Rood Schnaider Beaubrun scored the pivotal goal in the 88th minute, John Smake Aye became the youngest player to don a Fort Wayne FC uniform at 15 years of age, and Fort Wayne FC won its international friendly 1-0 over Atlas Fútbol Club’s Sub-23 team on Saturday night.
A raucous crowd of 1,509 attended the match at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium, where Fort Wayne FC goalkeeper Christian Herluf completed the two-save clean sheet – including a brilliant stop in the 67th minute on an Alvaro Beas header from 12 yards out.
“I’m happy about the team because, at the end of the day, we’re trying to work on what the coach wants us to do,” said Beaubrun, who scored off a Muslim Umar touch pass, which was set up by a heady pass from Caio Oliveira. “To be able to come in during the second half and help the team, I’m happy about that.”
Fort Wayne FC is atop the Valley Division in USL League Two play with a 7-2-1 record, but it had lost back-to-back matches before facing Atlas Fútbol Club’s Sub-23. This was a chance to get things headed in the right direction and Fort Wayne FC, which gave deserved playing time to several of its reserves, such as Owen Wall and Amari Fowlkes, took advantage with a flurry of offensive opportunities.
Fowlkes had one of the best in the 32nd minute, when he stole the ball and got a close-range chance that was stopped by Atlas goalkeeper Luis Hernandez, who had another big save in the 53rd minute on a Reid Sproat header that was set up by a Virgil Dall’Agnol corner kick.
Hernandez, who finished with five saves, also stopped a pair of Oliveira free kicks from 25 and 19 yards out, respectively.
Atlas Fútbol Club’s Sub-23 team finished 1-3 in a recent tour against USL League Two teams, defeating only the Flint City Bucks 1-0. Atlas FC is a professional club based in Guadalajara, Mexico, that plays in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. The Atlas FC academy system is renowned for developing talented players for the National Team such as Rafael Márquez, Jared Borgetti, Daniel Osorno, José de Jesús Corona, Pável Pardo, Juan Carlos Medina, Jorge Hernández, Mario Méndez, Édgar Pacheco and Jeremy Márquez.
And it was a special night for the 15-year-old local footballer known as Johnny Aye, who plays for Fort Wayne United and is an incoming sophomore at North Side High School. Aye, who has played in the Indy Eleven system, has had a trial for PSV Eindhoven and has represented the EA League in Barcelona at a showcase.
“I feel really good about the game. I think I did really well once I subbed in,” said Aye, who substituted in during the 77th minute. “I was really nervous to get on, but once I got on (Tavio D’Almeida) gave me advice on what to do and I just listened to him and performed as well as I could.”
Namik Mehic had been the previous youngest player to appear in a Fort Wayne FC match; he was 16 years old when he entered a game in 2023.
“Johnny played great tonight and he’s a really talented local player,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said. “We have had our eyes on him for a little bit. He’s probably been out for training three or four times. We’re trying not to rush it with him, but he’s got a really bright future and you can see it. He had a couple moments in the game where you could see that; he was really composed and calm. He’s a little cheeky in how he plays and he’s got a really bright future.”
Before resuming USL League Two play – and trying to capture a playoff berth for a third straight year – Fort Wayne FC has another friendly, 6 p.m. Saturday at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium, against Lansing City Football. It will be Military Appreciation Night; all active duty military and veterans get in free with proper identification or validation of service.
After that, Fort Wayne FC will close its USL League Two regular season with matches at the Dayton Dutch Lions on July 9 and vs. Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati, at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium, on July 12.
Fort Wayne FC has a two-point lead over second-place Lexington SC in the Valley Division, and Fort Wayne FC holds the tiebreaker. Only one division team will qualify for the postseason.
FWFC is looking to win a championship before it moves to the professional level of USL League One in 2026, when the club will move into a new soccer-specific stadium at Bass Road and I-69 that will be the largest outdoor venue in Northeast Indiana.
About Fort Wayne FC
Fort Wayne FC, founded in 2019, is currently a pre-professional club in USL League Two’s Valley Division in the Central Conference. The club won Valley Division championships in 2023 and 2024. Fort Wayne FC is moving to the professional ranks of USL League One in 2026 at a new state-of-the-art stadium. www.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.