Fort Wayne Football Club bolstered its roster with the addition of midfielder Kabiru Gafar, 21, who has lived in Indianapolis since immigrating from Nigeria when he was 11.
His addition brings the Fort Wayne FC roster to 22 players.
“Signing professionally is a dream come true for me, especially with a team in the state of Indiana, a place that has played a big role in shaping my development both as a person and a player,” Gafar said. “I’m excited to join Fort Wayne FC in its inaugural USL League One season, and I can’t wait to give everything for the club and build a strong connection with the fans.”
Gafar played the past four years at the University of Indianapolis, appearing in 66 matches, starting 46 of them, and totaling 11 goals and 13 assists.
Last season, he had four goals and five assists in 19 matches, starting all but one, and the Greyhounds reached the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
“I’m excited to officially welcome KB to the team. He’s been with us in training for a few weeks and he is a player who brings a great amount of honesty in how he plays, which I really appreciate,” Fort Wayne FC head coach Mike Avery said. “There is a no-nonsense, head down, blue-collar work rate about KB, which serves him well because he also brings a lot of potential, athleticism and attacking versatility to the table.”
Fort Wayne FC (0-2-1) is back on the pitch 7 p.m. Saturday against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC at CHI Memorial Stadium in East Ridge, Tennessee.
Gafar played two seasons at Indianapolis’ Ben Davis High School before joining the Indy Eleven Academy and helping it to back-to-back USL Academy Cup championships. In 2021, he won the Golden Boot as the highest scorer of the tournament with three goals and an assist.
With the University of Indianapolis, Gafar was the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2022, when he had three goals and two assists in 18 matches, and was also named Third Team All-GLVC. He was Academic All-GLVC in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
He was with Indy Eleven of USL Championship during the 2026 preseason and scored twice in friendlies.
“At just 21 years old, KB is still growing as a player and his upside is intriguing,” Avery said. “For us specifically, KB adds depth across a wide range of positions as we head into a very busy summer.”
Saturday’s match will air on ESPN+. It’ll be Fort Wayne FC’s fourth straight road match to open USL League One season. After facing Chattanooga, Fort Wayne FC will play at Louisville City FC in a Prinx Tires USL Cup Match in Louisville, Kentucky.
Then, Fort Wayne FC will open Ruoff Mortgage Stadium at 7:30 p.m. May 2 against the Charlotte Independence. Tickets are on sale now.
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, Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, 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.