Competition: USL League One – Regular Season

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026

Time: 7:30 PM EDT

Venue: Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, Fort Wayne, IN

Broadcast: ESPN+

THE HISTORIC HOME OPENER

Tonight marks a massive milestone for Fort Wayne FC as they officially open the brand-new Ruoff Mortgage Stadium. After a tough start on the road, the club finally returns home to play its first-ever professional home match in this venue.

MATCH PREVIEW

• Fort Wayne FC: Currently sitting 17th in the standings, the boys are looking to bounce back after a 3-1 loss to Louisville City FC in the USL Cup. With the energy of a sold-out home crowd, tonight is the perfect opportunity to climb the table.
• Charlotte Independence: The visitors arrive in 9th place. They are coming off a heavy defeat in the U.S. Open Cup and will be hungry to spoil the party in Fort Wayne.

RULES & ETIQUETTE

• Please keep the discussion civil and respectful.
• No trolling or aggressive behavior toward opposing fans.
• Refrain from posting illegal streaming links.

LGF! (Let's Go Footies!)

​​Based on the ticket purchasing site(And assuming they've stopped sales of some sections because they're not complete) , it looks like there's only about 20 seats still left on the North grandstands , and everything else seems to be sold out. Who else is ready for opening night!​?

I unexpectedly got a free ticket to the game!!! It’s going to be awesome. I just hope there are seats.

Kickoff: 7:00 PM EDT

Location: Lynn Family Stadium | Louisville, KY

Broadcast: ESPN+

📝 THE MATCHUP

Fort Wayne FC (USL League One)

• Recent Form: Coming off their first-ever professional victory, a gritty 1-0 win over Chattanooga Red Wolves.
• Key Player: Taig Healy (MF) – Scored the historic winner just 44 seconds into the last match.
• Keep an Eye On: Bernd Schipmann in goal. He'll need a massive night against a potent LouCity attack.

Louisville City FC (USL Championship)

• Recent Form: Currently sitting atop the USL Championship standings (5-1-1). They just secured a 1-0 win over Sporting Club Jacksonville.
• Key Player: Aiden McFadden (DF/MF) – A constant threat on the flanks with multiple goal contributions this season.
• Manager: Simon Bird (Interim)

🏟️ LINEUPS

(To be updated 60 minutes before kickoff)

Fort Wayne FC XI: Schipmann (GK), Sproat, Solís, Dias, Smith, Musa, Healy, Garay, Awoudor, Abbey, Terry. Subs: Briscoe, Rempel, Thomas, Jordan, Armas, Hernandez, Ricol.

Louisville City FC XI: Fauroux (GK), McFadden, Totsch, Adams, Dia, Duncan, Davila, Serrano, Akale, Wilson, Donovan. Subs: Faundez, Morris, Dayes, Perez, Moguel Jr., Duke, Showunmi.

💬 DISCUSSION RULES

1. Keep it civil. Rivalry is good, but don't be a jerk.
2. No illegal streams. Stick to official broadcast partners.

I will be going to my first ever FWFC game and USL game in May. I'm a soccer newbie, been interested in the sport for a while now. I have only ever been to 2 MLS matches. I didn't know we (Fort Wayne) had a USL2 team since 2019 and now it's a USL1 team, correct? Anyways I'm excited!

game day tomorrow!

Of course we are the underdog, but never say never!

we don’t know this team well enough to know just how lopsided it’ll be.