Fort Wayne Football Club is one of the hottest teams in USL League One and bringing that momentum into a match against a fellow league member, Union Omaha, in a Prinx Tires USL Cup match 8 p.m. Saturday at Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.
The match, Fort Wayne FC’s third in USL Cup group play, will air on ESPN+.
The official watch party will be at Crazy Pinz, 1414 Northland Blvd., Fort Wayne. Fans are invited to come to Crazy Pinz’s Coconutz Lounge to watch the match with other club supporters.
Fort Wayne FC is 4-2-4 in USL League One play, including a six-match unbeaten streak. The club’ most recent league match was a scoreless draw Saturday with AV Alta FC at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.
In USL Cup matches, Fort Wayne FC is 0-1-1, including a 3-1 loss at Louisville City FC on April 25 and a match with Indy Eleven on May 16 at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium that was tied at 2 at the end of regulation time but saw Indy Eleven grab the extra point by winning penalty kicks.
Unlike USL Championship-sides Louisville City and Indy Eleven, Union Omaha is a fellow USL League One club that won the league in 2024 and is atop the standings this season with a 9-2-1 mark that includes a four-match winning streak. In USL Cup play this year, Union Omaha is 1-1-0 in the seven-team group, having defeated Indy Eleven 2-1 and losing 5-1 to Louisville City.
Paced by two elite goal scorers – Taig Healy, a candidate for USL League One Player of the Month, and Lilian Ricol – Fort Wayne has been striking fear into the hearts of opposing defenses. Healy has goals in six of the last nine matches across all competitions, while Ricol has five goals, including two two-goal games, in the last eight matches.
But it’s been about much more than two players finding the back of the net; one example, goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann, is coming off his fourth clean sheet of the season and is now only five saves away from 200 for his USL League One career. Either he or goalkeeper Aurie Echevarría will face a formidable Union Omaha offense that has converted 22 goals on 188 attempts during league play. They are on pace to tie their own USL League One record of 61 goals, which was set in 2023.
Another record Union Omaha is in pursuit of is the longest home undefeated streak in USL League One matches. Currently sitting at a streak of 18, Omaha needs to win four more home games to claim the record.
Union Omaha’s Rashid Nuhu is also approaching a career milestone for USL League One play. Nuhu needs three clean sheets to reach 50 career shutouts. He’s the league’s all-time leader in that category and Schipmann is tied for third with 31.
Prinx Ties USL Cup update
Each club plays four group-stage matches in the USL Cup. Fort Wayne FC is in Group 4 with Louisville City, Indy Eleven, Union Omaha, Detroit City FC, Forward Madison, and Lexington SC.
Saturday’s match against Union Omaha will be the only USL Cup match Fort Wayne FC will play against another USL League One opponent in the group stage. The remaining group play match for Fort Wayne FC will be against Detroit City FC at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on July 11. (Fort Wayne FC also has two league matches against Union Omaha on Aug. 1 at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium and Oct. 10 in Nebraska.)
During group play, any matches tied at the end of regulation proceed directly to penalty kicks. The Cup points system is as follows: Three points for a win in regulation; one point for a draw at the end of regulation; one additional point for winning in penalty kicks; zero points for a regulation loss.
Seven group winners and one wildcard will advance to the quarterfinals on Aug. 13. The semifinals will be Sept. 9 and the final Oct. 4.
The Group 4 standings are as follows:
- Louisville City FC – 2-0-0 | 6pts
- Lexington SC – 1-0-0 | 3pts
- Union Omaha – 1-1-0 | 3pts
- Detroit City FC – 1-0-0 | 3pts
- Indy Eleven – 0-1-1 | 2pts
- Fort Wayne FC – 0-1-1 | 1pts
- Forward Madison FC – 0-2-0 | 0pts
“Saturday will be a great opportunity to rotate some players around and train our depth,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said, adding that Union Omaha presents an opportunity to test give his players a unique test.
In USL Cup play, Fort Wayne FC has netted 3 of 18 shots. Its conversion rate of 21% is one of the best in Cup play, as is its shooting accuracy of 57%, and both statistics subtract blocked shots. Union Omaha has scored on 3 of 19 shots, but only 33.3% have been on target.
To read Fort Wayne FC’s game notes, click here.
Fort Wayne FC’s next home match is July 4 at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium against the Spokane Velocity. Tickets are on sale now. Fans are reminded that parking must be purchased in advance.
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 plays home matches at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, which opened May 2, 2026, and is a soccer-specific venue. 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.