Ballard FC suffered another heartbreaking U.S. Open Cup loss, this time falling to Fresno’s Valley 559 FC 1-0 in the final qualifying round on Saturday.
Despite finishing as national runners-up in the 2025 USL2 playoffs, Ballard did not automatically qualify for next year’s Open Cup, just missing the regular-season points total required to do so. They entered qualifying with other semi-professional sides in the third round.
Their campaign started out on a very positive note. With a roster built mostly of Ballard FC alumni and former Seattle Sounders, The Bridges handily dispatched their third-round opponent Sharktopus FC 5-1, behind braces from Nii Engmann and Lamar Neagle. Neagle, Ballard FC’s club co-founder, took the field alongside other former Sounders Kelyn Rowe, and Jordan McCrary, and was more than up to the task.
Sharktopus FC came into the match on short rest after US Soccer ordered a replay of their qualifier against Bellevue Athletic, due to conflict of interest for the match referee. Ballard opened fast and never looked back.
Engman scored on a nifty flick from Neagle in the 6th minute, and 8 minutes later, Neagle again found Engmann, who easily finished for his brace.
Sharktopus scored their lone goal when Gabriel Kellum calmly scored a penalty after a questionable foul call on goalkeeper Lars Helleren. Other than that moment, it was all Ballard. New head coach Mutanda Kwesele notched his first win, and he got the chance to go deep into his bench in the final minutes.
The second half was all Ballard. Cale Spence scored a screamer from 25 yards out and soon after drew the penalty that would lead to Neagle’s first goal and the loudest cheers of the night from the sparse but engaged home crowd at Interbay. In the 71st minute, Neagle converted again, this time on a perfect cross from Omar Yehya.
The fourth round was always going to be a tougher assignment, and Valley 559 FC showed up ready for a physical, fast match despite only bringing three bench players. It was their pace and tenacity that ultimately proved too much for Ballard.
The match was a box-to-box affair for most of the night. Ballard controlled more possession, but were rarely goal dangerous in the first half.
Ballard played well and stood up to the challenge Valley brought to the game, but a few missed chances on goal, two dangerous set pieces that went wanting, and an 87th-minute dagger of a free kick by Valley 559’s Moe Espinoza was all it took to end Ballard’s run. After the match, goalkeeper Lars Helleren gave credit where it was due.
“He just hit a really nice free kick and got it around the wall," he said. "It was unfortunate for us, but it was a great kick.”
The roster for these qualifiers was always going to be a challenge for Ballard. Due to NCAA rules and the timing of these matches, the bulk of Ballard’s preferred roster was unavailable for selection. While the selection of former players from both Ballard and Sounders FC is a fun storyline, this is not a team that has played or trained together with any regularity. This match could have easily fallen into place for the home side despite the roster churn, but it was clear that they were a little behind the game late, and Valley found their way behind the defense on several occasions, the last one leading the foul at the top of the box that Espinoza converted.
One thing that is becoming clear is that Ballard FC is in danger of carrying the narrative of late-match losses as part of their competitive identity if this trend continues. In 2024 they went out of Open Cup to Spokane Velocity 1-0 on a stoppage time goal. In 2025 they again lost to Spokane, this time late in extra time after battling to a 0-0 draw in regulation. Then, in this year’s USL2 Championship game against Vermont Green, Ballard gave up the winning goal in their 2-1 loss in stoppage time. The Ballard franchise is young – 2026 will be their fifth season – and there is obviously a lot to celebrate in their short history, but until they show that they can win close knockout matches, these late losses will continue to add up to the sort of chatter that can become an issue on the field and the sideline.
After the match, GM Sam Zisette told Sounder at Heart that the roster build for the 2026 season is already well underway. The club will look to bounce back from this loss and dive into next season, which begins in May.
