard FC will be eager to get some revenge and also get the club’s first ever Open Cup win. The winner of Wednesday’s match will take on the winner of Tacoma Defiance v. Washington Athletic Club who will face off on Thursday, March 20th.

With last year’s USL 1 runner-ups coming into town, Ballard FC will need the Interbay crowd to be at full strength as they aim for a “cupset” victory.

Get tickets to Wednesday’s match!

MATCH DETAILS

With Ballard FC returning to Interbay Stadium this year, fans can check out the map below to familiarize themselves with the stadium.

Gates: Gates open at 6:00pm! We also 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. Also, the first 150 fans will get the above match poster FREE.

Open Cup Patch: U.S. Open Cup specific patches will be available for sale at the match! Get the patch heat pressed onto any jersey with a donation of $10 at the match. All donations go to the Bridges United Foundation.

Koozies: The first 100 fans will get a Ballard FC Open Cup koozie

Food Vendors: Beyond the thrilling soccer action, Wednesday’s match will feature an array of food vendors, including Big Boys Filipino, T’Juana Tacos, 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 (except UW) and get two slices for the price of one. Outside food is not allowed in the venue except for Pagliacci Pizza.

Bridge the Gap: The Bridges United Foundation, the social impact arm of both Ballard FC and Salmon Bay FC, is currently running the Bridge the Gap fundraising campaign focused around the Open Cup. Bridges United aims to “bridge the gap” by providing high-quality sporting education to youth all across Seattle and Western Washington. If you are interested in supporting the foundation and/or winning some Open Cup related prizes, donate today!

Ballard Food Bank: We also encourage fans to support the community by bringing donations for the Ballard food bank. The following items will be accepted at Wednesday’s match: Peanut butter, canned soup, cereal, oatmeal, rice, pasta, ramen, canned fruit and vegetables, and granola bars.

Beer Garden: We’re proud to offer Reuben’s Brews at the Bridges United Foundation Beer Garden this year at Interbay Stadium, featuring the newly released Mighty Fine Bridgekeepers Pilsner!

Transportation: Parking is extremely limited. 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.

Once again, Ballard FC will host USL League One (USL 1) side, Spokane Velocity FC, in the First Round of the 2025 U.S. Open Cup. The match will take place at Interbay Stadium on Wednesday, March 19th, at 7:30 PM.

Having clinched an Open Cup birth based on our 2024 USL League Two (USL 2) league standings, Ballard FC is one of nine USL 2 clubs to qualify for the tournament. Last year, Spokane Velocity FC defeated Ballard FC 1-0 with a late goal in stoppage time. Now, we will be looking for a cupset and revenge in this year’s rematch.

“Qualifying again for the U.S. Open Cup is a major achievement for our club as so few USL 2 clubs qualify and hosting the first round match is a huge opportunity once again.” said Ballard FC Co-Founder and President, Sam Zisette. “This historic tournament provides incredible opportunities for small clubs like ours to compete against professional teams in competitive, do or die matches. We are incredibly honored and excited to host the first round match and we’re excited to have the opportunity to play Spokane Velocity again after last year’s heartbreak for us.”

Spokane Velocity FC are a third division side, competing in USL 1. This is their second year as a club, after finishing as USL 1 runner-ups in 2024. With seasoned professionals in the team, they will prove to be a challenge for the pre-professional roster of Ballard FC.

Tickets for this match are now available for purchase on the official Ballard FC website, www.goballardfc.com/tickets. Fans are encouraged to secure their seats early to witness firsthand the beginning of what promises to be an unforgettable journey for Ballard FC in the U.S. Open Cup. General Admission tickets range start at $16. More details on tickets and match day experience will be announced February 10th.

Join us in celebrating this momentous occasion for Ballard FC and the local soccer community as we embark on our second run in the U.S. Open Cup. 

Details:

• What: Ballard FC’s First Round Match in the U.S. Open Cup vs. Spokane Velocity FC
• Where: Interbay Stadium, Seattle
• When: Wednesday, March 19th, 7:30 PM
• Tickets: Available now!

Look out for details on the Open Cup roster, specific matchday information, the technical staff, and more. Stay updated on all things Ballard FC by following us on social media: @goballardfc

Read U.S. Soccer’s press release to learn more about the U.S. Open Cup First Round.