Fort Wayne Football Club, Unbeaten in 6, Readies for Pivotal Home Match against AV Alta FC
USL1 Fort Wayne FC

Fort Wayne Football Club, Unbeaten in 6, Readies for Pivotal Home Match against AV Alta FC

Published on May 28, 2026 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Fort Wayne FC News Release


The Autumn Gold & Black are back home at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on Saturday night to take on AV Alta FC, a club based in Lancaster, California, in a pivotal 7:30 p.m. match.

For fans wishing to see one of the hottest teams in professional soccer, it will be Fort Wayne Football Club's only home match at 6411 Bass Road until July 4.

Tickets are on sale now. Fans are reminded that parking must be purchased in advance.

Fort Wayne FC is coming off a thrilling 3-1 victory Saturday at Athletic Club Boise, which was dealt its first home loss of the season, and the Autumn Gold & Black (4-2-3) extended their unbeaten streak in USL League One play to six matches. Leading the way Saturday for Fort Wayne FC was Lilian Ricol, who scored in the ninth and 83rd minutes for his second two-goal game of the season, with assists on his goals at Boise going to Kabiru Gafar (who made his first professional start) and Fort Wayne-native Emerson Nieto.

Taig Healy also scored for Fort Wayne FC, giving him a goal in 6 of 8 matches regardless of competition.

Fort Wayne's performances last week, which included a 1-all draw with Corpus Christi FC at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on May 20, resulted in four club players being named to the USL League One Team of the Week. Michael Rempel and Lilian Ricol were named starters, while Tiago Dias and Javier Armas were placed on the bench.

AV Alta FC (3-2-4 in USL League One) is undefeated in four straight USL League One matches and has won three in a row, but it lost its last match, in the Prinx Tires USL Cup, on Wednesday, 2-0 to USL Championship-side El Paso Locomotive FC.

Starting USL League One play in the 2025 season, AV Alta FC finished its inaugural year with an 8-10-12 record, good enough for ninth place and it was only one point outside the playoffs.

The name AV Alta has major historical and cultural significance to Southern California. AV has a double meaning, for both Antelope Valley, and Aerospace Valley. Alta, meaning elevated, represents the prominence of the aerospace industry in the region, the development of the B2 Bomber, and the region's original name, "Alta California".

AV Alta's crest attempts to incorporate that culture. Their typeface resembles the curvature and design of the A2 Bomber, and their colors reflect the desert landscape and iconic Joshua Tree, honoring the unique beauty of Antelope Valley.

They play out of Lancaster Municipal stadium (also known as "The Hanger").

Tied for third in the USL League One goal-scoring leaderboard, AV Alta has 15 goals on the season. Fort Wayne FC sits at seventh with 13 goals.

Both clubs are equipped with electric scorers.

Currently in a five-way tie for the league's individual goal-scoring lead are Fort Wayne FC's Ricol and Healy with five goals apiece, and AV Alta's Adam Aoumaich, who had two goals in his club's last league match, a 4-0 victory over the New York Cosmos on May 23. AV Alta's Jerry Desdunes has four goals this season.

Both clubs also have formidable defenses.

Fort Wayne FC has conceded only 10 goals this season, tied for third fewest in the league, with a daunting backline led by captain Tiago Dias, who scored against Corpus Christi. Fort Wayne FC has won 442 duels and 97 tackles, which puts them ahead of their opponents in volume by a considerable margin.

When asked about how to neutralize AV Alta's offensive threats and take the win Saturday, Fort Wayne defender Jayden Smith said the club needs to be prepared "when we're attacking and make sure we are in the right shape and ready for their counter press." Smith said he believes that as long as Fort Wayne FC "stays focused and locks in, we'll earn the three points."

FWFC goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann has 25 saves this season, fifth most in USL League One. His three clean sheets are third most in the league. A career milestone is approaching for Schipmann, who needs five saves to reach 200 in his USL League One career.

AV Alta is the most efficient tackling team in USL League One with a success rate of 75.5%. Goalkeeper Denzil Smith ranks 12th in the league with 18 saves this season and he's had two shutouts.

For more information on this match, check out the Fort Wayne FC game notes. AV Alta FC's game notes are here.

The match against AV Alta FC will air on ESPN+, and locally on digital channel 21.3 (MyTV).

Club, Ian Abbey part ways

Fort Wayne FC announced that the club and Ian Abbey have parted ways. Abbey appeared in seven matches before informing the team he was planning to retire. The club enacted a termination of his contract.

Check out the Fort Wayne FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League One Stories from May 28, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central