FLINT, Mich. – A familiar foe stands in Fort Wayne FC’s way as it pursues a USL League Two championship.
The club will face the Flint City Bucks 7 p.m. Sunday in the Central Conference Semifinals, as 16 teams remain in the USL Playoffs presented by VensureHR.
Fort Wayne FC, winner of the past three Valley Division championships, was ousted from the postseason by the Bucks in 2023 and 2024.
In 2023, in Fort Wayne FC’s first ever playoff match, Flint City won 3-2 in overtime at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium – snapping Fort Wayne FC’s 19-match unbeaten streak – in the Central Conference Quarterfinals.
Last year, at Atwood Stadium in Flint, the Bucks won 2-1 in Central Conference Semifinals.
Fort Wayne FC is back in that round again, on the heels of Friday’s thrilling, come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Midwest United FC at Atwood Stadium. Down two goals at halftime, Fort Wayne FC got goals from captain Tiago Dias on a header, Caio Oliveira on a free kick from 21 yards out, and Amari Fowlkes in overtime.
Each of the Fort Wayne FC goals helped reshape the club’s record keeping: Dias’ goal was his sixth in three seasons, tying him for fourth in club history with Riley Lynch; Oliveira’s goal was his seventh, a new single-season Fort Wayne FC record and putting him one back of Gjis Hovius and Maxwell Amoako for the club’s all-time mark; and Fowlkes’ goal was his first in USL League Two play.
“It’s a good thing we have the depth that we have,” Fowlkes said. “It’s going to take everybody Sunday; everybody’s got to be ready. Some people didn’t play (Friday), but they’ve got to play Sunday and that’s a strength of ours – our depth – for sure.”
The match Sunday night will take place at Atwood Stadium. Click here to buy tickets. Click here to stream the match.
Fort Wayne FC holds a 10-2-1 record this season. Flint City, which won the Great Lakes Division, is 10-3-0 and is coming off a 4-3 victory Friday night over Steel City FC.
If Fort Wayne FC wins Sunday, it will play in the Central Conference Finals at a site not yet announced by USL League Two. It will face either Minneapolis City SC or Sueño FC, which Fort Wayne FC defeated 2-0 in a season-opening friendly at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium.
This is Fort Wayne FC’s final season in USL League Two before ascending to USL League One, a professional tier, when the club will begin play in Fort Wayne FC Park – a new state-of-the-art, soccer-specific stadium being built at Bass Road and I-69. The club is accepting 2026 season ticket deposits and fans are encouraged to place them to reserve their spot at what will be one of the marquee soccer venues in the nation, and the largest outdoor venue in Northeast Indiana.
Make sure you check out the Fort Wayne FC Photo Page.
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.
