Fort Wayne Football Club will be back at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on Saturday night for a Prinx Tires USL Cup match against Detroit City FC. The contest pits the hottest team in USL League One – Fort Wayne FC is on an 11-match unbeaten streak in league play – against a club from the higher-level USL Championship division.
It’ll be First Responders Night. Those in the medical, firefighting, law enforcement, military and related fields can take advantage of a Buy One, Get One Free ticket offer if purchasing at the gates. Just bring proper ID.
Fans are reminded that the parking lot is for prepaid customers only, even if purchasing match tickets at the gate. The parking lot opens at 4:45 p.m. and the gates at 5:30 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. match.
It’ll also be Youth Soccer Night and there will be a 1v1 Soccer Exhibition in the FanZone from 6-7 p.m., presented by HY2 Soccer. The first 1,000 kids in attendance will receive Panini World Cup Sticker Books.
Check out the matchday digital program. The match will air on ESPN+ and locally on digital 21.3.
Looking at Fort Wayne FC
Fort Wayne FC (6-2-6 in USL League One, 0-2-1 in Cup play) is coming off an impressive 3-0 victory over Spokane Velocity FC on July 4th at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, a match that included goals by Taig Healy, Jeremy Garay and Lilian Ricol, who scored on a penalty kick.
Healy’s goal in the 14th minute gave him the club record for career goals, regardless of competition, with nine – and he’s not even halfway through his first season in pro soccer. The previous record of eight was held by Gijs Hovius and Maxwell Amoako, who each scored eight goals for the club in the pre-professional level of USL League Two.
Healy, who was selected as the Parkview Sports Medicine (PSM) and Ortho NorthEast (ONE) Man of the Match, has eight goals in USL League One play – second most in the league.
Garay found the back of the next in the 44th minute, for his first goal with the Autumn Gold & Black, and it was assisted on by Kabiru Gafar. Gafar has five assists, all this season, and is second in club history in that category. He is one assist back of the mark set by Alberto Anaya in USL League Two.
Ricol was awarded a penalty kick in the 48th minute due to a handball. It was Fort Wayne FC’s first PK in the pro ranks and Ricol’s seventh goal of the season regardless of competition.
Bernd Schipmann recorded his sixth clean sheet of the season for Fort Wayne FC.
Saturday will be Fort Wayne FC’s final USL Cup match of the year, as it has been eliminated mathematically from advancing with an 0-2-1 record, but its only previous Cup match at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium was an absolute thriller as Fort Wayne FC took USL Championship-side Indy Eleven to penalty kicks with a 2-2 score on May 16 in the inaugural Victory & Liberty Derby. Indy Eleven won in the PKs.
Looking at Detroit City FC
Detroit City FC is 7-4-3 in USL Championship play, good enough for third place in the Eastern Conference, and coming off a 2-1 victory over Birmingham Legion FC. In its last five matches, Detroit City is 2-1-2.
In Cup play, Detroit is 1-0-2 – defeating Forward Madison (USL League One), with two draws ending in PK losses against Lexington SC and Louisville City FC (both from USL Championship). Detroit City FC has a chance of advancing but would need a win with a significant goal differential and help in matches elsewhere.
Detroit City forward Darren Smith leads USL Championship in goals with 11 in league play. Chisom Egbuchulam has two goals.
Goalkeeper Carlos Herrera has recorded five clean sheets in league play, third on the leader board. Herrera has also recorded two clean sheets in Cup play.
Prinx Tires USL Cup update
Each club plays four group-stage matches in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. Fort Wayne FC is in Group 4 with Louisville City, Indy Eleven, Union Omaha, Detroit City FC, Forward Madison, and Lexington SC.
During group play, any matches tied at the end of regulation proceeds 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 – 2-0-1 | 8pts
- Indy Eleven – 1-1-2 | 7pts
- Union Omaha – 2-1-0 | 6pts
- Lexington SC – 1-0-2 | 6pts
- Detroit City FC – 1-0-2 | 5pts
- Fort Wayne FC – 0-2-1 | 1pts
- Forward Madison FC – 0-3-0 | 0pts
Click here to read Fort Wayne FC’s match notes. Detroit City FC’s notes are here.
Fort Wayne FC will return to USL League One action on Wednesday, when the club faces defending-champion One Knoxville SC in Knoxville, Tennessee. On July 18, Fort Wayne FC plays host to Greenville Triumph SC at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.
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.