It’s finally time! Fort Wayne Football Club begins play in professional soccer 7 p.m. Saturday against FC Naples at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples, Florida.
Founded in 2019, and beginning play in 2021, Fort Wayne FC has already proved itself a successful club on the pitch – with division titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and trips to the conference semifinals in 2024 and 2025 – but that was in the pre-professional level of USL League Two.
Now begins an altogether different endeavor: Competition in USL League One, which has 17 teams across the nation. Fort Wayne FC’s first five matches will be on the road before the home opener against the Charlotte Independence on May 2 – the first ever match at Fort Wayne FC Park, the privately funded, state-of-the-art, soccer specific stadium the club is building at Bass Road and I-69.
“This group can really play, I know that,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said of his roster. “We’ve really built an identity over the last four or five years as a team that values possession and technically is very clean, and we keep the ball very well, and that’s certainly attracted a group of guys who can do that. I think it’s going to be a fun team to watch, how we move the ball and how we circulate the ball. I think it’s going to be recognizable from past teams.”
Fort Wayne FC’s game notes for the match at Naples can be downloaded here. FC Naples’ notes are available here.
Fort Wayne FC has signed four players who were with it during its USL League Two era – defenders Tiago Dias, Reid Sproat and Anthony Hernandez, and goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe – and the coaching staff of Avery, assistant coach Keelan Barker and goalkeeper coach Max Rose are also familiar faces.
“I think it’s about the work before (the season),” Dias said. “I think we’re ready now. That’s why we’re here. Of course, we’ve got to adapt to a new league, and that’s going to be important for the future. We’ve been improving a lot together and we’re going to be at the highest point by the end of the season.”
The club’s roster looks as if it’ll be one of the youngest in the league, if not the youngest, with fresh-out-of-college standouts such as Taig Healy, Clarence Awoudor, Michael Rempel and Jack Thomas, along with youngsters such as Daniel Oyetunde from Arsenal’s academy system and Jayden Smith from Coventry City’s academy system.
Fort Wayne FC also brought in experienced professional footballers, including James Musa, who has over 300 pro appearances; goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann, who had 33 clean sheets over three seasons with USL League’s One’s Forward Madison; and Ryan Becher, who had nine goals in 22 matches last season for Union Omaha.
The club has formed a leadership group that currently includes Musa, Schipmann, Becher, and Javier Armas, though Avery hasn’t yet announced who will wear the captain’s armband in the season opener.
In preparation for the move to professional soccer, Fort Wayne FC underwent a rebrand that included changing its logo to a monogram look and its colors to autumn gold and black. While the club has yet to reveal its home kits, it unveiled its autumn gold road uniforms Monday night, in front of a crowd of over 400 season ticket holders, at Kruse Plaza in Auburn.
“I love the color,” Avery said of the away kits. “Gold is for champions, right? I like the idea that it’s kind of a bold statement. It’s a color that, you win a gold medal, gold things, that’s the color for champions.”
Added Dias: “I love the new colors. New colors and new beginnings. Hopefully we can bring amazing things to the city in the new colors.”
The match against FC Naples will be televised on ESPN+, as will most of this season’s matches. Fort Wayne FC will have nationally televised matches on June 17, when it’s at Forward Madison on ESPN2, and Sept. 2, when it plays host to the Richmond Kickers on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
There will be a watch party Saturday night at JK O’Donnell’s, and member’s of the club’s staff will be on hand. Fort Wayne FC merchandise will be available for sale, including items not available in our online store.
Fort Wayne FC’s success will not be measured by merely wins and losses. The club, which has always prided itself on its activism within the Northeast Indiana community, plans to become even more visible as role models and stewards of the game. While Fort Wayne has long been regarded as one of the best sports markets in the nation, the addition of professional soccer and a world-class venue will only amplify the area’s standing.
The first match in USL League One is just the latest step in making that happen.
Season tickets are on sale to see Fort Wayne FC play at Fort Wayne FC Park. Six-match Mini Plans are also on sale. Single-match tickets will go on sale in the near future.
About Fort Wayne Football Club
Fort Wayne Football Club, founded in 2019, is a professional soccer club playing its first season in USL League One in 2026. The club is building a state-of-the-art, soccer-specific stadium, Fort Wayne FC Park, that will open at Bass Road and I-69 in 2026. In pre-professional USL League Two, Fort Wayne Football Club won division titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025. For more information, visit FortWayneFC.com.
About United Soccer League
Founded in 1986, the United Soccer League (USL) is the largest and fastest-growing soccer organization in the United States, impacting more than 200 communities nationwide. The USL is the first and only organization to offer a comprehensive youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one ecosystem. This structure includes four men’s leagues: the newly announced, top-tier professional Division I league, the USL Championship (Division II), USL League One (Division III), and USL League Two (pre-professional). The women’s pathway includes the top-tier USL Super League (Division I), which debuted in 2024, and USL W League, the country’s leading pre-professional women’s league. The USL also oversees USL Academy, a progressive talent development platform, and USL Youth, a premier national youth platform.