Fort Wayne FC is proud to announce its opponent for the international friendly 7 p.m. June 28 will be Atlas Fútbol Club’s U-23 team.
Tickets for the match at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium are on sale now.
Atlas FC is a professional club based in Guadalajara, Mexico, that plays in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football.
“At Fort Wayne FC, we always want to bring in top-level clubs for matches in Fort Wayne,” said DaMarcus Beasley, Fort Wayne FC’s Director of Football Operations. “Atlas FC has a rich history in football, not only in Mexico but all over the world. We are extremely excited to host Atlas FC in Fort Wayne for what will be a great match between two good teams.”
Nicknamed “Los Rojinegros,” or “The Red and Blacks,” and also called “Los Zorros,” or “The Foxes,” Atlas FC was founded in 1916 and has won three league titles and four domestic cups.
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.
Atlas FC’s fans are known as “La Fiel,” or “The Faithful,” while the supporters group called “La Barra 51” is a reference to Atlas’ first championship in the Primera División de México, which took place in 1951.
Fort Wayne FC fully expects “La Fiel” to help pack the stands at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium on June 28.
“To secure a match with the Atlas U-23 side is a big opportunity for our club and I want to congratulate our front office and ownership for their work to make this happen.” Fort Wayne FC Head coach Mike Avery said. “For our players and coaches, our supporters, and for the fans who might attend a Fort Wayne FC match for the first time, this will be a great night.
“Atlas is one of the most respected clubs in Mexico, and a club renowned for developing world class players through their youth academy. For our group to share the field with them will not only be an honor, it will also help us continue to grow and develop as a club. Our international matches have been a highlight experience every year and with an opponent like Atlas FC set for this summer, this has the potential to be something very special.”
Tickets to see this exciting match are included in season-ticket packages and those who buy season tickets in 2025 get priority for 2026, when Fort Wayne FC moves from USL League Two to the professional ranks of USL League One in a new state-of-the-art, soccer-specific stadium being built at Bass Road and I-69.
Fort Wayne FC, which won the Valley Division in 2023 and 2024, opens this season May 11 at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium against Sueño FC. With that match on Mother’s Day, Soccer Moms will get in free with the purchase of a child’s ticket on match day.
Diarra selected Player to Watch in USL League Two
Forward Mamadou Diarra received a high honor today from USL League Two when he was selected one of the 30 Players to Watch this season.
Diarra, 23, was the American Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2024, while playing for Florida Atlantic University, and he was First Team All-Conference, after a season in which he had eight goals, three of which were game-winners, and eight assists in 16 games.
He was No. 57 on Top Drawer Soccer’s Top-100 players in NCAA Division I last season.
Among his other accomplishments was a hat trick, in one half, against Stetson.
