The second largest crowd in Ruoff Mortgage Stadium’s young history was on hand Saturday night. While the result on the pitch wasn’t what was intended – Fort Wayne Football Club lost 4-2 to the New York Cosmos – the 4,294 spectators were treated to goals by Ryan Becher and Clarence Awoudor and a gigantic post-match fireworks show.
Fort Wayne FC finished a grueling stretch of three matches in eight days in two cities with a 2-1-0 record. With a mark of 9-8-6 in their first professional season, the Autumn Gold & Black remain in eighth place in the 17-team USL League One table. The top eight teams will qualify for the postseason and Fort Wayne FC has nine matches left in the regular season, beginning Sept. 12 at the Greenville Triumph SC.
Fort Wayne FC will hold its first ever watch part at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium that night. Parking and entrance to the stadium will be free and limited concessions will be open. The FanZone, including the bounce houses, will be open.
On Saturday, the New York Cosmos (6-13-4) were led by Lamin Jawney, who had goals in the 44th minute for a 1-0 lead and the 71st minute for a 4-1 lead. New York also got goals from Sergio Chavez and Sebastián Guenzatti.
Fort Wayne FC’s Becher scored in the 66th minute, heading the ball in off a Javier Armas corner kick. Awoudor’s goal two minutes into second-half injury time came on a penalty kick.
“These are guys that are working very hard and trying very hard,” Fort Wayne FC’s coach, Mike Avery, said of his roster, the youngest in USL League One. “I’m not ever questioning or doubting their effort in what they do. It’s always there and always spot on. We’ve got to coach them better and make sure that they’re more prepared the next time that we play. We’re fortunate that we have a week ahead to get ready for the next game.”
Fort Wayne FC’s goalkeeper, Bernd Schipmann, stopped one shot. New York Cosmos’ Javier Garcia stopped four.
“It’s been a good week for us. We obviously didn’t want it to end on that note, but we can look at the positives and then figure out the things we need to shore up,” Becher said.
New York swept the season series between the clubs, winning 2-0 at home on March 28.
Match photos
Videos
Box score
FORT WAYNE FC 0-2-2
NEW YORK COSMOS 2-2-4
September 5, 2026
At Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, Fort Wayne, IN
Attendance: 4,294
RECORDS: FW 9-8-6; NYC 6-14-4
GOALS: FW—Ryan Becher, Clarence Awoudor; NYC—Lamin Jawneh 2, Sergio Chavez, Sebastián Guenzatti.
ASSISTS: FW—Javier Armas; NYC–Shamit Shom 2, Philip Spengler 2.
SAVES: FW—Bernd Schipmann 1; NYC—Javier Garcia 4
POSSESSION: FW—59.2%; NYC—40.8%
YELLOW CARDS: FW—JP Jordan, Michael Rempel, Javier Armas; NYC—Néstor Cabrera, Ozzie Ramos, Sergio Chavez.
RED CARDS: FW—None; NYC—None.
REFEREE: Braeden Frey.
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.