Fort Wayne FC, which has cemented its third consecutive Valley Division championship, will open the playoffs Friday against Midwest United FC at Flint, Michigan, in the USL League Two Central Conference quarterfinals.
[Note: USL League Two announced Monday it was moving the match up one hour to 3 p.m.]
The other quarterfinal match in the Flint pod will pit the host Flint City Bucks against Steel City FC.
Fort Wayne FC (9-2-1) closed the regular season with back-to-back victories – 1-0 at the Dayton Dutch Lions on Wednesday and 4-0 over Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati on Saturday at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium – to capture the Valley Division’s only postseason slot and now faces a somewhat familiar opponent in Midwest United FC (8-3-1), the second-place team in the Great Lakes Division.
In 2024, Fort Wayne faced Midwest United FC in the same round of the postseason – at the same site, Atwood Stadium – winning 1-0 after the match went to penalty kicks. Fort Wayne FC outscored Midwest United FC 5-4 in PKs, getting two big saves from Aurie Briscoe.
It was Fort Wayne FC’s first ever playoff victory, though the club lost to 2-1 to host Flint City, the same club that ousted it from the 2023 postseason, when it was a 3-2 overtime loss at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium.
Fort Wayne FC is chasing a championship in its final USL League Two season before ascending to the professional ranks of USL League One in 2026, when the club will begin play at Fort Wayne FC Park, which is being constructed at Bass Road and I-69.
Fort Wayne FC began accepting $25 deposits on 2026 season tickets at 10 a.m. Monday so fans can reserve a spot at Fort Wayne FC Park, which will be a state-of-the-art, soccer specific stadium and the largest outdoor venue in Northeast Indiana.
Saturday’s victory over Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati was Fort Wayne FC’s final match at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium, on the University of Saint Francis campus, and the club was 21-6-1 all-time there, including a 15-2-1 record in USL League Two regular-season league play, a 6-3-0 record in friendlies and the playoff loss in 2023 to Flint City.
Flint City (9-3-0) won the Great Lakes Division this season. Steel City FC (8-1-3) won the Great Forest Division. The winner of their 7:30 p.m. match Friday will face the winner of the Fort Wayne FC-Midwest United FC match at 7 p.m. Sunday at Atwood Stadium in a Central Conference semifinal.
USL League Two has yet to announce where the Central Conference Final would be played, but it’ll be July 25.
Fans wishing to purchase tickets to Friday’s match should visit FlintCityBucks.com. For Fort Wayne FC fans unable to make the trip, the match will be streamed.
About Fort Wayne FC
Fort Wayne FC, founded in 2019, is currently a pre-professional club in USL League Two’s Valley Division in the Central Conference. The club won Valley Division championships in 2023 and 2024. Fort Wayne FC is moving to the professional ranks of USL League One in 2026 at a new state-of-the-art stadium. www.fortwaynefc.com
About United Soccer League
Founded in 1986, the United Soccer League (USL) is the largest and fastest-growing soccer organization in the United States, impacting more than 200 communities nationwide. The USL is the first and only organization to offer a comprehensive youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one ecosystem. This structure includes four men’s leagues: the newly announced, top-tier professional Division I league, the USL Championship (Division II), USL League One (Division III), and USL League Two (pre-professional). The women’s pathway includes the top-tier USL Super League (Division I), which debuted in 2024, and USL W League, the country’s leading pre-professional women’s league. The USL also oversees USL Academy, a progressive talent development platform, and USL Youth, a premier national youth platform.
