The 2026 USL League One season is just over five weeks away with five new clubs joining the league for its biggest campaign yet. This week, we’re going to look at each of the new arrivals and get you prepped for what’s in store as they attempt to make their mark in the new season.

We next head to Indiana, where Fort Wayne FC has a new look and an eye-catching stadium as it moves up from USL League Two.

Fort Wayne FC
Venue: Fort Wayne FC Park (9,200 capacity)
Colors: Autumn Gold, Black

What’s the Story?

Five years since making its debut in USL League Two with an eye on the professional ranks, the moment has arrived for Fort Wayne FC as the club brings a new look and new stadium to accompany the club’s arrival in USL League One. FWFC will open Fort Wayne FC Park this May when it hosts the Charlotte Independence with the venue’s 9,200 capacity offering the potential for the club to raise the bar for the league’s single-game record attendance.

Fort Wayne has been a perennial postseason contender in League Two, winning the Valley Division each of the past three seasons. It will have a familiar face on the sidelines with Mike Avery retained as Head Coach. The club has also added Oliver Gage – most recently of the USL Championship’s Loudoun United – as its Sporting Director alongside former National Soccer Hall of Fame member DaMarcus Beasley, who in addition to being a supporting investor is the club’s Director of Football Operations.

Head Coach – Mike Avery

Mike Avery has been the only coach Fort Wayne FC has known in its five-season history. After stints as an assistant in the college ranks at Notre Dame and the University of Louisville, Avery served for 13 seasons as Head Coach at Valparaiso University and posted a program-record 91 victories, winning the Horizon League’s Coach of the Year award in 2011. Over the past four seasons in League Two’s Valley Division, Avery led FWFC to a 36-7-7 regular season record, including an undefeated 10-0-2 record in the 2023 campaign. He’s also set to be inducted into the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame later this year.

Signings to Know

There has been a sense of continuity for Fort Wayne from its 2025 League Two campaign with the club’s top three in minutes – Tiago Dias, Reid Sproat and Anthony Hernandez – all entering the professional ranks with the club this season. There’s also Championship and League One experience as well, with Ryan Becher coming on board after his loan stint at Union Omaha last season saw him record eight goals and three assists in 1,233 minutes, while recent North Carolina State star Taig Healy – who won the League Two title with Seacoast United in 2022 – also enters the pro ranks as a player to watch.

What Else?

As one of the three clubs moving to League One from League Two this season, Fort Wayne FC already has a well-established supporters group in the Three Rivers Regiment that will be leading the way from the stands in its first pro season. We’re expecting some good rivalries to develop between fellow midwestern outfits Forward Madison FC and Union Omaha, but the game to circle is Indy Eleven’s visit to Fort Wayne FC Park in the Prinx Tires USL Cup on May 16. The first Hoosier state showdown between the clubs should be quite a scene.