Ballard FC Announces James Riley as Head Coach Ahead of Third Season

It is only January, but it is already clear that 2024 will be a year of change for the USL2 National Champions as they look to defend their league title. Having already announced Memorial Stadium as their temporary venue for the 2024 season, the team has now appointed James Riley as their new head coach. Although these are big changes, Ballard FC and Seattle soccer fans will find Riley very familiar.

As head coach, James Riley will further increase the local soccer history already associated with Ballard FC as a hyperlocal club. Riley played in the MLS as a fullback for over a decade, including three seasons with the Seattle Sounders where he was named Prost Amerika’s Sounders Player of the Season in 2009. And even after his MLS career ended, Riley returned to the region to play for the Tacoma Stars and now lives in the Seattle area. When commenting on his appointment, Riley mentioned “The club’s impressive history of success and unwavering dedication to excellence for the community of Ballard and the Greater Seattle region is truly remarkable.”

After winning the USL2 title, Ballard FC will look to continue to build a winning pedigree, and appointing a proven winner is quite the start. Riley won an MLS Cup with the LA Galaxy, three Eastern Conference Championships with the New England Revolution, and a total of five U.S. Open Cup trophies (including three with the Sounders). With Ballard FC playing in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Riley is ideally positioned to lead a deep cup run. Riley’s Ballard FC head coaching debut will be in the Open Cup as it will start in the Spring before the USL2 season begins in May.

With extensive experience as a youth soccer coach and a very successful playing career, Riley is prepared to work and succeed with Ballard FC. Riley serves as a Director of Coaching for Eastside FC, while also coaching their Boys 07 ECNL team and formerly coached the U23 program. In addition to his role at Eastside FC, Riley owns and operates JR7 Soccer, a soccer training and mentorship program for aspiring college soccer players, giving him a depth of experience developing and mentoring future professionals. The club leadership expressed great excitement about this appointment, the upcoming season, and the future of the club overall with Riley at the helm.

Lamar Neagle, Ballard FC Co-Founder and former teammate of Riley, had this to say about the appointment “[his] impressive track record both on and off the field aligns perfectly with our vision for the future of the club. With James at the helm, we are confident in our ability to continue competing at the highest level.”

Neagle’s sentiment is echoed by fellow Ballard FC Co-Founder Sam Zisette, who described Riley as, “a total professional in everything he does and has tremendous playing and coaching experience to take our club to the next level. Coming off the back of a USL2 championship and into our first U.S. Open Cup run, it is a big moment of growth for Ballard FC and we couldn’t be more excited to have James leading the team.”

Ballard FC have become known for their high-octane offense and matches with loads of goals, but with a former defender like Riley leading the way it will be interesting to see how the team looks in 2024. As fans wait impatiently for the club to return to the pitch, Riley expressed his eagerness to execute his vision. “With a humble and servant leadership approach, I am excited to lead this exceptional team into 2024 and beyond,” Riley said. “I feel incredibly privileged and enthusiastic to contribute to the growth and success of this remarkable project. Up The Bridges!”

This year of change for Ballard FC will be met with updates to the Northwest division as a whole as three new clubs from the State of Washington have joined USL2. Midlakes United and West Seattle Junction FC are two entirely new clubs, and then Tacoma Stars have added a USL2 side alongside their professional indoor soccer team. With a total of five USL2 clubs in Washington now, fans can look forward to watching Riley’s first season both at Memorial Stadium and even on the road.

Fans can purchase season tickets now to guarantee their spot in Memorial Stadium to see Riley’s first season in charge as the club works to defend its national title.