The next stop for the Autumn Gold & Black is the State of Lovers for a 7 p.m. match Saturday, when Fort Wayne Football Club will face the Richmond Kickers.
Fort Wayne FC is looking to extend its unbeaten streak to 10 matches, and the game will air on ESPN+.
You’re invited to the Official Watch Party at JK O’Donnell’s – stop by, grab a bite to eat, enjoy a pint, and watch one of the hottest teams in professional soccer.
About Wednesday’s match
The Autumn Gold & Black’s undefeated streak continues following their 1-all draw against Forward Madison on Wednesday night in Madison, Wisconsin. The tie improved Fort Wayne FC to 4-2-6 in its first season of professional soccer, and it is 4-0-5 in its last nine matches.
For the majority of the match Wednesday, Madison played without their head coach, as Matt Glaeser was assessed a red card in the 15th minute for verbal abuse of the referee. That didn’t stop Forward Madison from getting on the scoreboard first – Joshua Bolma accepted a Ryan Carmichael centering pass and blasted it into the top of the net in the 28th minute.
Fort Wayne FC wasn’t discouraged.
Ryan Becher found the back of the net with a header in the 59th minute, finishing a beautiful cross by Javier Armas, who had just checked into the game after missing three matches due to injury.
“Points on the road are hard to get in this league,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said, adding his club has “done well so far in collecting them.
“We are moving in the right direction.”
A career milestone was achieved for Schipmann, who made four saves to become just the 10th goalkeeper in USL League One history to surpass 200 career saves.
Reviewing Richmond
The Richmond Kickers (3-6-2) are ending a seven-day hiatus, with their most recent match a 1-0 loss to Corpus Christi FC on June 13. The Kickers held their own for most of the match, until an Arthur Medina goal in the 73rd minute secured the win for Corpus Christi.
Richmond is 0-3-1 in its last four matches, on the heels of a three-match winning streak: 2-1 over Union Omaha, 1-0 over Westchester SC, and 3-0 over the Greenville Triumph.
This week, Richmond had a coaching change.
Darren Sawatzky, the winningest coach in USL League One history with 64 victories, departed to coach the expansion Sporting Cascades, who triggered a buyout clause in Sawatzky’s contract. Brian Ownby, who had been Richmond’s assistant coach, is now leading the club on an interim basis.
Setting up Saturday
Fort Wayne FC continues to showcase its offensive depth, with multiple players capable of scoring, and creating chances.
Eight players have assisted on goals this season – Schipmann, Emerson Nieto, Javier Armas, Jayden Smith, Kabiru Gafar, Lilian Ricol, Michael Rempel and Tiago Dias – highlighting Fort Wayne FC’s ability to share the ball and generate scoring opportunities.
With his goal Wednesday, Becher became the third club player to score multiple goals in league play this season, joining Taig Healy (six goals) and Ricol (five) on that list.
Avery believes there is more room to grow.
“We now need to add another layer – a little better in our individual defending, a little more clinical in front of the goal,” he said, adding that by doing so the club “can turn these draws into wins.”
Becher, who is catching his rhythm after an early season injury, added: “It’s important that we rest and get ready for the weekend and continue to build on this streak that we have.”
Richmond goalkeeper Yann-Alexandre Fillion leads the league in saves with 44. Midfielder Sam Layton has recorded 62 clears, ranking seventh in USL League One.
Richmond has scored 11 goals this season – second fewest in the league. Tarik Pannholzer leads the team with three goals, with seven other players contributing to the remaining tallies.
Click here to read Fort Wayne FC’s match notes. Richmond’s notes are available here.
If Fort Wayne FC wins or ties Richmond, it will equal FC Naples for the second longest unbeaten streak in USL League One history by a first year club. FC Naples reached 10 matches last year.
The all-time record by a first-year club is 12, set by the Lansing Ignite FC in 2019.
Fort Wayne FC will be back at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on July 4 for a match against the Spokane Velocity. There will be fireworks, giveaways and other big surprises you won’t want to miss. Get your tickets now. Make sure to prepay your parking.
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.