Brian Schaefer

Schaefer played youth soccer with the Jacksonville Armada.^[1] Schaefer attended Fletcher High School and won the Gateway Conference championship in 2020 and was named the Player of the Year.^[2][3]

In 2020, Schaefer began attending the University of South Florida, where he played for the men's soccer team.^[4] On March 6, 2021, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, for his first career collegiate goal,^[5] subsequently being named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll.^[6] At the end of his freshman season, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team.^[7] In 2022, he was named to the All-ACC Second Team and an Academic All-District selection.^[8][9]

In 2021, he played with the Jacksonville Armada U-23 in the National Premier Soccer League.^[10]

In 2022, Schaefer played with Tampa Bay United in USL League Two.^[11] In 2023, he played with St. Petersburg FC in USL League Two.^[12]

At the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, Schaefer was selected in the first round (27th overall) by FC Cincinnati.^[1][13] After participating in training camp with the first team, he signed a professional contract with the second team, FC Cincinnati 2 of MLS Next Pro, in February.^[14] He made his debut on March 17 against Chicago Fire FC II.^[15] He scored his first goal on June 15 against Carolina Core FC.^[16]

Schaefer scored his first goal of the 2025 MLS Next Pro season on April 20, 2025, in a 3–1 home victory over the New York Red Bulls II.^[17]

Schaefer joined USL Championship team Indy Eleven on loan on September 3, 2025.^[18] He made his first appearance for the club on the same day, in a 0–2 away league victory over Hartford Athletic, replacing midfielder James Murphy in the 61st minute.^[19] He scored his first goal for the club on September 27, 2025, in a 2–1 home victory over FC Tulsa.^[20]