Fort Wayne Football Club has kicked off the construction of its first professional roster with a familiar face: defender Tiago Dias.
Dias, who spent three seasons starring for Fort Wayne FC at the pre-professional level, became the first player signed by the club for its inaugural season in USL League One – a fully professional level of soccer with teams across the nation.
The addition of Dias today is pending league and federation approval.
Fort Wayne FC’s season begins March 7 against FC Naples in Naples, Florida, and the first home match at Fort Wayne FC Park will be May 2 against the Charlotte Independence. Fort Wayne FC Park is a privately funded soccer-specific stadium being built at Bass Road and I-69.
Season tickets are on sale to see the club play at the state-of-the-art, soccer-specific venue.
“Tiago Dias is the ideal player to announce as the first signing in Fort Wayne Football Club’s professional soccer history,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said. “Tiago has been a core piece of the club over the last three years. He has been a mainstay for us on the field, and he’s been our captain and a critical leader in our locker room.”
Dias, 24, helped Fort Wayne FC to division titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and to conference semifinals in 2024 and 2025.
“I’m very happy and grateful to be back in Fort Wayne,” Dias said, “and I’m excited to begin a new journey with the club in a professional environment, focused on achieving success together.”
Dias, a native of Portimão, Portugal, captained the club in 2024 and 2025. In Fort Wayne FC’s USL League Two history, which spanned five seasons, Dias ranked second in total matches played with 38 and fourth in goals with six.
“Tiago, to sum it up, is a winner,” Avery said. “He finds ways to win. If we need a game-saving tackle, Tiago makes the tackle. If we need a late goal, Tiago scores the goal. He plays with a passion that is infectious. And most importantly, he loves Fort Wayne – the club, the supporters, the community. He wanted to be here as badly as we wanted him here, and I’m thrilled to see him lead us in our first USL League One season.”
Dias is fresh off a season with Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, during which he earned Second Team All-America East and Second Team All-Northeast Region honors. He played a pivotal role in a defense that had 11 clean sheets, and he assisted on five goals in 21 matches. Bryant finished the NCAA Division I season ranked 10th in the nation, falling to Saint Louis in penalty kicks in the third round of the national championships.
Dias played locally for Indiana Tech in 2024, scoring five goals and earning nods as a NAIA Third Team All-American, Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Defender of the Year, First Team All-WHAC, and WHAC Newcomer of the Year. Dias captained the Warriors.
From 2022 to 2023, Dias played at the University of Albany in Albany, New York. In 2021, he played for Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas.
Fort Wayne FC’s first training camp in USL League One will begin Jan. 26. A more detailed training camp schedule will be announced at a later date.
About Fort Wayne Football Club
Fort Wayne Football Club, founded in 2019, is a professional soccer club playing its first season in USL League One in 2026. The club is building a state-of-the-art, soccer-specific stadium, Fort Wayne FC Park, that will open at Bass Road and I-69 in 2026. In pre-professional USL League Two, Fort Wayne Football Club won division titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025. For more information, visit 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.