Fort Wayne Football Club, preparing for its first season in USL League One, has added 24-year-old defender Michael Rempel to its roster. Rempel is coming off a star-studded career at the NAIA level with Lindsey Wilson University.
His addition to the roster is pending league and federation approval.
“Michael Rempel is a perfect fit for how we aspire to play in Fort Wayne, and for the kind of culture within the team we look to create,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said. “Michael is an intelligent player who sees the game clearly and makes sound decisions. His passing ability is top-notch and considering how we utilize the fullback in our game model, this is a critical element for us.”
Fort Wayne FC will open its first training camp in the professional ranks Jan. 26 at Concordia High School. Season tickets are now on sale at FortWayneFC.com, with the first home match May 2 at Fort Wayne FC Park.
The roster now includes three players, including Tiago Dias and JP Jordan.
Rempel, who hails from Asunción, Paraguay, played from 2023 to 2025 for Lindsey Wilson University in Columbia, Kentucky. For the second consecutive season, he was tabbed as the winner of the Mid-South Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award and as an NAIA Second Team All-American.
Additionally, Rempel was named to the United Soccer Coaches’ All-America Team. And he was chosen for the College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-America First Team; he had a 3.56 grade-point average.
“A man gives the award, but God gives the reward,” Rempel said. “Since I was young, this was my dream, to become a professional soccer player. Lately I believed I might not make it anymore, but that did not keep me from trying and working hard to get to this point.”
Rempel played last summer for Ashville City SC in USL League Two, the pre-professional level in which Fort Wayne FC was the past five seasons. Rempel had three goals and four assists in 11 matches last season for Asheville City.
“Michael is not just a classy and attack-minded fullback, he embodies those qualities while remaining a calm and thoughtful leader and a tough and hard-nosed defender – which ultimately is job No. 1 for any backline player,” Avery said. “His success in college at a very good Lindsey Wilson program, and at the top levels of USL League Two with Asheville City, suggests he has a bright future as a professional. We are thrilled Michael will get that chance with us in Fort Wayne.”
Fort Wayne FC’s first season in professional soccer begins March 7 at FC Naples, in Naples, Florida, the first of five consecutive road matches. The first match at Fort Wayne FC Park, the new state-of-the-art, soccer-specific stadium being built at Bass Road and I-69, will be May 2 against the Charlotte Independence.
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.