Fort Wayne FC, which won the Valley Division in 2023 and 2024, is off to another strong start with a 3-0-1 record heading into today’s 6 p.m. match against West Virginia United in Charleston, West Virginia.
Coming off a thrilling 3-1 come-from-behind victory Saturday over Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati – in front a crowd of 1,615, the largest of the season thus far at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium – Fort Wayne FC is tied atop the Valley Division table with Lexington SC.
“We know that we’re at the top of the table right now and we want to stay like that till the end of the season, make the playoffs and hopefully win the whole thing,” said Fort Wayne FC’s Hugo Garcia, who netted the winning goal Saturday.
Caio Oliveira and Tiago Campos also scored for Fort Wayne FC, which must win the Valley Division to qualify for the 2025 USL League Two postseason.
Fort Wayne FC bolstered its lineup Tuesday with the addition of Venton Evans, who has a bevy of experience at the professional ranks of USL League One and has played with the Jamaican National Team.
While Fort Wayne FC improved to 8-2-1 all-time against Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati, this will be the first ever meeting with West Virginia United, which is off to a 1-1-0 start and in the wake of a 5-1 victory over visiting Kings Hammer FC Columbus on Saturday.
Click here to stream the match.
The 313-mile trip to Charleston will be Fort Wayne FC’s longest of the club’s final USL League Two season before it moves to the professional ranks of USL League One in 2026, when Fort Wayne FC will open a new soccer-specific stadium at Bass Road and I-69 that will be the largest outdoor venue in Northeast Indiana.
“It’s part of the grind,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said of the long road trip. “And a lot of (the players) who play in college are used to that grind. It’s probably harder on the old coach than it is on the young players. It’ll be a fun trip. Anytime we get a chance to spend time together in different environments or on the bus, in hotels and restaurants, it’s just more time to come together.”
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.
