Many people know and understand that soccer in Europe has relegation and promotion as a mainstay in their professional leagues. Here in the US the pro soccer circuit is a little different.
We have one league, with playoffs and a developmental league called the MLS Next league. A good amount of MLS teams in America have teams in MLS Next, but those who do not have a team in the USL (United Soccer League). The USL consists of three divisions and we have one team here in King County.
The team is Ballard FC, a team which plays in the USL’s second division. The team was co-founded by Thomas Jefferson Alumni Lamar Neagle and is in their second year of competition. The roster also has ties to the southside, with Federal Way High School’s Zane Baumgardt playing his second year for Ballard.
His journey in college is not a traditional one, he went to Colorado to play and moved back after his first year. He then took some time off from soccer before joining the Highline College men’s team. Through a former coach he changed his mind from Western Oregon University to Dominguez Hills, “My first year in California was better than anything I could have thought it was going to be,” Baumgardt said.
In his first year he made an immediate impact on the pitch, first he was named the captain of his new home. “I was named captain, I honestly had zero expectations that would happen. I stepped in and was a leader and we only lost two games and made it to the round of 16,” he said.
His path to Ballard is an example of working extremely hard and getting rewarded for that effort that he put in. He was one of three players taken from a tryout from a year ago, “I needed a place to play to stay in shape for Dominguez Hills. I saw they were having open tryouts and got picked up,” he said.
Playing this close to home over the summer gives his friends and family a chance to see a lot of his games where in college most of it would be watched over a livestream. “It’s great (to play here). They love it. The atmosphere is crazy. This is the club everyone wants to play for in our region,” Baumgardt said.
With both Zane and Neagle from Federal Way, the two have a distinct connection. “I’ve talked to him a little bit. I saw him with the Tacoma Stars, so I see him every now and again,” Baumgardt said.
He thought he needed to find a place to play just for the summer. Most USL2 teams are comprised of college players looking to keep their form over the summer months. On top of that, playing in the USL 2 he’s gained so much more than just playing in games. “Our roster top to bottom is amazing.. The level (of play) out here is great. I’m playing against better competition here than I’ll face in the fall which puts me a step ahead,” he said.
Last season Ballard reached the semi-finals of the USL2. The game took place in For the team and Zane, it was a highlight of the summer. “Even though we lost, going to Iowa was one of the most fun trips. We got to fly together and being around each other was fun. It’s always soccer first, but after that we just got to not think about soccer and just play with each other which was a good time,” he said.
This year Ballard is off to an incredible start. They sit at 5-0 and sit at number two in the USL2 power rankings across 18 divisions in the league. The next home game for Ballard is June 30, with kick-off at 7:00 pm as they take on Capital FC Atletico out of Olympia.
