Fort Wayne Football Club’s remarkable first season in professional soccer came to an end Saturday night with a 2-0 loss to Athletic Club Boise, in front of a crowd of 4,099 at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.
The fourth largest crowd of the club’s first season at 6411 Bass Road was on hand for Fan Appreciation and Report Card Night, and the Autumn Gold & Black’s faithful were hopeful the night would end with a playoff berth.
It became a must-win situation when FC Naples completed a 1-0 victory over the Spokane Velocity FC with a 94th-minute goal earlier in the night, and Fort Wayne FC couldn’t get any of its six shots on target past AC Boise goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer.
Fort Wayne FC’s Bernd Schipmann stopped four shots, but AC Boise got goals from Jesús Barea in the 39th minute and Thomas Amang in the 91st.
Fort Wayne FC finished the match a man down due to Aleksandar Vukovic getting his second yellow card in the 70th minute.
This was Fort Wayne FC’s first season in USL League One, after five successful seasons in the pre-professional level of USL League Two.
The club – with the youngest roster in the league – went 12-11-9 this season and finished just one point back of FC Naples for the eighth and final playoff spot among the 17 clubs in USL League One. AC Boise was 17-8-7, the third best record in the league.
“This was just the start for us,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said. “For an expansion team in the first year, to put out the product we did – a young team, an exciting team, a brand new stadium – we’ve done a lot of things right. This is going to hurt for awhile, but we’re going to get back to work and see if we can do better next season.”
Saturday night’s match was followed by a Team Awards Presentation on the pitch.
Michael Rempel won the Player of the Year Award, which was voted on by the Fort Wayne FC players themselves. The award was presented to the player who has made the greatest overall contribution to the team’s success throughout the season.
Rempel also won the Autumn Gold & Black Award, which is presented to the player who best exemplifies Fort Wayne Football Club’s values and ideals, both on and off the pitch, through character, commitment and contributions to the club and community. It was selected by a vote of club staff and media.
Taig Healy was awarded the Golden Boot Award for leading the club in goals across all competitions with 12.
Tiago Dias won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, which recognized the player who has made the greatest impact defensively through performance, consistency and leadership. It was selected by a vote of club staff and media.
Jack Thomas won the Fan Favorite Award, which recognized the player who has made the strongest connection with Fort Wayne FC fans throughout the season. It was selected via an online vote.
All of the award winners were presented trophies and will be recognized on a permanent plaque at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, the largest outdoor venue in Northeast Indiana.
Match photos
Post-match interviews
Box score
FORT WAYNE FC 0-0-0
ATHLETIC CLUB BOISE 1-1-2
October 24, 2026
At Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, Fort Wayne, IN
Attendance: 4,099
RECORDS: FW 12-11-9; ACB 17-8-7
GOALS: FW—None; ACB—Jesus Barea, Thomas Amang.
ASSISTS: FW—None; ACB–Nick Moon, Omar Yehya.
SAVES: FW—Bernd Schipmann 4; ACB—Jonathan Kliewer 6.
POSSESSION: FW—50.7%; ACB—49.3%
YELLOW CARDS: FW—Clarence Awoudor, Aleksandar Vukovic (2x); ACB—Nick Moon, Phillip Mayaka, Jonathan Kliewer.
RED CARDS: FW—Aleksandar Vukovic; ACB—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.