Mamadou Diarra has scored this season. So have Aboubacar Traore and Matthew Catavolo. And Caio Oliveira has found the net twice.
Just three matches into the USL League Two season, Fort Wayne FC has shown a penchant for success – the club is 2-0-1 – and a diverse offense in outscoring the opposition 5-1.
“That’s amazing,” Oliveira said. “We know the goals are going to come. For us, it doesn’t matter who’s scoring the goals, as long as we’re getting them.”
Fort Wayne FC is back on the pitch 7 p.m. Saturday at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium when it faces Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati (1-0-1). It’ll be Mental Health Awareness & Healthcare Workers Night – presented by Remedy Live – and professionals in the Mental Health and Healthcare industries can take advantage of a Buy One, Get One Free ticket offer on the day of the match as long as they have proper identification or credentials.
“We’re going to put a lot of guys out there and a lot of different guys who have shown they can score,” said Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery, whose club won 2-0 at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium on Wednesday night over Kings Hammer FC Columbus, paced by second-half goals from Oliveira and Catavolo.
Fort Wayne FC, which won the Valley Division in 2023 and 2024, and is hoping for the same before moving to the professional ranks of USL League One in 2026, has demonstrated an ability to make good halftime adjustments and finish strong in matches this season.
In the 1-1 draw at Lexington SC on May 24, Traore’s second-half goal ensured the valuable standings point. In Wednesday’s home opener, Fort Wayne FC’s second-half prowess was even better as Fort Wayne FC broke open a game that had been scoreless at halftime.
“We had a good talk (at halftime),” Oliveira said. “It was more of a team talk. We realized we needed to be better in front of the goal. It was just being a threat in front of the goal, being aggressive. We, as a team, we talked and we figured that out.”
Complementing the productive offense, Fort Wayne FC takes its most pride in its defensive play and goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe has clean sheets in 2 of 3 matches thus far this season.
“(Defense is) what wins games,” Oliveira said. “At the end of the day, we know there are a lot of players who are able to score, but what’s going to make a difference in the long run is how good our defense is.”
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.
