Jack Thomas scored for Fort Wayne Football Club on Saturday night. But Spokane Velocity FC emerged with a 3-1 victory after Shavon John-Brown scored back-to-back goals and then added an assist in the second half at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Washington
It was the second meeting of the season between the clubs and Spokane Velocity avenged a 3-0 loss at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on July 4.
Thomas opened the scoring in the 15th minute, unleashing a shot from just outside the penalty area that was thwarted by goalkeeper Sean Lewis, before Thomas got to the rebound and hammered it home. Thomas, who was the NAIA’s Player of the Year in 2025 at Louisiana State University-Shreveport, has scored three times this season – twice in USL League One play.
Fort Wayne FC had the only four shots of the first half that were on target, with an advantage in possession of the ball of 52.3% to 47.7%. Fort Wayne FC also had four of the first half’s six corner kicks.
But things took a turn in the second half.
In the 52nd minute, it looked as if Spokane Velocity might equal the score, when Neco Brett got in behind the defense and unleashed a shot from the top of the box that went over charging Fort Wayne FC goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann. The ball hit the crossbar, landed on the goal line and was chased down by Schipmann to preserve his club’s 1-0 lead.
John-Brown atoned in the 66th minute when he outpaced the defense into the box and slipped a shot underneath a sliding Schipmann.
John-Brown snuck another shot underneath Schipmann from 7 yards out in the 81st minute, after Spokane Velocity had superior numbers on the attack, and John-Brown set up Luis Gil from the opposite side of the box in the 84th minute.
Fort Wayne FC finished the match with an advantage in possession, 52.8% to 47.2%, a 7-3 advantage in shots on target, and 10 of the 15 corners won.
Nonetheless, the Autumn Gold & Black fell to 7-4-6 in USL League One play, for ninth place in the 17-team league. Spokane Velocity improved to 10-6-2, fourth place on the table.
Fort Wayne FC is back home at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium for its next match, 7:30 p.m. Saturday against league-leading Union Omaha (11-5-2). The teams have met only once before, in a Prinx Tires USL Cup match, won 4-2 by Union Omaha at home on June 6.
Tickets are on sale for this match now and fans are reminded to prepay their parking.
There will be myriad activities on hand, including free bounce houses, mascot Friendly the Goalrilla, and more.
Tickets for all our remaining matches can be bought here.
Match photos
Video recap
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.