Richard Ballard

Richard Ballard (born January 26, 1994) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Detroit City in the USL Championship.

Richard Ballard
Ballard with Louisville City in 2017
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-01-26) 26 January 1994
Place of birth Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder, Forward
Team information
Current team
 Detroit City
Number 26
Youth career
–2011 duPont Manual Crimsons
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2016 Indiana Hoosiers 64 (5)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 River City Rovers 17 (2)
2017–2019 Louisville City 33 (4)
2021–2022 Miami FC 32 (0)
2023– Detroit City 24 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 18, 2023

Early life

Personal

Ballard was born in Louisville, Kentucky to John and Debi Ballard, and attended high school at duPont Manual High School.[1] While at Manual he played three years of varsity soccer. As a senior he scored 21 goals with 24 assists while leading Manual to the district 12 title and be named to both the All-District and All-State First teams.[2]

College and youth

Ballard played four years of college soccer at Indiana University between 2012 and 2016, including a red-shirted year in 2013. During his freshman year Ballard appeared in 13 matches, starting four, and was named to the Big Ten Conference All Freshman team.[1] Ballard and Indiana won the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.[3] Over the next two seasons he appear in 30 matches for Indiana scoring one goal as a junior. As a senior he started all 21 of Indiana's matches with four goals and 2 assists while being named to the All-Big Ten second team.[1]

While at college, Ballard appeared for Premier Development League side River City Rovers in 2012 and 2013.[4]

Club career

2017 season

Ballard signed with United Soccer League side Louisville City on February 6[2] and made his professional debut on March 25 against Saint Louis.[5] He appeared in 25 of Louisville's 32 league matches, being used primarily as a substitute, scoring three goals. He also appeared in both of Louisville's US Open Cup matches, scoring one goal as well as all four of Louisville' USL Cup Playoff matches. Although he didn't score in regulation time during any of the USL Cup matches, he converted the final shot of the Penalty shoot-out in the Eastern Conference final against New York Red Bulls II.[6] Ballard and Louisville won the USL Cup Final against Swope Park[7] with Ballard being named a finalist for USL Rookie of the Year.[4]

2018 season

Ballard had his contract renewed with Louisville[8] and he made his season debut on March 17 against USL expansion side Nashville SC.[9] In early April Ballard suffered a stress fracture causing him to miss significant time.[10] He finished the year making only four appearances across Louisville's 34 league matches without scoring a goal. Although he didn't make an appearance in any of Louisville's four USL Cup playoff matches Ballard and Louisville went on to win the USL Cup Final against Phoenix.[11]

Miami FC

On January 14, 2021, following a year off from competitive play, Ballard signed with USL Championship side Miami FC.[12]

Detroit City

On January 10, 2023, Ballard signed a two-year deal with USL Championship side Detroit City.[13]

Honors

Club

Louisville City FC

References
  1. "Richard Ballard". iuhoosiers.com. Bloomington, IN: IU. 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  2. Lintner, Jonathan (February 6, 2017). "LouCity Signs Louisville Native, IU Product Ballard for 2017 Season". www.louisvillecityfc.com. Louisville, KY: LCFC. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  3. Goff, Steven (December 9, 2012). "Indiana defeats Georgetown in College Cup final". Washington Post. Hoover, AL. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  4. Hockman, Chris (November 11, 2017). "Local Boy Ballard Brings Boost for Louisville". www.uslsoccer.com. Louisville, KY: USL. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  5. Lintner, Jonathan (March 25, 2017). "LouCity Dominates, But Draws, with Saint Louis FC". www.louisvillecityfc.com. Louisville, KY: LCFC. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  6. Lerner, Danielle (November 4, 2017). "Louisville City FC beats New York in penalties to advance to USL Cup championship". www.courier-journal.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  7. Murray, Nicholas (November 14, 2017). "Louisville's Late Winner Claims USL Cup Victory". www.uslsoccer.com. USL. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  8. "Louisville City FC Announces Roster Changes". www.louisvillecityfc.com. Louisville, KY: LCFC. November 17, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  9. Bacharach, Erik (March 17, 2018). "Nashville SC opens inaugural USL season with loss at Louisville City FC". www.tennessean.com. Louisville, KY: Tennessean. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  10. "What to Know: #LOUVRIC". www.louisvillecityfc.com. Louisville, KY: LCFC. April 13, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018. OUT - Richard Ballard (stress fracture, out for foreseeable future)
  11. Arlia, John (November 8, 2018). "Spencer's Strike Leads Louisville to Second Straight USL Cup". www.uslsoccer.com. Louisville, KY: USL. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  12. Communications, Miami FC (14 January 2021). "Miami FC Add Dangerous Attacking Duo Ahead of 2021 Season". Miami FC. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  13. "USL Championship Roster Updates".
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