CHARLOTTE, NC – The Charlotte Independence welcome Fort Wayne FC to the Queen City for the first time on Saturday afternoon. Here is all you need to know before the matchup.
MATCH DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, September 26
Time: 2:00 PM
Who: Fort Wayne FC
Where: Sportsplex at Matthews (Charlotte, NC
What We’re Wearing: The Independence will be dressed in their County Kit.
Watch: ESPN+
SEASON STANDING
- Charlotte Independence
- USL League One: 17-5-5 (2nd Place – 56 points)
- Last Time Out: 2-1 win @ Richmond on Sept. 19
- Recent Form: WLWDW
- Fort Wayne FC
- USL League One: 10-9-7 (8th Place – 37 points)
- Last Time Out: 2-2 draw vs. Naples on Sept. 19
- Recent Form: WLWLD
ALL-TIME SERIES
The two teams met for the first time on May 2 for Fort Wayne’s inaugural home match. Fort Wayne took the lead twice in the game’s opening 15 minutes, but the Independence responded in short order on both goals to share the spoils 2-2. Christy Manzinga netted his first goal in Charlotte colors and Enzo Martinez scored his club-high 50th goal for the Jacks.
All-Time Record: 0-0-1
THE MOST LETHAL TEAM IN LEAGUE HISTORY
With Joey Skinner’s go-ahead goal Saturday night at Richmond, the Charlotte Independence scored their 62nd goal of the season – a single-season high in USL League One. The 2026 Jacks overtook the 2023 Union Omaha side that found the net 61 times. With five matches still remaining, Charlotte appears destined to stretch that record out more.
SEVEN STRAIGHT WINS AT RICHMOND
In the final match of a three-game week, the Independence handled business against the Richmond Kickers for the seventh consecutive time, winning 2-1 Saturday at City Stadium. An own goal gave Charlotte an early advantage before Richmond fired back shortly after to even the score. Just before the halftime break, Jon Bakero spotted Skinner making an inside run on his defender and the outside back slotted home the game-winner.
BAKERO READY FOR MORE HISTORY
In an MVP-caliber season, Bakero continues to etch his name into the USL League One record books. After setting a new single-season assists record in last week’s win over Westchester, Bakero added another milestone with his assist to Skinner against Richmond. The Spaniard now sits tied with Nils Vinyals atop the league’s all-time assists chart with 23.
FINAL HOME MATCH
We’re closing out the regular season home slate in style! Join us at the Sportsplex for OktoberFest on October 10 against New York Cosmos. Fans in attendance will receive a Charlotte Independence-styled stein and have the chance to sample local Charlotte breweries.
