Fort Wayne Football Club announced today it has agreed to transfer forward Lilian Ricol, a first-year player, to San Antonio FC of the higher-level USL Championship division.
Ricol is the first player sold by Fort Wayne FC since the club ascended to professional soccer this year. Terms of the transfer were not disclosed, but it was for a near-record USL League One transfer fee.
The transfer is pending league and federation approval.
“We are all very excited for Lilian. He is a very talented player, and he has earned this opportunity. I’m convinced he will excel in the Championship and beyond, and I look forward to following his career,” said Fort Wayne FC head coach Mike Avery, whose club has a 7-6-6 record in its first USL League One season, with the league’s youngest roster.
Ricol, 23, was one of 17 players to make their senior-level debut this season Fort Wayne FC this season.
“This move is a proof of concept for the club,” Avery said. “We identified young players for this inaugural roster that we believed had the potential to play at higher levels, and we were confident the platform we provide them can give them the necessary exposure. Lilian is our first, but he will not be our last.”
Ricol appeared in 23 matches for Fort Wayne FC – including USL League One and Prinx Tires USL Cup play – and totaled nine goals and two assists. He leaves the club tied with Taig Healy for the club’s all-time goal scoring lead – the record book includes five seasons in the pre-professional level of USL League Two – and on Thursday, Ricol became the first Fort Wayne FC player to earn Player of the Month honors in the professional ranks.
Ricol also scored Fort Wayne FC’s first goal in pro soccer, in a 2-all tie with the Sarasota Paradise on March 14. Among other memorable moments from this season are his goal from 44 yards out in a 3-0 victory over Greenville Triumph SC on July 18 and getting clocked at 24.8 mph, which makes him one of the fastest footballers in the world.
“I’m truly happy and grateful to have gotten the chance to play for Fort Wayne,” Ricol said. “The team helped me to grow as a man and as a player. Scoring the first goal, being (tied as) the all-time goal scorer, these things mean a lot to me. I’m just really, really happy and grateful to have played for Fort Wayne and to now have the opportunity to go to USL Championship.”
Fort Wayne FC plays host to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium. Tickets can be purchased here.
“We are grateful for Lilian and his time with the club in its first professional season,” said DaMarcus Beasley, Fort Wayne FC’s Co-owner and Director of Football Operations. “(Lilian) came in with the mindset of wanting to score goals and help the team win matches, and I think this move proves that he did well.
“We know that losing your top striker midseason is not always an ideal situation. But we think this is a good move for the club and for Lilian. Our philosophy will always be to move players on when the time is right for the club to do so. We wish him all the best with San Antonio FC.”
Fort Wayne FC, which has 13 games remaining on its league schedule, is in ninth place among the league’s 17 teams, one point back of Chattanooga Red Wolves (9-7-1) for the eighth and final playoff spot.
“Of course, we will miss Lilian,” Avery said. “But we are grateful for the role Lilian has played in this first season for Fort Wayne. As a team, we celebrate all individual achievements as team successes, so all the boys can be very proud today. I know I am proud of Lilian and of the entire group that helped push him to this move.”
San Antonio FC’s sporting director, Marco Ferruzzi, said: “We’re really happy to bring Lilian into the SAFC family. He’s been a player we’ve been tracking since the beginning of the year and have followed his campaign closely with Fort Wayne. He’s adapted very well to the domestic game in his time in the U.S. and has many of the qualities we were looking for in a striker. He gives us a big presence up top, while also bringing physicality, speed and finishing quality in front of goal. He’s in a great rhythm right now, and we’re looking forward to working with him, continuing his development and helping him contribute to the success of our team.”
Ricol, a native of Paris, played one season of college soccer in the U.S. In 2025 at the University of Central Florida, he was named to the United Soccer Coaches’ Division I All-Southeast Region First Team, and he made the Sun Belt Conference’s All-League First Team, while being selected conference Newcomer of the Year. He was also the MVP of the conference tournament as UCF won the first Sun Belt title in program history and eventually made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
In 21 matches with UCF, Ricol totaled 13 goals – four of them game-winners – and four assists. He had a hat trick in a 3-2 victory over James Madison and a two-goal performance in the Sun Belt championship match against Marshall, a 3-1 victory.
Prior to playing for UCF as a junior, Ricol was with French professional club Chambly-Oise, scoring three goals with four assists in 26 matches in 2024-25. The season before, with Racing Club de France, Ricol had eight goals and one assist in 25 matches.
“I’m truly happy and grateful for everything I accomplished here as a player, and everything we did as a team, and I wish the best to Fort Wayne,” Ricol said. “I’m always going to be a supporter of Fort Wayne, and I’ll always be coming back here when I have a weekend off.”
Notes: At Saturday’s match at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, Fort Wayne FC’s supporters group, the Three Rivers Regiment, will be taking donations to support those impacted by wildfires in the Spokane, Washington, area. Fort Wayne FC has faced USL League One’s Spokane Velocity FC twice this season. … The digital program for the match is now available. … Tickets are now on sale for the PSMxONE Soccer Series Presented by Parkview Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics Northeast. The series was announced Thursday and will be 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.