Dias Strikes First But Game Ends in a Draw

Wednesday night marked the end of Fort Wayne Football Club’s inaugural home stand, and while the 1-1 draw was not the result they hoped for, the five game set as a whole produced some unforgettable moments and a 2-0-3 unbeaten home record (2-0-2 in league play).

Fort Wayne hosted opposing side Corpus Christi FC from south Texas, who is also making their USL League One debut after a long tenure in USL League Two. However, Corpus Christi has struggled to find a foothold this season, currently sitting at the bottom of the table aided in part by Wednesday’s clash with sixth place Fort Wayne.

The home team donned their Autumn Gold kits, which up until now have been reserved for away matches and may well revert back to that status after this performance. While it is presumptive to claim Fort Wayne should have won the game, it is more frustrating to know Fort Wayne could have won the game.

The first half started off slow and measured. Fort Wayne was quick to drop the ball and reset the possession deep in their own half, and very selective on when to send it forward. They played mostly up the sides and fullback Michael Rempel was a consistent target on the left side of the field, creating a couple of opportunities early and several more as the game went on. Midfielder Jayden Smith provided a wide target on the right side but fewer balls were sent his way.

It was Rempel's effort early in the second half that helped win a corner kick to set up Fort Wayne's lone goal in the 50th minute. With a packed six yard box, Javier Armas served an in-swinger to the near post for Tiago Dias to head into the net. The first goal of Dias' professional career. He described the corner piece afterward, "We practiced that sequence the whole week. We were actually trying to target the back post, but we saw that they changed the keeper, and the keeper was going out on the second post. So I asked for that ball from Javier on the first post, he put the ball in perfectly, and I came in at the right time and put it in."

Corpus Christi’s plan of attack included deep runs to the byline to send balls back across the box. All such attempts were thwarted until they subbed on Alexis Cerritos in 61st minute, and just two minutes later, a pass that broke Fort Wayne’s back line and a tackle attempt just out of the defender's reach resulted in a cross that found Cerritos on a clever run for a second post finish and the equalizer. Nothing goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann could do about it.

Fort Wayne increased their attacking intensity midway through the second half as Coach Mike Avery bolstered the lineup with substitutes Kabiru Gafar, Daniel Oyetunde, Jeremy Garay, and Jack Thomas. They seemingly found hope when Taig Healy drew a hard foul just outside the box in the 72nd minute that resulted in a second yellow card for Corpus Christi’s Bubu Medina, forcing the opposition to play a man down for the remainder of the match. Healy took the ensuing free kick that would have capitalized if not for a fantastic save by goalkeeper Logan Erb to keep the score at 1-1.

Down to ten men, Corpus Christi formed a low block whenever Fort Wayne attacked, forcing looping crosses and chips over the back line to try and formulate some sort of opportunity. And the attacking formula nearly worked: a beautifully weighted chip from Armas to Ricol, and Ricol header into a dangerous location. Jack Thomas, fresh off his goal in the 91st minute just days ago vs Indy Eleven, looked for another extra-time miracle on Wednesday and nearly delivered it in the 94th minute. His half-volley shot from six yards out, set up by Ricol’s header, found the underside of the cross bar instead of the back of the net, with players and fans alike hoping that physics had somehow pushed the ball beyond the goal plane as it bounced off the turf and out of the goal mouth. After the game Thomas simply said, “I should have done better.”

The score solidified at 1-1 when the final whistle blew after one last corner kick attempt.

Coach Avery provided his thoughts on the evening, “It was a choppy game. A lot of fouls called, a lot of time taken off the clock, a lot of time the ball’s not in play. And when you’re a rhythm team, sometimes when you get knocked out of rhythm it’s hard to get back into it… The story of the day is we’ve got to be more clinical.”

Fort Wayne has a quick turnaround for their next game with a flight to Idaho to take on fellow USL League One debutant AC Boise this Saturday. Regarding the upcoming Boise game, Coach Avery said, “We’re there for the first time ever, so we’ll learn about it as we get there. It’s a great opportunity. We know they’re a good team and they play well at home, they’ll have a big crowd out. It’s exciting. It’s kind of what teams get when they come here to Fort Wayne. So it will be fun to go on the road and see what that’s all about.”

The next home game is Saturday, May 30th vs AV Alta FC before an away campaign the entire month of June.