“Obviously, it was good to get a point against a USL Championship team, especially at home,” said Thomas, who netted a curving shot from just outside the top of the penalty area, following a Kabiru Gafar setup, in the first ever running of the Victory & Liberty Derby.
Thomas had missed the previous three matches due to injury. The goal was the first of his professional career.
“We’re definitely building a fortress and we’re going to be hard to beat here. It’s a shame to lose on pens, but it’s part of it and I think we’ve put ourselves on the map even more,” Thomas said.
A crowd of 3,794 was on hand at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, where Fort Wayne FC has yet to lose in regulation and has a 2-0-2 record (2-0-1 in USL League One play).
In Prinx Tires USL Cup matches, Fort Wayne FC has performed admirably. There was a 3-1 loss at Louisville City FC that saw Fort Wayne FC hold an early lead on April 25, and then there was Saturday’s match that saw Fort Wayne FC fall behind in the 26th minute on a goal by Aodhan Quinn.
Fort Wayne FC’s Taig Healy, however, scored the equalizer in the 33rd minute on the rebound of a Javier Armas goal. Healy has scored in five of the last six matches.
“We’ve definitely shown we can compete with the teams in the league above,” Thomas said.
Indy Eleven’s Bruno Manuel Rendón made it 2-1 in the 64th minute, beating Fort Wayne FC goalkeeper Aurie Echevarría, who stopped 4 of 6 shots in his first action, due to injury, since the season opener March 7.
Indy Eleven goalkeeper Eric Dick stopped 3 of 5 shots. In penalty kicks, he allowed a goal to Lilian Ricol. Healy hit the crossbar, while Emerson Nieto and Thomas failed to score.
“It was an incredible game and what an incredible environment,” said Fort Wayne FC head coach Mike Avery, who has the youngest team in USL League One. “You’re sitting on the sidelines sometimes and looking around and it doesn’t even feel real that it’s right here in Fort Wayne. I’m really, really proud of the guys.
“We’ve got guys who are in maybe their eighth professional game and (Indy Eleven) has guys who have been playing 8, 10 years professionally. There’s an experience difference and I really thought we grew into the game really well.”
Fort Wayne FC is back at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on Wednesday against Corpus Christi SC. Tickets are on sale and fans are reminded to buy their parking in advance.
Match photos
Match videos
Box score
FORT WAYNE FC 1-1-2
INDY ELEVEN 1-1-2
PENALTY KICKS: FW 1 of 4 (Lilian Ricol); Indy 3 of 3 (Jack Blake, Aodhan Quinn, Josh O’Brien)
May 16, 2026
At Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Attendance: 3,794
GOALS: FW— Taig Healy, Jack Thomas; IND—Aodhan Quinn, Bruno Rendon
ASSISTS: FW—Kabiru Gafar; IND—Jack Blake
SAVES: FW—Aurie Echevarria 4; IND—Eric Dick 3
POSSESSION: FW— 52.4%; IND— 47.6%
YELLOW CARDS: FW—Jeremy Garay, Ian Abbey, Jack Thomas, Tiago Dias; IND—Jack Blake, Logan Neidlinger, Paco Criag
RED CARDS: FW—None; IND—None
REFEREE: Muhammad Hassan
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 plays home matches at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, which opened May 2, 2026, and is a soccer-specific venue. 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.