The 2025 Forward Madison FC season was the seventh season in the soccer team's history, where they competed in USL League One of the third division of American soccer.
Overview Forward Madison entered the 2025 season on the heels of what was arguably their best season. In 2024, the team finished 3rd in the USL League One table, their highest finish ever, and reached the semifinals of the USL League One playoffs. Additionally, they were runners-up in the inaugural USL Cup, losing on penalties in the final. The team returned over half of the 2024 roster, including All-USL League One First Team defender and Defender of the Year nominee Mitch Osmond, Goalkeeper of the Year nominee Bernd Schipmann, and All-League One First Team midfielder Devin Boyce, though they did lose club all-time leading goalscorer Christian Chaney to Charlotte Independence. The large core of players returning from the previous year's successful season had Forward Madison considered to be an early preseason favorite to win the 2025 USL League One title. Various power rankings placed Forward Madison in the top half of the league leading up to the start of the season.
The schedule for both the 2025 USL League One season and the 2025 USL Cup were announced on December 19th. In the regular season, Forward Madison played each team twice, with the exception of Richmond Kickers, Union Omaha, Westchester SC, and Texoma FC, each of whom they played three times. Forward Madison faced USL Championship club FC Tulsa in the U.S. Open Cup, as well as Indy Eleven and Birmingham Legion FC in the USL Cup; this marked the first time that Forward Madison played a competitive match against a team in USL Championship since 2019, when they defeated El Paso Locomotive FC and lost to Saint Louis FC in the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, and the first time the team ever hosted a USL Championship club.
In January, Forward Madison announced a partnership with Brazilian club Amazonas, who were competing in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B at the time of the announcement. It was the first partnership between a USL League One club and a Brazilian club. As part of this partnership, Amazonas sent forward Adrien Graffin on loan to Madison, with Forward Madison transferring Riley Binns to Amazonas in July.
Club Roster
Name Date of birth (age) On loan from 1 GK Bernd Schipmann 2023 2 DF Michael Chilaka 2024 3 MF Damià Viader 2025 4 DF Mitch Osmond 2022 5 DF Timmy Mehl 2023 6 MF John Murphy 2024 7 MF Jackson Dietrich 2025 8 MF Devin Boyce 2024 9 FW Garrett McLaughlin 2024 10 MF Aiden Mesias 2023 11 MF Christopher Garcia 2025 12 GK Owen Finnerty 2025 13 MF Temi Ereku 2025 Birmingham Legion FC 14 DF Jason Ramos 2025 16 DF Jake Crull 2023 17 FW Derek Gebhard 2021 18 FW Adrien Graffin 2025 Amazonas 19 FW Juan Galindrez 2024 21 MF José Carrera-García 2025 22 DF Eddie Munjoma 2025 24 FW Nazeem Bartman 2022 25 DF Ferrety Sousa 2024 36 GK Wallis Lapsley 2025 70 FW Lucca Dourado 2025 Birmingham Legion FC 77 FW Nico Brown 2025 Lexington SC 80 MF Isaac Angking 2025 Rhode Island FC
Left team mid-season Name Date of birth (age) On loan from 20 DF Laurie Bell 2025 26 MF Riley Binns 2025 99 FW Dean Boltz 2025 Chicago Fire FC
Coaching staff Name Position Matt Glaeser Head coach and technical director Neil Hlavaty Assistant coach Jim Launder Assistant coach Aaron Hohlbein Assistant coach
Left team mid-season Name Position Departure Date Reason for departure John Pascarella Assistant coach Hired as assistant coach by Tampa Bay Rowdies
Front office staff Name Position Conor Caloia Chief operating officer Vern Stenman President Keith Tiemeyer Director of Soccer Operations & Development
Player movement
Returning players
Date Position Player Notes FW Garrett McLaughlin Under contract GK Bernd Schipmann Re-signed MF John Murphy Contract option exercised DF Ferrety Sousa Contract option exercised DF Mitch Osmond Re-signed FW Juan Galindrez Contract option exercised FW Derek Gebhard Contract option exercised DF Jake Crull Re-signed MF Aiden Mesias Re-signed FW Nazeem Bartman Contract option exercised DF Michael Chilaka Re-signed MF Devin Boyce Contract option exercised DF Timmy Mehl Re-signed
Transfers in Date Position Player Last team MF Jackson Dietrich Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC Free transfer MF Christopher Garcia El Paso Locomotive FC Free transfer GK Wallis Lapsley Union Omaha Free transfer FW Adrien Graffin Amazonas Loan FW Nico Brown Lexington SC Loan MF José Carrera-García Central Valley Fuego FC Free transfer DF Laurie Bell Free transfer DF Eddie Munjoma Tampa Bay Rowdies Free transfer GK Owen Finnerty Inter Miami CF II Free transfer MF Riley Binns Greenfield High School Free transfer MF Damià Viader Sacramento Republic FC Free transfer FW Lucca Dourado Birmingham Legion FC Loan MF Temi Ereku Birmingham Legion FC Loan MF Isaac Angking Rhode Island FC Loan DF Jason Ramos Central Valley Fuego FC Free transfer FW Dean Boltz Chicago Fire FC Loan
Transfers out Date Position Player To FW Agustín Dávila Contract expired FW Cherif Dieye Contract expired MF Wolfgang Prentice Oakland Roots SC End of loan GK Martin Sanchez Contract expired MF Jimmie Villalobos One Knoxville SC End of loan FW Mauro Cichero Retired DF Stephen Payne Westchester SC Free transfer FW Christian Chaney Charlotte Independence Free transfer DF Laurie Bell Contract expired MF Riley Binns Amazonas Free transfer FW Dean Boltz Chicago Fire FC Recalled from loan
Exhibitions
Competitions
Overview
USL League One
Standings
Results summary
Results by round
Matches
U.S. Open Cup
As a member of USL League One, Forward Madison FC is participating in the 2025 U.S. Open Cup. They entered in the first round of the competition, taking place from March 18–21, 2025.
USL Jägermeister Cup
Standings — Group 3
Results summary
Group stage matches
Statistics
Appearances and goals
Name USL1 Season U.S. Open Cup USL Cup Total Starts Goals Starts Goals Starts Goals Starts Goals 1 GK Bernd Schipmann 19 19 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 22 22 0 2 DF Michael Chilaka 22 17 0 0 0 0 4 3 0 26 20 0 3 MF Damià Viader 28 15 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 31 17 0 4 DF Mitch Osmond 5 5 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 7 7 0 5 DF Timmy Mehl 26 26 0 2 2 0 3 2 0 31 30 0 6 MF John Murphy 30 27 0 2 1 1 4 4 0 36 32 1 7 MF Jackson Dietrich 6 3 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 10 5 0 8 MF Devin Boyce 23 13 1 2 1 0 4 2 1 29 16 2 9 FW Garrett McLaughlin 24 8 3 2 2 0 2 2 1 28 12 4 10 MF Aiden Mesias 27 21 0 2 0 0 3 2 0 32 23 0 11 MF Christopher Garcia 25 14 1 1 0 0 4 3 0 30 17 1 12 GK Owen Finnerty 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 13 MF Temi Ereku 5 2 0 1 1 0 6 3 0 14 DF Jason Ramos 12 11 0 12 11 0 16 DF Jake Crull 29 29 1 2 2 0 4 4 0 35 35 1 17 FW Derek Gebhard 28 25 11 2 1 0 2 2 0 32 28 11 18 FW Adrien Graffin 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 19 FW Juan Galindrez 24 8 1 2 2 2 3 3 0 29 13 3 21 MF José Carrera-García 9 6 0 2 2 0 2 1 0 13 9 0 22 DF Eddie Munjoma 2 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 4 1 1 24 FW Nazeem Bartman 17 10 1 1 0 1 3 1 0 21 11 2 25 DF Ferrety Sousa 24 12 1 1 1 1 4 3 0 29 16 2 36 GK Wallis Lapsley 12 11 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 14 13 0 70 FW Lucca Dourado 22 18 8 2 0 0 24 18 8 77 FW Nico Brown 30 22 1 2 2 0 4 2 0 36 26 1 80 MF Isaac Angking 13 6 2 1 0 1 14 6 3 Players who left Forward Madison FC during the season 20 DF Laurie Bell 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 26 MF Riley Binns 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 99 FW Dean Boltz 5 2 0 5 2 0
Goalscorers
Rank Position Name USL1 Season U.S. Open Cup USL Cup Total 1 FW Derek Gebhard 11 0 0 11 2 FW Lucca Dourado 8 0 0 8 3 FW Garrett McLaughlin 3 0 1 4 4 MF Isaac Angking 2 0 1 3 FW Juan Galindrez 1 2 0 3 6 FW Nazeem Bartman 1 1 0 2 MF Devin Boyce 1 0 1 2 DF Ferrety Sousa 1 1 0 2 9 MF Nico Brown 1 0 0 1 DF Jake Crull 1 0 0 1 MF Christopher Garcia 1 0 0 1 DF Eddie Munjoma 0 1 0 1 MF John Murphy 0 1 0 1 Total 31 6 3 40
Assist scorers
Rank Position Name USL1 Season U.S. Open Cup USL Cup Total 1 MF Devin Boyce 1 3 1 5 2 FW Garrett McLaughlin 2 1 0 3 MF Aiden Mesias 3 0 0 3 4 MF Nico Brown 2 0 0 2 DF Michael Chilaka 2 0 0 2 FW Lucca Dourado 2 0 0 2 DF Timmy Mehl 1 1 0 2 MF Damià Viader 2 0 0 2 9 MF Isaac Angking 1 0 0 1 FW Nazeem Bartman 1 0 0 1 DF Jake Crull 1 0 0 1 FW Juan Galindrez 1 0 0 1 MF Christopher Garcia 1 0 0 1 FW Derek Gebhard 1 0 0 1 Total 21 5 1 27
Clean sheets
Rank Name USL1 Season U.S. Open Cup USL Cup Total 1 Bernd Schipmann 6 0 1 7 2 Wallis Lapsley 1 0 0 1 Total 7 0 1 8
Disciplinary record
Rank Position Name USL1 Season U.S. Open Cup USL Cup Total 1 MF John Murphy 10 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 15 0 0 2 DF Ferrety Sousa 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 1 1 3 MF Devin Boyce 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 4 DF Timmy Mehl 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 5 MF Christopher Garcia 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 MF Aiden Mesias 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 7 MF Nico Brown 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 DF Jason Ramos 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 9 DF Michael Chilaka 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 MF Damià Viader 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 11 MF José Carrera-García 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 DF Jake Crull 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 13 MF Jackson Dietrich 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 GK Wallis Lapsley 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 GK Bernd Schipmann 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 16 MF Isaac Angking 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 FW Nazeem Bartman 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 DF Laurie Bell 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 FW Lucca Dourado 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 DF Temi Ereku 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 FW Juan Galindrez 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 FW Derek Gebhard 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 FW Adrien Graffin 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 DF Mitch Osmond 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Total 73 1 1 4 0 0 9 0 0 86 1 1
Honors and awards
All-League Team
Team Position Player Second FW Derek Gebhard
USL League One Weekly Awards
Goal of the Week Week Player Opponent 28 Ferrety Sousa Richmond Kickers 31 Derek Gebhard Portland Hearts of Pine
Team of the Week Week Position Player 4 MF Derek Gebhard 6 DF Timmy Mehl 7 DF Jake Crull Bench Derek Gebhard 9 DF Timmy Mehl 10 DF Jake Crull 11 MF Derek Gebhard 12 GK Wallis Lapsley 19 DF Nico Brown FW Lucca Dourado MF Derek Gebhard Bench Jake Crull 20 Bench Christopher Garcia 21/22 Coach Matt Glaeser GK Bernd Schipmann 23 DF Michael Chilaka FW Derek Gebhard 24 DF Christopher Garcia Bench Jake Crull 26 FW Lucca Dourado DF Damià Viader 27 MF Isaac Angking Bench Derek Gebhard 28 GK Bernd Schipmann 30 FW Derek Gebhard 31 FW Derek Gebhard 32 Coach Matt Glaeser DF Jake Crull Bench Derek Gebhard
References