Owen Wall’s joy at being on the pitch Saturday for Fort Wayne FC was apparent. So, too, was the joy of his teammates at seeing Wall out there, running at a frenetic pace.
After suffering an early season injury, Wall missed a few weeks before making his first start in Saturday’s International Friendly against Atlas Fútbol Club’s Sub-23 team.
“Knowing the potential he has, I was happy to see him back on the field,” said Rood Schnaider Beaubrun, who had the lone goal in the 1-0 victory at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium, witnessed by a raucous crowd of 1,509.
The friendly provided coach Mike Avery a chance to give well-deserved playing time to several of his reserves and Wall, a forward, was one of them who shined.
“His urgency and his willingness to run and speed the game up, he’s got a lot of talent,” said Avery, acknowledging that missing just a few weeks can feel like an eternity in the rapid USL League Two season.
Fort Wayne FC, which leads the Valley Division at 7-2-1, has two more league matches as it tries to capture a playoff berth for the third straight season. First, Fort Wayne FC has another friendly – 6 p.m. Saturday at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium – against Lansing City Football.
“We felt bad for (Wall) because he comes in and we’re high on him, and he’s doing really well, but then he’s got to deal with (the injury),” Avery said. “It was great to see him out there. He’s a really talented young player and it was good to see that.”
Wall, 18, is the youngest player on the Fort Wayne FC roster, with a résumé that includes time in 2024 with Real Salt Lake’s MLS Next Pro-Arizona team. He was named a “Player to Watch” in 2023 at MLS Next Fest and is slated to play college soccer for the University of California, Santa Barbara, this fall.
“I just try to bring energy. Being the youngest guy here, I just want to play fast and contribute to the team as much as I can,” said Wall, adding he takes particular pride in his defensive play. “I love playing defense, I love picking the (opponents) off, and that’s kind of my thing.”
While Wall is normally the youngest player around Fort Wayne FC, that wasn’t the case on Saturday; 15-year-old Johnny Aye, who attends North Side High School, was given the opportunity to suit up with the club, checked in during the 77th minute and was on the field when Beaubrun scored his decisive goal.
“I liked the intensity a lot and I like to challenge myself. It’s a really good opportunity for me,” Aye said. “I don’t even know what to say; I’m just really excited about this new journey.”
Aye, whose full name is John Smake Aye, has attended soccer camps put on by Fort Wayne FC’s Director of Football Operations, DaMarcus Beasley, a four-time member of the United States’ World Cup Team. Beasley, who cares passionately about growing the game in Northeast Indiana and helping to cultivate young, talented players like Aye, suggested to Avery that Saturday’s match would be a good opportunity for Aye to get experience.
Aye also plays for Fort Wayne United, where Keelan Barker, Fort Wayne FC’s assistant coach, is on staff.
“The question was: ‘Could (Aye) handle the next level?’ And he showed that he can, yeah,” Avery said.
Fort Wayne FC will restart its USL League Two campaign 7 p.m. July 9 at the Dayton Dutch Lions before finishing the regular season at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium 7 p.m. July 12 against Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati.
Make sure you check out the Fort Wayne FC Photo Page to see a bevy of art from Saturday’s match and much more.
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.
