Lilian Ricol has made Fort Wayne Football Club history once again. The 23-year-old forward became the first club player to take USL League One Player of the Month honors, the league announced Thursday.
He totaled three goals and an assist over five competitions in July.
The award is chosen through a weighted poll that includes the USL League One Technical Committee and an online fan vote. The other finalists were Ryan Carmichael of Forward Madison, Souaibou Marou of the Charlotte Independence, and Thomas Amang of Athletic Club Boise.
Ricol earned 43% of a weighted poll that included the USL League One Technical Committee and an online fan vote held at USLLeagueOne.com. Ricol won 72% of the fan vote. Forward Madison FC’s Ryan Carmichael finished second.
“I’m really happy and grateful to receive this award as Player of the Month,” said Ricol, who hails from Paris and is in his first professional season out of the University of Central Florida. “I want to say thank you to everybody on the team, and all of the people close to the club; it’s because of them that I’m able to perform and I’m really glad this has happened and grateful to the types of people around me.”
Ricol scored on a penalty kick in a 3-0 victory over the Spokane Velocity; a shot from the middle of the penalty area during a 2-1 loss to USL Championship-side Detroit City FC in a Prinx Tires USL Cup match; and on a stunning shot from 44 yards out in a 3-0 victory over Greenville Triumph SC. Ricol also assisted on a Kabiru Gafar goal against Greenville.
Ricol had a goal contribution every 79 minutes, and he had nine shots on goal, in July.
“I’m excited for Lilian, and for the whole team who supports him, and I think he’s deserving of this kind of recognition,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said. “Lilian is an elite athlete with a good nose for the goal, but he also does so much off-the-ball work for us that sometimes goes unnoticed. Lilian is young player who continues to improve, and I believe he has a really high ceiling in the game.”
Ricol is tied with another first-year player, Taig Healy, for Fort Wayne FC’s all-time goal-scoring lead with nine goals apiece, regardless of competition. The club’s record book dates back to 2021, Fort Wayne FC’s first of five season in the pre-professional level of USL League Two.
“I’m really happy to make history for Fort Wayne – to be tied as the all-time top scorer (in club history), to have scored the first goal of Fort Wayne’s professional history – and I’m just really happy and want to continue scoring goals because that’s what I love to do,” Ricol said.
Fort Wayne FC (7-6-6) plays host to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (9-7-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium. Fort Wayne FC is one point back of Chattanooga for the eighth and final playoff spot in USL League One.
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.