Midfielder Ryan Becher, a proven scorer at the USL League One level, is the latest player to join the Fort Wayne Football Club roster.
His addition Tuesday is pending league and federation approval and brings the roster size to 10.
Fort Wayne FC opened training camp Tuesday in preparation for its first regular-season match in professional soccer – March 7 against FC Naples in Naples, Florida. Fort Wayne FC’s first home match at Fort Wayne FC Park will be May 2 against the Charlotte Independence.
“Ryan Becher is an attacking player who brings a lot of value and experience to our young squad,” Fort Wayne FC head coach Mike Avery said. “Ryan has proven to be capable of playing virtually anywhere in the front six attacking positions. He has a unique combination of possessing a big athletic frame, while also showing the quality of a technical player. He is a proven goal scorer wherever he plays on the field, and creates chances for his teammates with equal consistency.”
Becher completed last season with Union Omaha of USL League One, totaling nine goals and three assists in 22 matches. He was on loan from MLS Next Pro side St. Louis City SC 2.
“I’m excited to get started in Fort Wayne and be a part of this wonderful project,” Becher said. “Everyone has been very welcoming, and I have heard nothing but great things about not only the club but the city as well. Fort Wayne is a special place for my family as my dad started his career with the Fort Wayne Flames in 1987. It’s kind of a cool, full-circle moment for us.”
Becher’s father, Bill, played for the Flames and the Indiana Kick, professional teams in the American Indoor Soccer Association that competed at Memorial Coliseum, from 1987 to 1990.
Ryan Becher, 24, who is from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, won back-to-back high-school championships in 2016 and 2017, and he began his college career at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in 2019. He accrued 25 goals and 20 assists over 62 matches – all starts – in the span of four years.
With the Retrievers, he was selected to the “Best Starting XI” in Division I soccer by NCAA.com in 2022, when he also made the America East First Team and the United Soccer Coaches Northeast Conference Second Team. He was the only player in the country that season to post double-digit figures in goals (13) and assists (10).
Becher played at UCLA in 2023 and appeared in 15 matches, starting 13 of them, scoring six goals with two assists.
In 2024, with St. Louis City SC 2, he played in 31 matches and scored two goals with four assists, and he added one goal and one assist in 11 matches during 2025 with the club.
“At 24, Ryan has not yet hit his ceiling as a player and we think he can take another step forward with us here in Fort Wayne,” Avery said.
Ryan Becher’s father, Bill, and grandfather, Bill Becher Sr., are both members of the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame. His brother, Jackson, was a teammate at UMBC. And his cousin, Simon, plays in Major League Soccer for St. Louis City.
Fort Wayne Football Club roster
Javier Armas, midfielder, 26 years old
Ryan Becher, midfielder, 24 years old
Tiago Dias, defender, 24 years old
Jeremy Garay, midfielder, 22 years old
Taig Healy, midfielder, 22 years old
Anthony Hernandez, defender, 22 years old
JP Jordan, midfielder, 22 years old
Michael Rempel, defender, 24 years old
Bernd Schipmann, goalkeeper, 31 years old
Reid Sproat, defender, 24 years old
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.