Although it is the Ballard FC offseason, the squad never stops playing. After winning a second straight Northwest Division title, most of the 2024 Ballard FC roster returned to the classroom and their respective college programs. As we look ahead to the 2025 USL League Two season, let’s see how the boys did this fall.
Locally, we had 14 players play their collegiate ball in Seattle spread between the University of Washington, Seattle University, and Seattle Pacific University.
At Interbay Stadium, Ray Mendez led the Seattle Pacific attack with 13 goals, ultimately receiving Second Team All-West Region and First Team All-Conference honors, and also winning Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
Heading downtown, there were four Ballard FC players plying their trade at Championship Field this fall. Taketo Onodera, Demian Alvarez, Luke Hammond, and Charlie Lanphier won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament Title after winning the regular season title in 2023. Alvarez won WAC Defender of the Year, while him and Onodera both received First Team All-Far West Region and First Team All-WAC honors.
In the U-District, six Ballard FC players featured for a University of Washington team that made the NCAA tournament. In his first Big Ten Season, Peter Kingston was named Second Team All-Big Ten after scoring six goals and recording five assists. Richie Aman received Third Team All-North Region honors and an MLS College Showcase invite after recording two goals and three assists in his junior season.
Further south on the West Coast, we had Christian Engmann and Austin Brummett on the San Diego State roster. In their first season in the WAC, the aztecs won the WAC Regular Season Title. After scoring five goals and assisting another five, Brummett was named both Second Team All-WAC and Second Team All-Far West Region. After being selected to the 2024 USL League Two Team of the Year, Engmann was unfortunately injured for the aztecs this season, deciding to medically redshirt and retain his final year of collegiate eligibility.
Alongside Brummett and Engmann, Rafi Otero also played college soccer in California this fall with Claremont Mudd Scripps. Otero led the Stags to a SCIAC Tournament Title and a NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen Appearance. Otero scored 13 goals and added six assists and was named a Third Team All-American. Otero also received First Team All-Region and First Team All-SCIAC honors.
From the West Coast to the East Coast, we had another Ballard FC player make a deep run in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Elliot Spatz and Connecticut College win the NESCAC Tournament Title and made it all the way to the National Championship match, where they lost on penalties. Spatz got hot at the right time, scoring five goals in the final six matches of the season.
Also on the East Coast, we had Charlie Gaffney and Leo Burney win their third straight Ivy League Regular Season Title. Burney was named a Second Team All-American for the second time in his career, while also receiving his fourth career All-Region selection, second Ivy League Defender of the Year award, and fourth straight First Team All-Ivy honor. Burney’s accomplishments with Penn and Ballard FC helped him earn a homegrown contract with the Seattle Sounders last week.
Later this week, the MLS SuperDraft will take place on Friday, December 20th. After 2023 Ballard FC striker Stas Korzeniowski was selected last year, fans can hope to see another Ballard FC player taken in this year’s draft.
All in all, 10 Ballard FC players won conference championships this fall, with 16 players making the NCAA tournament. Additionally, eight players received end-of-season honors, including two All-Americans.
Individual Honors (8)
Leo Burney – Second Team All-American, First Team All-Region, Ivy League Defender of the Year, First Team All-Ivy
Rafi Otero – Third Team All-American, First Team All-Region, First Team All-SCIAC
Ray Mendez – Second Team All-Region, GNAC Player of the Year, First Team All-GNAC
Demian Alvarez – First Team All-Region, WAC Defender of the Year, First Team All-WAC
Taketo Onodera – First Team All-Region, First Team All-WAC
Austin Brummett – Second Team All-Region, Second Team All-WAC
Richie Aman – Third Team All-Region
Peter Kingston – Second Team All-Big Ten
Conference Champions (10)
Seattle University (4) – Taketo Onodera, Demian Alvarez, Charlie Lanphier, and Luke Hammond
University of Pennsylvania (2) – Charlie Gaffney, and Leo Burney
San Diego State (2) – Christian Engmann and Austin Brummett
Claremont Mudd Scripps (1) – Rafi Otero
Connecticut College (1) – Elliot Spatz
NCAA Tournament (16)
University of Washington (6) – Peter Kingston, Joe Dale, Richie Aman, Sean Sent, Chris Meyers, and Rhys Gourdie
Seattle University (4) – Taketo Onodera, Demian Alvarez, Charlie Lanphier, and Luke Hammond
University of Pennsylvania (2) – Charlie Gaffney, and Leo Burney
University of Virginia (1) – Cameron Yriondo
Duke University (1) – Andrew Myerson
Claremont Mudd Scripps (1) – Rafi Otero
Connecticut College (1) – Elliot Spatz
With successful Fall seasons all around the squad, the 2025 Ballard FC season cannot come soon enough. Make sure to get your season tickets now as Ballard FC returns to Interbay Stadium this May!
