Fort Wayne FC’s Mamadou Diarra, after scoring two goals in Saturday’s match, summed it up succinctly: “We just go to straight business now.”
Following back-to-back victories in friendlies at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium – 1-0 over Atlas Fútbol Club’s Sub-23 team on June 28 and 5-0 over Lansing City Football on Saturday – Fort Wayne FC resumes USL League Two play on the road 7 p.m. Wednesday against the Dayton Dutch Lions.
And the stakes couldn’t be much higher.
Fort Wayne FC has the highest points-per-match number in the Valley Division – 2.20 – and a 7-2-1 record, but the club is one point back of Lexington SC (7-2-2) in the standings and needs to perform well to guarantee a third straight division title.
To ensure that Lexington SC’s final regular-season match against West Virginia United on Saturday has no meaning here, and that Fort Wayne FC gets the lone Valley Division playoff berth, FWFC needs at least a victory and a tie in its final two matches.
Fort Wayne FC is 2-0-0 against Dayton (1-7-2) this season and 2-0-0 against Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati (2-5-3), which FWFC will host 7 p.m. Saturday in the final game at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium before the club’s move to the professional ranks of USL League One in 2026 – at a new stadium, Fort Wayne FC Park, being built at Bass Road and I-69.
“Hopefully we beat Dayton and then it’ll be the last game and we play at home, and that’s going to be a big crowd, and hopefully we win that game, too, and win the (division) and go into the playoffs,” Diarra said.
Should Fort Wayne FC qualify for the postseason, the playoff matches would be on days and at sites yet to be determined.
Fort Wayne FC lost its last two USL League Two matches, but has had 2½ weeks since then to regain its form. Victories in two friendlies certainly helped.
Coach Mike Avery was asked if Fort Wayne FC had regained its “swagger” and responded: “I don’t know that we ever lost it, to be honest with you; that’s just the way games go sometimes. I think we’re confident but we also know they’re going to be hard (matches this week). But this is why you want to play in Fort Wayne – because you’re playing for something at the end of the year.”
Club to accept 2026 season ticket deposits Monday
Fort Wayne FC announced it will begin taking deposits on season tickets for the 2026 season starting 10 a.m. Monday. Please see the club’s season ticket deposit page for information on how to begin reserving your spot at Fort Wayne FC Park, which is being built at Bass Road and I-69.
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.
