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 ==