Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Birthday: 9/6/05
Pronunciation: low-gun | n-eye-d-linger

2026 Happenings

Before joining Fort Wayne FC, Neidlinger played in 18 matches with USL Championship’s Indy Eleven in 2026, across all competitions, and had one assist. … He became first player received by Fort Wayne FC on loan in the professional ranks, on Aug. 28, 2026, from Indy Eleven.

Entering 2026

A native of Indianapolis, Neidlinger joined the Indy Eleven Academy in 2021 and helped the U-20 team win three consecutive USL Academy Cups. … Neidlinger signed an academy contract with the senior level team in 2024 and became the youngest Indy Eleven player to appear in a match and to score a goal, which he did Aug. 11, 2024, against New Mexico United. He played in 16 matches that year, across all competitions, and had an assist. … In 2025, Neidlinger played another nine matches with Indy Eleven.

Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Birthday: 6/7/10
Pronunciation: john-ee | eye

2026 Happenings

Checked into match July 18, 2026, against Greenville Triumph SC and became the youngest player to do so for Fort Wayne FC in a professional match at age 16. Aye, a Fort Wayne resident on an academy contract, played two minutes in the match. … Aye already held the club record for youngest player in a match, checking into a friendly in USL League Two in 2025 when he was 15.

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Entering 2026

Aye joined Fort Wayne Football Club on an academy contract July 11, 2026, becoming the youngest player, at age 16, to join the roster since the club ascended to professional soccer this year. … Aye, one of the area’s brightest talents, has an impressive résumé that includes a match with Fort Wayne FC during 2025 in USL League Two, a pre-professional tier. When Aye entered an international friendly against Atlas Fútbol Club’s Sub-23 roster on June 28, 2025, at age 15, he became the youngest player to take the field in the Fort Wayne FC’s five seasons of play at that level. … Aye will be a junior at Northrop High School in the fall of 2026. … He spent the previous two seasons at North Side High School and was a First Team All-Conference selection in the Summit Athletic Conference. … Aye spent seven years playing locally for Fort Wayne United and spent one season, his U-14 year, in the Indy Eleven Academy system. … Good performances with Fort Wayne United in 2022 eventually led to an invitation to play in the Elite Academy League in Spain and he also had trials in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven. … He also played for the U.S. Youth Futsal National Team in 2022 and 2026, which took him to Argentina and England, respectively.

Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Birthday: 10/3/01
Pronunciation: emer-son | knee-et-toe

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2026 Happenings

Nieto substituted into first match at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on May 2, 2026, a 2-2 draw between Fort Wayne FC and the Charlotte Independence. He and Reid Sproat, also from Northeast Indiana, played in the match. … Nieto started his second match on the roster, May 6, 2026, a 3-0 victory over the Portland Hearts of Pine, at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.

Entering 2026

Nieto spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons playing collegiately for the Indiana Institute of Technology in downtown Fort Wayne. He appeared in 41 matches and totaled nine assists. … He and Fort Wayne FC assistant coach Keelan Barker, who was the Warriors’ head coach, helped the school to a 31-7-6 record, two Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament titles, back-to-back NAIA Tournaments, and the 2025 National Tournament Quarterfinals. Fort Wayne FC defender Tiago Dias was on the 2024 Indiana Tech team, too. … Nieto was a Second Team All-American in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in 2025, and he was First Team All-Conference in 2025 and 2024. … Nieto played at Indiana University Indianapolis during 2023, when he assisted on three goals in 12 matches, and at Indiana University Bloomington from 2020 to 2022, assisting on two goals in seven matches. … Nieto joins defender Reid Sproat as players on the Fort Wayne FC roster who are from Northeast Indiana. “I’m incredibly proud to sign with Fort Wayne FC – it’s a dream come true for me as a local player,” Nieto said April 29. “Growing up here, this community means everything to me, so to represent my hometown club is really special. I’m excited for this opportunity and to give everything for the badge.”

Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Lake Zurich, Illinois
Birthday: 8/18/08
Pronunciation: knee-co | burns

2026 Happenings

Made professional debut for Fort Wayne FC in a Prinx Tires USL Cup match at Union Omaha on June 6, 2026. At 17 years, 292 days old, youngest player to appear in a match for club since it joined USL League One in 2026.

Entering 2026

Burns was an academy player for Lexington SC of USL Championship in 2025, after playing for the Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati academy from 2022 to 2025. … Also has experience with Puerto Rico’s U-17 and U-15 National Teams.

Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Birthday: 8/10/04
Pronunciation: kah-bee-roo | gah-far

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2026 Happenings

Kabiru Gafar assists on goals in four of six matches between May 16 and June 10. … Tallied an assist in 3-0 victory over Spokane Velocity on July 4, 2026, putting him into second place in club history with five career assists. … Was named to USL League One Team of the Week on July 7, 2026. … Scored first goal of senior pro career in 2-1 loss at defending-champion One Knoxville SC on July 15, 2026. … Assisted on a Ryan Becher goal in a 3-1 victory at Greenville Triumph SC on Sept. 12, 2026, and it was his sixth assist of the year regardless of competition, tying Gafar with Alberto Anaya for the club’s career assist record.

Entering 2026 season

Kabiru Gafar was with Indy Eleven of USL Championship during the 2026 preseason and scored twice in friendlies. … Gafar played the past four years at the University of Indianapolis, appearing in 66 matches, starting 46 of them, and totaling 11 goals and 13 assists. In 2025, he had four goals and five assists in 19 matches, starting all but one, and the Greyhounds reached the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. … With the University of Indianapolis, Gafar was the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2022, when he had three goals and two assists in 18 matches, and was also named Third Team All-GLVC. He was Academic All-GLVC in 2023, 2024 and 2025. … Gafar played two seasons at Indianapolis’ Ben Davis High School before joining the Indy Eleven Academy and helping it to back-to-back USL Academy Cup championships. In 2021, he won the Golden Boot as the highest scorer of the tournament with three goals and an assist. … Gagar immigrated from Nigeria to Indianapolis when he was 11.

Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Whittington, England
Birthdate: 6/12/2004
Pronunciation: jack | tom-iss

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2026 Happenings

Thomas came off the bench to score in stoppage time and force penalty kicks on May 16, 2026, at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium in the first ever match with Indy Eleven – the Victory & Liberty Derby and part of the Prinx Tires USL Cup. It was Thomas’ first goal in professional soccer. He’d missed the previous three matches due to injury. … Named to USL League One Team of the Week on June 23, 2026, after tallying a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory at the Richmond Kickers on June 20. … Scored lone goal in 3-1 loss at Spokane Velocity FC on July 25, 2026, getting to rebound of own shot and putting it into the back of the net. Goal was a finalist for USL Goal of the Week.

Entering 2026

Coming off an outstanding senior season at Louisiana State University-Shreveport that saw him selected as the United Soccer Coaches’ NAIA Player of the Year in 2025. Thomas set single-season program records in goals (20), assists (12), shots (86) and shots on goal (46) in 22 matches during 2025. He was named a First Team All-American and the Red River Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. … Over 66 matches in his three-year career at LSU Shreveport, Thomas had 47 goals and a program-record 22 assists. He helped the Pilots to the Round of 16 at the NAIA National Tournament in 2024 and 2025. … Thomas began his college soccer career with Northeast Texas Community College in 2022. … Thomas also had on his résumé time with the Lubbock Matadors SC of USL League Two, a pre-professional level of play.

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Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Saint-Lô, France
Birthday: 9/23/03
Pronunciation: clair-ants | ah-woo-door

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2026 Happenings

Scored first goal of professional career in a 4-1 victory at Portland Hearts of Pine on Aug. 29, 2026. Also assisted on a Taig Healy goal as Fort Wayne FC set a club record for most goals scored in a professional game.

Entering 2026

Had a stellar 2025 season for the University of Central Florida, which won the first Sun Belt title in program history. The school reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. … Awoudor made the United Soccer Coaches’ Division I All-America Third Team and the All-Southeast Region First Team, was named to the Sun Belt Conference’s First Team and All-Tournament Team, and he set UCF’s single-season assist record with 15. He played complete matches 17 times and finished with seven goals in 21 matches as a senior. … Awoudor finished his U.S. college career with 17 goals and 28 assists in 66 matches over four years, including one season at Oregon State, 2022, in which he had three goals and two assists in 13 matches and was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team. He was also named to College Soccer News’ All-Freshman Third Team. In 2023, Awoudor was selected the Sun Belt Conference’s Newcomer of the Year after tallying four goals and four assists in 16 matches for UCF. … Prior to playing college soccer in the U.S., Awoudor was an academy player for five years with SM Caen, a professional club in Normandy, France.

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Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Keller, Texas
Birthdate: 2/7/2003
Pronunciation: jay-pee | jor-done

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2026 Happenings

Named to USL League One’s Team of the Week on April 14, 2026, in the wake of a 1-0 victory over the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, the first victory in Fort Wayne FC’s professional history. Teammate Juan Solis made the Team of the Week, too. … Jordan named a bench player on the USL League One Team of the Week on June 23, 2026.

Entering 2026

Jon Paul Jordan II joined Fort Wayne Football Club with 25 matches of experience in 2025 with Texoma FC of USL League One. … Jordan, an elite ball-recovering midfielder, assisted on a goal for Texoma FC. … In 2024, Jordan played collegiately for Louisville – as the Cardinals’ only player to start all 17 matches – and he assisted on two goals. … From 2021 to 2023, Jordan played for Southern Methodist University. He appeared in 46 matches, starting 31 of them, and assisted on a goal. In 2022, he was Second Team All-Conference in the American Athletic Conference, having helped the Mustangs to five shutouts. … Prior to collegiate soccer, Jordan helped Solar Soccer Club to the 2020-21 MLS Next U-19 final and to a U-17 national championship.

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Position: Midfielder
Hometown: A Coruña, Spain
Birthday: 1/13/00
Pronunciation: khah-vyehr | khar-mahs

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2026 Happenings

Assisted on first goal in Fort Wayne FC’s pro history, scored by Lilian Ricol, in a 2-2 draw at the Sarasota Paradise on March 14. … Assisted on another Ricol goal early in club’s first ever Prinx Tires USL Cup match, a 3-1 loss at Louisville City FC on April 25. … Named to bench of USL League One Team of the Week on May 5, 2026. … Named bench player on USL League One Team of the Week on May 26, 2026.

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Entering 2026

Armas spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons with Atlanta United 2 of MLS Next Pro, accruing 10 goals and three assists in 53 matches. In 2024, when he had seven goals and two assists, he played every minute of every match for Atlanta United 2. … After spending his youth career with Deportivo La Coruña, Armas moved to the United States to attend Oregon State University, for which he played from 2019 to 2023. He appeared in 77 matches throughout his college career – starting 71 of them – and finished with six goals and 10 assists. As a senior, he was selected First Team All-Pac 12, and he was selected to the United Soccer Coaches’ All-American Third Team. Oregon State reached the national semifinals in 2023 before falling 1-0 to Notre Dame. … Armas was selected by Atlanta United in the second round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.

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