The Englishmen had a big night for Fort Wayne Football Club.
Jayden Smith scored in the 45th minute and Jack Thomas followed suit in the 75th, as Fort Wayne FC defeated the Richmond Kickers 2-0 in a national televised match at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.
“I thought the lads did well, just really good. We moved the ball well,” said Smith, who’s from Coventry, England.
Fort Wayne FC’s goalkeeper, Bernd Schipmann, stopped one shot for his league-leading eighth clean sheet of the USL League One season.
“We’ve just got to stick to our process, stick to our plan, and keep going,” said Fort Wayne FC’s coach, Mike Avery, whose team has won back-to-back matches on the heels of losing 5 of 6. “I think that we have enough quality in the team, if we just stick with it then we’re going to be just fine. They come out and train hard every day. Their resilience is there. So I’m not surprised.”
A crowd of 3,109 was on hand at 6411 Bass Road – it was a night dedicated to Fort Wayne FC’s Kids Club – and the match aired on CBS Sports Network.
The victory was a pivotal one for Fort Wayne FC (9-7-6), which ascended to eighth place in the 17-team USL League One table. The top eight teams will qualify for the postseason and Fort Wayne FC has 10 matches remaining in the regular season, beginning 7:30 p.m. Saturday night at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium against the New York Cosmos – a match that will be followed by fireworks.
Smith started Wednesday’s metaphorical fireworks; a Javier Armas shot from just outside the penalty area was stopped by goalkeeper Yann-Alexandre Fillion, and Smith tipped home the rebound.
Thomas, who hails from Whittington, England, substituted into the match in the 70th minute and scored off a set piece five minutes later. Michael Rempel had sent a high, arcing free kick across the field for Thomas to head into the net.
Fillion stopped six shots for Richmond (5-14-4), which was swept by Fort Wayne FC in the season series. The Autumn Gold & Black won 2-0 at Richmond on June 20.
Fort Wayne FC has won back-to-back matches, including Saturday’s 4-1 victory at Portland Hearts of Pine, on the heels of a four-game losing streak.
“Losing four in a row – and it was actually five out of six – that’s never easy,” Thomas said. “But we stuck together and worked hard in training every day. Every day had a purpose. We challenge each other and the last couple games have showed that all the work we put in the last couple weeks was worth it.”
Next up is the Cosmos (5-14-4). New York defeated Fort Wayne FC 2-0 on March 28.
Match photos
Videos
Box score
FORT WAYNE FC 1-1-2
RICHMOND KICKERS 0-0-0
September 2, 2026
At Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, Fort Wayne, IN
Attendance: 3,109
RECORDS: FW 9-7-6; RIC 5-14-4
GOALS: FW—Jayden Smith, Jack Thomas; RIC—None.
ASSISTS: FW—Michael Rempel; RIC–None.
SAVES: FW—Bernd Schipmann 1; RIC—Yann-Alexandre Fillion 6.
POSSESSION: FW—56.5%; RIC—43.5%.
YELLOW CARDS: FW— Tiago Dias, Javier Armas; RIC— Daniel Moore, Sam Layton.
RED CARDS: FW—None; RIC—None.
REFEREE: Ryan Homik.
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.