Fort Wayne Football Club will be on full display Wednesday night with a nationally televised match from Ruoff Mortgage Stadium that has major playoff implications. For Reid Sproat and Emerson Nieto, who hail from Northeast Indiana, it will be a particularly powerful evening.
Opportunities like this weren’t available to them growing up. And they know that Fort Wayne FC, which is in its first season of professional soccer, with a new state-of-the-art, soccer-specific stadium, is influencing the younger generation of soccer players in the region.
“There’s always been an interest for soccer in Fort Wayne with many youth clubs and high schools in the area, but to be able to have, for the first time, a professional team in town means a lot,” Sproat said. “The kids growing up in this generation will have something that I didn’t have, which is exciting for the future growth of the sport in the city for many years to come. I would say that with the new stadium, there will be more kids than ever who want to get involved, which is a great thing.”
Fort Wayne FC (8-7-6) hosts the Richmond Kickers (5-13-4) at 7:30 p.m. and the match will air on CBS Sports Network. Buy tickets by clicking here.
It’s not without irony that many of the kids that Sproat and Nieto are influencing will be at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium for Kids Club Night. Fort Wayne FC has had approximately 1,000 kids register for the kids club this year and those who have get a free ticket to the match, which will be Fort Wayne FC’s first at 6411 Bass Road since Aug. 15.
Fort Wayne FC is coming off a thrilling 4-1 victory Saturday at the Portland Hearts of Pine, which elevated the club to ninth place in the 17-team table. Fort Wayne FC is only two points back of a playoff spot with 11 matches left in the regular season.
Fort Wayne is a city with a very rich soccer history. It is home to the only American man to compete in four World Cup competitions: DaMarcus Beasley, Fort Wayne FC’s Co-owner and Director of Football Operations. There are aged organizations, such as the Fort Wayne Sport Club that started in the 1920s, which have been introducing kids to the beautiful game for over 100 years. And in the 1980s, the Fort Wayne Flames indoor soccer team helped get eyes on the game (and one of their players was the father of Fort Wayne FC’s Ryan Becher).
That barely scratches the surface of Fort Wayne’s rich soccer history, which includes success stories at all levels, nationally recognized soccer festivals and more.
With the inception of the Fort Wayne FC in 2019, and the club playing in the pre-professional level of USL League Two from 2019 to 2025, the love for soccer has been amplified in Northeast Indiana, and Fort Wayne FC is working toward building the infrastructure that will make it grow even more.
Sproat and Nieto aren’t the only local players on Fort Wayne FC’s roster; Johnny Aye, who plays at Northrop, signed an academy contract this summer and appeared in a Prinx Tires USL Cup match.
“Every time I get to put on the jersey is a chance to represent the city that raised me and gave me so much in my journey,” said Sproat, the only player to appear in a Fort Wayne FC match every season of play.
Sproat, a defender from Auburn, has played in 14 league matches this season and started eight.
“If I am able to inspire the next generation of kids to chase after their dreams, then that would make everything worth it,” he said. “At the end of the day, my goal is to give back and grow the game in the city, and Fort Wayne FC has generously given me that opportunity this year.”
Nieto, who is from Fort Wayne, had similar sentiments.
“I’m proud that younger players in Fort Wayne can see someone who grew up here playing at a high level and hopefully be inspired to pursue their own goals,” he said. “I know how meaningful it can be for young players to have someone from their community to look up to, so being able to represent my hometown and give back to the soccer community that helped shape me as a player is something I’m extremely proud of.”
Nieto, a midfielder, signed his first pro contract in April and has started 10 started league matches and played in another seven. He credits a lot of his interest in the game of soccer to the Fort Wayne community.
“Growing up in Fort Wayne, I remember soccer being very popular throughout the community, and I’ve seen that interest continue to grow over the years,” Nieto said. “There were already a lot of kids and adults playing when I was growing up, but I’ve noticed the sport become more competitive and receive even more attention as the local clubs have grown.”
With local roots comes some added pressure on these stars but in the right hands, pressure can be used as a means of motivation.
“It’s my hometown, there are people who know me personally and have followed my career for a long time,” Nieto said. “Naturally, you want to perform at your best every time you step on the field because you know how much it means to the people around you. At the same time, I try to use that pressure as motivation to continue improving and representing my hometown the right way.”
Nieto also played for Fort Wayne FC in USL League Two.
“I’m proud of being able to represent the city where I grew up,” Nieto said. “I’ve spent so much of my life in Fort Wayne and playing soccer here, so having the opportunity to play for my hometown team feels like a full-circle moment.”
Click here to read Fort Wayne FC’s media kit heading into Wednesday’s big match! Richmond’s notes are here.
Fort Wayne FC will also be at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on Saturday for a match against the New York Cosmos that will be followed by fireworks.
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.