Jack Thomas, a midfielder, has joined the Fort Wayne Football Club roster. He’s on the heels of an outstanding season at Louisiana State University-Shreveport that saw him selected as the United Soccer Coaches’ NAIA Player of the Year.
The addition of Thomas, who hails from Whittington, England, is pending league and federation approval.
“We have had a relatively large number of talented trialists come through Fort Wayne during our preseason, and Jack Thomas quickly emerged as one of the very best of that group,” Fort Wayne FC head coach Mike Avery said. “We had heard a lot of positive things about Jack from our contacts in the college game, and when we finally got our eyes on him in our environment, moving him into our official roster was one of the easiest decisions we’ve had this preseason.”
As a senior at LSU Shreveport, Thomas set single-season program records in goals (20), assists (12), shots (86) and shots on goal (46) in 22 matches during 2025. He was named a First Team All-American and the Red River Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
“I’m buzzing to sign my first professional contract with Fort Wayne FC,” Thomas said. “I can’t wait to put on the shirt and represent this great club. I’m excited to give it my all and I know we’re in for a great season.”
Over 66 matches in his three-year career at LSU Shreveport, Thomas had 47 goals and a program-record 22 assists. He helped the Pilots to the Round of 16 at the NAIA National Tournament in 2024 and 2025.
“Jack is an attacker who can play anywhere in the front six,” Avery said. “Jack is a very creative player who reads the game incredibly well, and he has the technical capacity to pull off what he sees. At 21, Jack is another young player with a bright future and we are excited that he’s kicking off his professional career with Fort Wayne.”
Thomas began his college soccer career with Northeast Texas Community College in 2022.
He also has on his résumé time with the Lubbock Matadors SC of USL League Two, the pre-professional level in which Fort Wayne FC played the past five seasons.
Fort Wayne FC’s first match in the fully professional level of USL League One is March 7 against FC Naples in Naples, Florida. That begins a string of five straight road matches in advance of the first ever match at Fort Wayne FC Park on May 2 against the Charlotte Independence.
Season tickets are currently on sale. The club is also offering, for a limited time, Six-Match Mini Plans.
The roster now has 18 players.
Fort Wayne Football Club roster
Javier Armas, midfielder, 26 years old
Clarence Awoudor, midfielder, 22 years old
Ryan Becher, midfielder, 24 years old
Aurie Briscoe, goalkeeper, 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, 23 years old
James Musa, midfielder, 33 years old
Daniel Oyetunde, forward, 19 years old
Michael Rempel, defender, 24 years old
Lilian Ricol, attacker, 23 years old
Bernd Schipmann, goalkeeper, 31 years old
Jayden Smith, defender, 19 years old
Juan Solís, defender, 21 years old
Reid Sproat, defender, 24 years old
Jack Thomas, midfielder, 21 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.