Josh Patterson | For The Journal Gazette –
Fort Wayne FC head coach and sporting director Mike Avery spends much of his time in the United Soccer League offseason traveling to colleges across the country recruiting players to play on his USL2 squad during the summer. After 19 wins the last two seasons, including a 10-0-2 campaign in 2023 and the largest victory margin of any division winner in the league last year, former players have stepped up to aid in that effort.
Last season, Fort Wayne signed defender Rodrigo Parafita after he helped Franklin Pierce to an unbeaten season and a NCAA Division II national championship. While Parafita did not return to the club this year, two of Parafita’s teammates on the Ravens’ second straight national title squad did join FWFC in forward Aaron Sanchez and defender Aitor Cuenca.
Sanchez and Cuenca will suit up for Fort Wayne in its season opener Saturday against Dayton Dutch Lions FC at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium at Saint Francis.
“I spent a lot of time with Rodrigo,” Sanchez said. “Rodrigo spoke with me and told me good things about Fort Wayne, about the team, about the city, and about the people. I think this summer was a great opportunity to come here.”
Sanchez, who played in 23 matches for Franklin Pierce last fall and finished second on the Ravens with 11 goals, will look to provide additional scoring punch to Fort Wayne’s offensive attack behind returners Gijs Hovius and Aleksander Mihov.
Cuenca, who made 17 starts and appeared in 22 matches for the Ravens in 2023, will be called upon to bolster FWFC’s back line, one that allowed just three goals in 12 Valley Division matches last season. Cuenca will play in front of returning goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe, who won the Golden Glove in 2023, given to the top goalkeeper in USL2.
With 30 years of experience coaching college soccer, including stops at Louisville and Notre Dame, Avery understands the rigors and needs of top-level programs. Those programs can also put limits on players during their summer seasons, be it limiting players’ minutes or only allowing players to stay with a USL2 club for part of the summer.
Now in his fourth season guiding Fort Wayne FC, Avery continues to remain mindful of the needs and wants of those college coaches. At the same time, that extensive experience coaching college players makes the FWFC head coach particularly attuned to how his program can further his players’ careers, sharpening their skills short-term for their return to college programs and with a long-term eye toward professional careers.
“I understand what they’re doing and why they’re doing it,” Avery said. “As much as they have invested in their players, we also invest in them quite a bit. We want to work with them, and because of our college experience, we handle them very well. I want them to go back to their college teams better, stronger, fitter, but I also want them to come here and put that particular jersey away for the summer and be part of this team.”
Sanchez and Cuenca both understand a winning culture. Coming from a Franklin Pierce program that’s lost just once in the last three years – a defeat on penalty kicks in the 2021 national championship game – and coming to a Fort Wayne squad that enters 2024 on a 19-match unbeaten streak against Valley Division opponents dating back to 2022, the two stand ready to help Fort Wayne FC continue its winning ways.
“At Franklin Pierce, our team was very competitive,” Sanchez said. “We stayed together. I think this is necessary. To achieve big goals, you need these things. (Fort Wayne) is a very good team with very good players. I think we have a lot of players who can play in the lineup.”
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