Johnny Aye set a Fort Wayne Football Club record last weekend. Turns out, it was a league record, too.
When the Fort Wayne resident checked into the club’s 3-0 victory over Greenville Triumph SC at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, at just 16 years and 12 days old, he became the youngest player to take to the pitch for the Autumn Gold & Black in their brief pro history.
USL League One has since affirmed that Aye is the youngest outfield player for an independent club in the league’s eight-year history, surpassing the previous record of 16 years, 73 days old, which was set by Allan Rodriguez of the Richmond Kickers in 2020.
Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty played for Toronto FC II in 2019 – he was 15 years, 12 days old – but that club was the reserve team of Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC. Another 15-year-old, Nick Holliday, played for USL League One’s North Carolina FC in 2021 – as a goalkeeper.
“The best thing about the academy contract is that I still get to play high school,” said Aye, who will play his junior season at Northrop High School. “I am very happy about that and still having the ability to train with the level of competition and skill that pro soccer brings.”
Aye holds the Fort Wayne FC all-time record for youngest player in a match; in USL League Two, a pre-professional league, he entered an international friendly against Atlas Fútbol Club’s Sub-23 roster on June 28, 2025, at age 15.
He spent the last two seasons at North Side High School and was a First Team All-Conference selection in the Summit Athletic Conference.
Aye spent seven years playing locally for Fort Wayne United and spent one season, his U-14 year, in the Indy Eleven Academy system. Good performances with Fort Wayne United in 2022 eventually led to an invitation to play in the Elite Academy League in Spain and he also had trials in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven.
He also played for the U.S. Youth Futsal National Team in 2022 and 2026, which took him to Argentina and England, respectively.
Rematch with Spokane Velocity FC looming
Fort Wayne FC and Spokane Velocity FC are two of the hottest teams in USL League One, and set to square off 9 p.m. Saturday at Spokane, Washington, with the match airing on ESPN+.
Fort Wayne FC (7-3-6) is in seventh place in the 17-team league, in which the top eight teams will qualify for the postseason, and Spokane Velocity FC (9-6-2) is in fourth place with one more match played.
In the only previous meeting between the clubs, on July 4, Fort Wayne FC was victorious, 3-0, at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium. Taig Healy scored for the Autumn Gold & Black in the 14th minute, Jeremy Garay in the 44th and Lilian Ricol on a penalty kick – following a hand ball – in the 48th minute. Schipmann had the clean sheet and then added his league-leading seventh one last weekend against Greenville Triumph SC.
Spokane Velocity mustered no shots on net against Fort Wayne FC, despite an advantage in ball possession of 56.6% to 43.4%. And it was only the third match this season Spokane Velocity gave up three or more goals.
Click here to read Fort Wayne FC’s press notes heading into Saturday’s match. Click here to read Spokane’s notes.
Recent results for Fort Wayne FC
After their visit to defending-champion One Knoxville SC on July 15, a 2-1 loss that snapped Fort Wayne FC’s unbeaten streak in league play at 11 matches, the Autumn Gold & Black came back strong against Greenville Triumph SC.
Ryan Becher scored on a header in the 16th minute, redirecting a Michael Rempel free kick; Ricol had a highlight-reel goal in the 35th minute from 44 yards out; and Kabiru Gafar added a 57th-minute strike for his second goal in as many matches. Ricol and Healy both have nine goals, regardless of competition, tying the first-year players for the club’s all-time goal-scoring lead.
This Saturday’s match begins a challenging stretch of games and travel for Fort Wayne FC: It plays host to league-leading Union Omaha (11-5-2) on Aug. 1 at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium – tickets are on sale now – then flies back across the country to Lancaster, California, to face AV Alta FC (7-4-7) on Aug. 8.
“These are very challenging trips and this will be a good test to see where we are and how we stack up,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said. “If we can come out of these next three weeks and still be in the hunt for things, then you have an opportunity to do a lot of good when you play teams above you, in terms of points.”
There are nine home matches left in the regular season for Fort Wayne FC. Make sure you get out to 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.