Seventeen years ago in Whittington, England, a young Jack Thomas touched a soccer ball for the first time. Growing up in a culture defined by the sport – and in a family of passionate footballers – it was inevitable that Jack would fall in love with the game so many around him cherished.
Football, as they call it in England, isn’t just a sport, it’s a way of life, and it quickly became Thomas’ way of life. And Thomas, 22, has taken it to the professional level.
Following an award-winning career in college – he was the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Player of the Year in 2025 – Thomas is one of Fort Wayne Football Club’s bright young stars, their goal scorer in their most recent match, a 3-1 road loss to Spokane Velocity FC last weekend.
Thomas and the rest of the Autumn Gold & Black are looking to return to the win column with a pivotal home match 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium against league-leading Union Omaha.
Thomas’ beginnings
Thomas spent every weekend of his childhood playing football with friends, joined organized league play around age 8, and stayed with the same group of teammates until he was 17. He credits much of his success to the joy the sport brings him, and to the great support system he’s had.
“I’ve been playing (football) my whole life,” Thomas said, adding his father, Leighton, is the main reason he became the quality player he is today.
“My dad was a big football guy. He got both me and my brother into it and he was our coach until I came out to the U.S. He taught me everything.”
A playing career in the U.S. wasn’t something Thomas imagined would be in his future, but at the end of his youth career he was looking for ways to remain on the pitch and ultimately followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Owen, by crossing the pond.
He began a college career at Northeast Texas Community College for a single season, 2022, and then transferred to Louisiana State University-Shreveport to finish out his college career.
Thomas was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of play in U.S. soccer.
“I went to a junior college and that level was the best I’ve played at,” he said.
“It’s a good lesson for a lot of boys that are wanting to come out here and play college to not underrate the level; there are a lot of good players here.”
It wasn’t just the quality of the American soccer that impressed Thomas, it was also the professionalism – something that might come as surprising considering the knocks U.S. soccer takes from some fans overseas.
“It was a lot more professional than what I was used to back in England,” Thomas said. “College for all four years was high standards and good players.”
During his time at Louisiana State University-Shreveport, Thomas appeared in 66 matches across three seasons. He totaled 47 goals and a program-record 22 assists.
In the 2025 season, he set the single-season program records in goals (20), assists (12), shots (86) and shots on goal (46), totaled over 22 matches.
His awards were just as impressive, as he was named the United Soccer Coaches’ NAIA Player of the Year, a First Team All-American, and the Red River Athletics Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Smooth transition to pros
The transition from college to professional soccer wasn’t that jarring for Thomas, who is 5-foot-7, 139 pounds.
In fact, he found many similarities.
“In college, it’s kind of like you’re a pro anyway,” he said. “You train every day and with good players.”
Setting high standards and striving to improve daily has always been Thomas’ mindset on training – and he strives to do it with a smile on his face.
“I will always remember my professional debut,” Thomas said. “It was a proud moment for myself and my family. They were as excited as I was to start this journey.”
Thomas made his pro debut against the Sarasota Paradise, in a 2-all draw, March 14. He started the next three matches against the New York Cosmos, Charlotte Independence, and Louisville City FC – the latter a Prinx Tires USL Cup match – before missing three weeks with an injury.
His return came May 16 at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium against USL Championship-side Indy Eleven in another USL Cup match. Thomas subbed in for Clarence Awoudor in the 78th minute, then Thomas scored one of the most iconic goals in Fort Wayne FC’s brief pro history.
“I had no idea I was going to be on the bench until the day before. I was keeping myself prepared in case I received the opportunity,” he said.
Heading into stoppage time, Fort Wayne FC trailed 2-1 and a goal was needed to send the match to penalty kicks.
“The ball fell to me at the edge of the box,” Thomas said. “The keeper helped me out a little bit, but I was able to find the back of the net and send it to pens. It was a big goal for the club as well, not just me.”
Fort Wayne FC eventually lost the PKs, but the performance against the higher-level, in-state rival in the inaugural running of the Victory & Liberty Derby helped send a message to the soccer world that the youngest team in USL League One, Fort Wayne FC, was a force to be reckoned with this year.
Thomas has three goals this season, including one in a 2-0 road victory over the Richmond Kickers on June 20. He redirected a Taig Healy shot in the 20th minute and then set up Healy for a goal in the 39th minute.
Thomas wants to continue to play the sport he loves at the highest level possible.
“As long as I keep enjoying it,” he said, “and (I’m) keeping at it.”
As for what Thomas thinks about the future of Fort Wayne FC, he believes the club plays a major role in his continued enjoyment and development.
“This club is a big factor in that. I love coming here (to the field) every day. It’s a very well-organized club and there is a big future ahead,” Thomas said.
Previewing Saturday’s match against Union Omaha
This will be the second meeting this season between Fort Wayne FC and Union Omaha, though the first meeting, a 4-2 Union Omaha victory in Nebraska, was part of the Prinx Tires USL Cup competition and didn’t impact the USL League One standings.
In that match, June 6, Fort Wayne FC got goals from Daniel Oyetunde and Ryan Becher. With Fort Wayne FC unlikely to advance out of group play, head coach Mike Avery rested several of his top players, including Healy, Tiago Dias and Michael Rempel.
Union Omaha is atop the USL League One standings with an 11-5-2 record, including a 2-0-1 record in its last three matches. Fort Wayne FC is in ninth place at 7-4-6 – one point out of playoff position – with a 1-2-0 record in its last three, including Saturday’s 3-1 road loss to Spokane Velocity FC.
This match features some of USL League One’s top goal scorers, including Fort Wayne FC’s Healy (eight goals) and Lilian Ricol (seven), and Union Omaha’s Diego Gutiérrez (six), Sergio Ors (four) and Kempes Waldemar Tekiela (four).
But both clubs are also multi-faceted; Fort Wayne is tied for second in the league with only 17 goals allowed this season and Union Omaha, which has played one more match, is tied for fifth with 21 goals allowed.
The clubs are also among the league’s most accurate on passing; Union Omaha is tied for second at 86% and Fort Wayne FC is tied for fifth at 82%.
Make sure you check out the Fort Wayne FC media notes previewing this match. The Union Omaha media notes are available here.
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.