A look at Forward Madison FC’s inaugural roster and schedule

First home game is Saturday, April 27

Mackenzie Krumme by Mackenzie Krumme

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Brandon Barnes, a 24-year-old goal keeper, wrote in a sixth grade school assignment that he wanted to be a professional soccer player.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Players Carter Manley, Wyatt Omsberg, Dayne St. Clair and Mason Toye are four athletes on loan from partner club Minnesota United.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Brian Bement made it through open tryouts in which 38 players competed for just a handful of spots.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Jiro Barriga Toyama, No. 77, scored three goals, also known as a hat trick, while training with the Minnesota United.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Brandon Eaton nearly retired after an ACL and meniscus injury in 2017, but today is he back on the field with Forward Madison.



Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer A goalkeeper from Canada, Dayne St. Clair was a two-year starter for the Maryland Terrapins.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Zaire Bartley, No. 17, scored the first goal in Forward Madison history.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Forward Paulo Júnior reunites with head coach Daryl Shore, who coached Júnior in 2010 when he was the top goalscorer for Miami FC.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Carl Schneider, No. 23, showing off his Dairyland jersey.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer J.C Banks was the first Wisconsin native to sign for the Forward Madison team. He is from Milwaukee.



Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre started 12 matches for Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union and played more than 1,000 minutes in the 2015 MLS.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Danny Tenorio, No. 10, takes a break during a team practice.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Carter Manley is one of the four players on loan from partner club Minnesota United.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Connor Tobin, No. 13, signed as Forward Madison's first defender.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Jeff Michaud won a championship with Miami FC in the summer of 2018. He is an attacking midfielder and is said to perform well under pressure.



Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Vital Nizigiyimana is the only player to earn a contract from Forward Madison's open tryouts. Read his story, "From the Streets to the Pitch," on Madison365.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Last year, Eric Leonard won player of the year for the Gold Coast Premier League Players in Australia.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Teammates Dayne St. Clair, Mason Toye and Carter Manley run during practice.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Carl Schneider is a Madison native. He played soccer for La Follette High School and UW–Madison.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer As an attacking outside defender, Christian "Pato" Díaz can play on both the right and left side. His parents gave him the nickname pato, which means duck in Spanish, because they said he cried like a duck as a baby.



Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Don Smart from Kingston, Jamaic,a was the first player to sign on Forward Madison FC.

Photo by Justin Nuoffer The team huddles together before going back on the field during the Forward Madison and UW–Madison match on April 16.

Photo by Justin Nuoffer Josiel Nuñez is known as the Panamanian powerhouse. He played 14 times for the Panamanian nation team.

Photo by Justin Nuoffer Defender Wyatt Omsberg

Photo by Justin Nuoffer Fans show support at a Forward Madison soccer game against UW–Madison. The Badger and Flamingo ultimate face off.



Ally Hamis Ng'Anzi from Tanzania is the youngest player on Forward Madison team at age 18.

Photo by Justin Nuoffer Danny Tenorio, No. 10, was the second player to join Forward Madison. He is from Ecuador and previously played for Naples, Florida.

Jeff Michaud, No. 8, admires the team mascot and Madison's favorite bird.

Photo by Justin Nuoffer Shaun Russell, a 25-year-old defender from Chesapeake, Virginia, previously played with Forward Madison's assistant coach Neil Hlavaty.

Photo courtesy of Justin Nuoffer Ryan Coulter from Dublin, Ireland, will be both a goalkeeper and a goalkeeping coach. During the 2018 season he was a goalkeeping coach for the University of Central Florida.





























































Get your banners, flags and plastic flamingos ready to cheer on Forward Madison FC, the city’s first soccer team, as it plays its inaugural home-opener on April 27 at Breese Stevens Field. The team’s 24-man roster draws talent and experience from all over the globe, including Japan, Mexico, Brazil and Panama, but there are also a few Wisconsin natives and other players from the region.

Don’t forget a Forward Madison banner to wave amongst your fellow soccer supporters. Madison’s favorite bird, the pink flamingo, sits center stage on the teams logo and in case you missed it, Madison Magazine highlighted eight things you might not know about Forward Madison’s famous logo. Click here to find out what the colors, numbers and sun rays represent.

Scroll through the photo gallery above to learn more about each player. See below for the full schedule and roster.

Schedule

April 27. Home. 7 p.m. Greenville Triumph, South Carolina.

May 4. Home. 7 p.m. Toronto FC II

May 7. Away. 7:30 p.m. Bavarian Soccer Club – US Open Cup.

May 11. Away. 6 p.m. Chattanooga Red Wolves

May 18. Away 6 p.m. South Georgia Tormenta FC

May 22. Away. 7 p.m. North Texas SC

May 24. Home. 7 p.m. Hertha Berlin

June 1. Home. 7 p.m. Lansing Ignite

June 5. Away. 7:30 p.m. Green Bay Voyageurs

June 7. Away. 6:30 p.m. Orlando City B

June 15. Home. 7 p.m. FC Tucson

June 22. Home. 7 p.m. North Texas SC

June 25. Home. 7 p.m. Minnesota United FC

June 28. Away. 3 p.m. Toronto FC II

July 6. Away. 7 p.m. South Georgia Tormenta FC

July 9. Away. 6 p.m. Lansing Ignite.

July 13. Home. 7 p.m. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC

July 16. Home. 7 p.m. Queretaro Futbol Club

July 27. Home. 7 p.m. Orlando City B

July 31. Away. 3 p.m. Toronto FC II

Aug. 3. Home. 7 p.m. FC Tucson.

Aug. 10. Home. 7 p.m. Richmond Kickers.

Aug. 17. Away. 6 p.m. Greenville Triumph SC

Aug. 24. Home. 7 p.m. Richmond Kickers

Aug. 28. Home. 7 p.m. Greenville Triumph SC

Sep. 7. Home 7 p.m. South Georgia Tormenta.

Sep. 14. Away. 6 p.m. Richmond Kickers.

Sep. 22. Home. 4 p.m. North Texas SC

Sept. 27. Away. 9:30 p.m. FC Tucson

Oct. 5. Away. 6 p.m. Lansing Ignite.

Roster

Jiro Barriga Toyama. Defender. No. 77. Chiba, Japan

Ryan Coulter. Goalkeeper. No. 1. Dublin Ireland

Christian “Pato” Díaz. Defender. No. 27. Guadalajara, Mexico and California

Vital Nizigiyimana. Midfielder. No. 19. Atlanta, Georgia

Brandon Barnes. Goalkeeper. No. 33. Cary, Illinois

Brian Sylvestre. Goalkeeper. No. 92. Hollywood, Florida

Dayne St. Clair. Goalkeeper. No. 97. Pickering, Ontario

Carter Manley, Defender. No. 2. Elkridge, Massachusetts

Connor Tobin, defender, No. 13, Fort Collins, Colorado

Shaun Russell, defender, No. 15, Chesapeake, Virginia

Wyatt Omsberg, defender, No. 22, Belgrade, Maine

Carl Schneider, defender, No. 23, Madison, Wisconisn

Eric Leonard, midfielders, No. 3, Palatine, Illinois

Brandon Eaton, midfielder, No. 6, Chesapeake, Virginia

Don Smart, midfielder, No. 7, Kingston, Jamaica

Jeff Michaud, midfielder, No. 8, West Palm Beach, Florida

Danny Tenorio, midfielder, No. 10, Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Ally Hami Ng’Anzi, midfielder, No. 12, Tanzania

Josiel Nuñez, midfielder,No. 70, Panama City, Panama

Mason Toye, forward, No. 9, South Orange, New Jersey

Paulo Júnior, forward, No. 11, Teresina, Brazil

Brian Bement, forward, No. 14, Waterloo, Illinois

Zaire Bartley, forward, No. 17, New York, Ne York

J.C Banks, forward, No. 29, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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