Goalkeeper Alex Grow Added to Fort Wayne Football Club Roster and Ian Abbey Converted to Standard Contract
USL1 Fort Wayne FC

Goalkeeper Alex Grow Added to Fort Wayne Football Club Roster and Ian Abbey Converted to Standard Contract

Published on April 10, 2026 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Fort Wayne FC News Release


Fort Wayne Football Club, which will be back on the pitch for a road match Saturday, has added goalkeeper Alex Grow to the roster on a 25-day contract. The club also announced that forward Ian Abbey has signed a standard player contract, after the expiration of his 25-day agreement.

"I'm very excited to be joining Fort Wayne FC," Grow said. "I am thankful to the coaching staff for giving me this opportunity, and I'm extremely grateful to be signing my first professional contract with such a great organization. I can't wait to give everything I can to help this amazing club succeed this season."

Fort Wayne FC will face the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC at 7 p.m. Saturday in East Ridge, Tennessee, a match that will air on ESPN+.

Grow, 24, played at Bradley University from 2023 to 2024, appearing in 12 matches. He had a 3-5-4 record with a 1.73 goals-against average, and he stopped 67.2% of the shots on net. He had three clean sheets for Bradley, including one against Purdue Fort Wayne, and was selected to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll three semesters.

Prior to his time at Bradley, Grow played at Loyola-Chicago from 2020 to 2022. In six matches, he had a 1-1-1 record, a 0.81 GAA, stopped 33.3% of shots and had a shutout against Evansville - his first collegiate win in spring of 2021.

Grow, who hails from Brookfield, Wisconsin, stood out in a Fort Wayne FC open tryout in December, then proved himself further in a private invitation-only workout for the club's coaches. He accepted an invitation to join the club for training during preseason and has earned this contract, Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said.

"Alex is a great story because he is a player who has really had to earn his way into an opportunity," Avery said. "His success is a testament to his dedication and his character, and to his internal belief in his ability. He's not been on an easy path, and yet here he is, signing his first pro contract with Fort Wayne FC. I love it, and I love that we get to share in this experience with him."

Grow is the fourth goalkeeper on the Fort Wayne FC roster, joining Bernd Schipmann; Aurie Briscoe, who is recovering from a minor injury; and Taner Akin, who is on an academy contract.

Abbey, who signed with Fort Wayne FC on March 5, made his senior-level professional debut in the club's last match, a 2-0 loss at the New York Cosmos on March 28. He played 21 minutes, completing 10 of 12 passes.

Abbey, a native of Elmer, New Jersey, had three goals and three assists last season in 16 matches for Providence.

He played at Rutgers University from 2022 to 2024, where he was a teammate of Briscoe. Abbey appeared in 50 matches for Rutgers and had eight goals and seven assists.

As a junior in 2024, Abbey had two goals and team-leading five assists. In 2022, he was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team after a season that saw him score back-to-back game-winning goals against Michigan and Penn State.

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United Soccer League One Stories from April 10, 2026


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