Fort Wayne Football Club’s first victory in professional soccer came against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. Now it’s time for the rematch.
The clubs will square off 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium. Tickets are on sale now.
The first 1,000 spectators will receive free fans, courtesy of Masters Heating & Cooling.
When these teams first met April 11, it was Fort Wayne FC’s fourth match in USL League One soccer and its first professional victory.
Taig Healy scored 44 seconds into the match – it was the fastest goal in Fort Wayne FC history, including their five seasons in the pre-professional level of USL League Two – and Healy did so by stealing the ball, sprinting with it 10 yards, and then firing a shot from just outside the penalty area.
Fort Wayne FC goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann had three saves for the clean sheet.
The match was a heated one with 12 cards handed out. Fort Wayne FC’s Trace Terry, who is no longer with the club, got his second yellow card in second-half stoppage time and the club was forced to finish off the victory playing a man down. Chattanooga Red Wolves coach Scott Mackenzie was sent off due to a pair of yellow cards in the 60th minute.
Heading into Saturday, Fort Wayne FC (7-6-6) trails Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (9-7-1) by one point for the eighth and final playoff spot in USL League One. However, there’s lots of time left in the regular season; Fort Wayne FC has 13 remaining matches beginning with Saturday’s.
Fort Wayne Football Club’s head coach, Mike Avery, said there are two things the Autumn Gold & Black need to focus on to win this match and earn all three available standings points.
“We need to keep the ball well,” Avery said. “(The Red Wolves) are very organized in how they defend in the lower block. We need to keep the ball, move them, and create chances out of our possession.
“The second thing is equally as important. When it does turn up, we need to be careful in the counterattack. They are a very good counterattacking team.”
Midfielder Kabiru Gafar – who has been an integral part of Fort Wayne FC’s success this season – added: “It’s going to be a battle. We need to come out fighting, wanting it more than the other team, and stick to the little details. That’s what makes the game either out of your hands, or in your control. We must do the little things right and be ready to win.”
Check out the Fort Wayne FC press notes. And here are Chattanooga Red Wolves’.
After Saturday’s match, Fort Wayne FC has a road match against Portland Hearts of Pine on Aug. 29, then returns to Ruoff Mortgage Stadium for a Sept. 2 match against the Richmond Kickers.
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.