Rough-N-Tumble Heartbreaker In The Heat - Indy V Ottawa Fury FC REVIEW

Never a good sight as Indy scores the only goal of the evening. (Photo: James Cormack)

By: Rebecca Townsend (aka The Pitch Bitch)

(Lucas Oil Stadium, INDIANAPOLIS) — The death blow was so quick and quiet it took a moment for the awful truth to resonate: In trying to block an incoming freekick, stalwart defender Carlyle Mitchell had instead redirected the ball's trajectory in a way no one could have predicted, scoring a dreaded "own goal." 

So it was that visiting Ottawa Fury gained a 1-0 advantage in the 28th minute.

The score didn't budge for the rest of the heat-soaked match at Lucas Oil Stadium-turned sauna. And it wasn't for lack of effort. Mitchell, for instance, was involved in the forward-motivated attack rhythms of the team from the game's opening minutes — and was fouled early on as he tried to move forward to connect with a teammate. 

Mitchell also deserves credit for an excellent fully extended tackle to strip the ball from an in-the-box attacker threatening to launch a pass in front of the goal mouth. (On that note: Mitchell deserves much more credit than he has received thus far for his consistent and effective approach to anchoring the central defense. In fact, aside from Indy goalie Owain Fôn Williams, who has started 16 matches, Mitchell's record of starting 15 matches and playing 1,249 minutes is unmatched by his peers. Ayoze has more minutes, but not more starts or games played, while Justin Braun has as many starts but about half the minutes at 637.)

Despite an own goal Mitchell made many critical tackles during the 90 (Photo: James Cormack)

Indy Eleven head coach Martin Rennie took some time to reflect on the evening's lessons:

"The way I look at it: We gave the ball away, then we gave it away again, then we gave the free kick. So three or four errors before they got the free kick and then, obviously, a mistake. And one we had a lot of time to put right and we didn't.

All we can do now is recover and do our best to have more energy than that in the next game. It's extremely hot. The stadium doesn't let any air come in. It's hard to breathe but it's the same for both teams. And in a game like that, where we're chasing the game, it obviously makes it difficult.

I thought we had a lot of chances. I was pleased with the players' desire in the second half. I thought we pushed and pushed and pushed. We changed the way we played. We got the ball forward a lot. We had a lot of attackers on there, we had a lot of crosses, a couple shots off target. Their goalkeeper made some good saves — a good save from the overhead kick.

Some nights we have to say, 'It's not our night.' We've had nights where it has been and we're obviously right in a good position (on the standings table) — disappointed, though, because that was a chance to really move us right up there tonight and we missed it.

Indy Eleven missed the opportunity to close the gap on the top after a great June (Photo: James Cormack) 

The concentration when it's nil-nil. Because that's two games where we've lost a goal and then we're chasing the game a little bit instead of being in control of the game and creating chances from a position of strength.

In the last two games, we've lost a goal we shouldn't have lost and we lost the first goal in the game, and that has meant that we're then chasing the game and not making good decisions on the ball or around the box. We really have to improve on that. At home, as well, with a lot of fans here to see and we didn't manage to put the ball in the net, so that's disappointing.

For us, there's ups and downs in a season. We know that. It's about getting to the right place in the end. Learning from the mistakes that we've made and pushing on. There's nothing we can do about that (the past) now. We can analyze it and move on."

Post-game comments from @IndyEleven coach Rennie Martin... https://t.co/jsvyevBSjM

— The Pitch Bitch (@IndyPitchBitch) July 5, 2018

[Humble Pitch Bitch apologies for her most critical field error of the evening — made on the verge of heat exhaustion: In preparing to Tweet the post-game interview with Coach Rennie, dyslexic transposition suggested an imposter stood in for the interview. Be assured this is, indeed Martin Rennie, not Rennie Martin. My bad, Coach.]

For your reading pleasure, a synopsis of the Pitch Bitch game notes:

Hopeful moments for Indy in the opening minutes with good connectivity between Eugene Starikov, Kevin Venegas and Ayoze. Also evident straight out of the gate: a hard-nosed, rough-edged match was unfolding. (Appropriate for the return of BYB Golden Corn Dog Award-winning defender Colin Falvey, a former anchor of the Indy Eleven backline during its 2016 trip to the NASL championship game against the New York Cosmos. Now back at Ottawa for a second stint after helping bring that club to the league championship in 2015, Falvey still exhibits his trademark roughneck, loud-mouthed, hit-first-ask-questions-later style.)

Colin Falvey: You tried to act all innocent early in Wednesday's game, but you know you totally pushed Ben Speas in the back. (Did you have an unsettled grudge or is that just your way of telling Ben you missed him and wish you could touch him a little more than the rules allowed?)

It wouldn't be an Indy V Ottawa game without physicality and some tetchy moments (Photo: James Cormack)

Minutes after Falvey's fondling of Speas, Jack McInerney was taken down and the foul wasn't called.

The players' aggression got so intense that before the game was even 15 minutes old, the ref is literally screaming at Ottawa's Adonijah Reid, "Stop it! Stop it!" after Reid pulled a dirty move on Indy captain Matt Watson. Reid continued to earn reprimands, including a yellow card after a pull-down in the 20th minute. On the whole, Ottawa earned four yellow cards on the evening to Indy's one (Juan Guerra in the 26th minute for jersey grabbing) — and the visitors were lucky not to earn more than a yellow for the extremely unsportsmanlike conduct of Ottawa captain Carl Haworth. Haworth did receive maybe a little heavy shoulder from Ayoze as the two sprinted down the sideline to control a ball at the corner. But then, once the ball was out of play, Haworth pushed Ayoze down in the tunnel leading off the field. Nothing but dirty.

Speaking of unsportsmanlike: Zach Steinberger, we suspect you were bored on tonight's uber-talented bench, but you were observed playing head games with your guest when he was trying to retrieve a ball from you on the sideline. You weren't going to throw it to him. You were going to make him walk to you and take it out of your hands. Then, when he went to grab it, you dropped. OK, yes, it was funny (she writes full of shame in finding joy in others' humiliation) ... But, aren't the new marching orders from our leaders at FIFA to "Live Futbol" now? Just pondering the question, bro, 'cause it comes down to karma, right? And, in the end, karma knocked us on cocky little asses tonight, didn't it?

(We must admit, however, if we're talking about karma, that Ottawa really deserves to suck it for their heavy-handed style. And we will make them suck it by the end of the season, if the plan unfolds as conceived...)

Ayoze locks out Howarth in the second half. (Photo: James Cormack)

Still, Indy kept hammering... Ayoze had a strong shot Crepeau did well to block, though he couldn't control the ball, the Indy additional runners just couldn't quite get there to hammer the deflection across the line. Juan Guerra should be credited with one of the best-camouflaged switches this evening, as he managed to keep Ottawa's defense flowing one way while he shifted his approach and launched a pass that was almost on. (The Bitch would like to see more switching passes strung on the turf with shorter, faster connections.) Watson had a nice volley on frame, but also into keeper Maxime Crepeau's hands. McInerney had a helluva nice bicycle kick, placing the ball on frame, but Crepeau was maximally effective in his position and shut down what would have been a huge Indy party. 

McInerney and Guerra almost connect in 74th minute...

Guerra also was fouled just outside the Ottawa box for an excellent free kick opportunity in the 79th minute. But the team's signals/timing misfired and possession rolled away.

Even the dynamic, 73rd-minute, super-sub duo of Justin Braun and Tyler Pasher (finally back to the field after a months-long injury) could not penetrate Ottawa's defenses.

And speaking of penetration and defense. Perhaps the most valuable bit of video from the evening might be found around the 89th minute when Ottawa's Tony Taylor penetrated two Indy defenders deep in Indy's defensive third. The strategy could be improved in this instance.

Indy players got great closeups of the turf throughout the match. (Photo: James Cormack)

Ottawa is coming off a brutal June and had an overall road record of 2-5-1 heading into tonight's match. Stealing the win from the U.S. hosts on Independence Day probably tasted extra sweet for the downtrodden guests.

Let's hope the evening was a success for Indy's HVAF, which works to provide housing, employment help and all kinds of wrap-around services for the hundreds of homeless veterans that live in Indianapolis. People can text HVAFHELPS to 24700 to send a donation in support of HVAF's important work and as an Independence Day recognition that freedom comes at a price — a bill that soldiers pay far beyond their fair share.

Indy Eleven are beginning to Spring into the Fall Season

Indy Eleven are prepared to take the Fall Season.

By Brian Cook

It seemed like the beginning of the season for Indy Eleven was a bad day wrapped up in a reboot of Groundhog's Day. No matter hard they tried they kept reliving the same play over and over again it just seemed to never change week to week. Part of that stemmed from how bad injuries were for Indy Eleven but no matter the case it seemed like Indy Eleven were in for a rough season.

And then, suddenly, everything clicked. The last five games of the Spring Season were the personification of Bill Murray's quote in Groundhog's day. Today is tomorrow, and Indy Eleven got healthy, got hungry, and determined to make good on the expectations put on them since the start of the season. Here are a few things that have changed over time during the Spring.

Team Chemistry:

The concept of team chemistry having a tangible difference on and off the field is a subject debated on blogs, groups, and generally throughout sports. No matter the sport the question "does it really matter?" revolves around the idea that the longer the same set of players play together the better they will play. For Indy Eleven early on in the Spring it clearly was a sticking point. A point where the injury bug that had it's teeth deep into the muscle of the team came to affect how players would play. 

A back three while risky has proven to be effective for Indy Eleven

You can have the best players on the field night in and night but the overwhelming need for cohesiveness and fluidity offensively is a concept that can often make or break victories in sports. Indy Eleven was no exception as they wrapped up the Spring Season winning four of their last five games with a starting eleven that was widely seen as their strongest eleven. 

While not a huge play the small detail of not taking the free kick ahead of the cross in the box by Vuko was clearly something that was worked on and planned and the boys eventually would earn a penalty kick which was eventually scored by Don Smart.

Knowing where players are has helped Indy Eleven build on a slow start to 2017

While Hankinson put his best foot forward and pushed Indy Eleven into the best position he could at the start of the season it was pretty clear that injuries were hurting the quality of player to see the field and damaging team chemistry as players were occasionally in positions and roles that weren't natural to them. 

Moves like Daniel Keller dancing around the backline or Lovel Palmer playing central midfield worked but it was easy to see this wasn't natural nor was it something that should occur past players who were out returning from injury.

Defensive upswing:

A glaring issue that faced Indy Eleven this season was where the defense would sit. While returning was club captain Colin Falvey, Nemanja Vukovich and Marco Franco there was still unanswered questions as to who would replace the roles left by the retiring Greg Janicki as well as the strength of the reliable Cory Miller. 

Both were key in different areas in 2016 and it seemed early on in 2017 with the tactical adjustments that Tim Hankinson instituted inside of the 4-4-2 he molded in 2016 it looked as if the club would struggle defensively and rely on the boots of Braun and Zayed for support.

And Indy Eleven didn't really give fans much in the way of disagreement early on. Players like Kwame Watson-Siriboe were just as close to mark someone as he was to be a bull on roller skates in a china shop. The defense lacked cohesiveness and the same awareness it garnered from the success earned a year ago. 

Marking seems to be a skill waiting to emerge

Indy Eleven were challenged. It was clear that 2016 did them no favors and that the North American Soccer League was prepared to be even more challenging in 2017. But as time has gone on and season has progressed we have seen that Indy Eleven are truly learning from theirs mistakes. 

This is mainly due to finally having the healthiest and strongest eleven this team can put on the field actually on the field. It almost feels like the last five games of the season were, in reality, the start of the season instead of the end of the Spring season.

Jon Busch: A Fine Wine:

Soccer/Football is one of the few professional sports where age can really be only a number. To a certain degree of course, but players like Alessandro Totti from Roma who just ended a career with the same club and retired at the age of 40. 

Enter Jon Busch. Both as a leader and a player Jon Busch has helped carry Indy Eleven since joining the club in 2016 and for all intense and purpose is the reason that the club hasn't dwindled down the table any farther. 

Busch, 40, is more than likely retiring baring some sort of change, his role with Indy Eleven has been with the club helping train goalkeepers and could send up sticking around after his playing career is over to help grow the likes of Keith Cardona and Christian Lomeli. Regardless of what next season holds it's clear that the success for Indy Eleven rests on the shoulders and gloves of Jon Busch.

Jon Busch's performances during the 2017 Spring Season has helped hold the club together

Busch's consistency, leadership, and awareness with stop the ball has led Indy Eleven to be in a position that early on seemed unreachable.

Where will they Fall?:

It shouldn't come as a shock but the NASL season break couldn't have come at a better time for Indy Eleven. While going on a break isn't helpful for consistency the injuries and subsequently draining aspect of the season has taken it's toll team. It took a majority of the Spring for the Boys in Blue to find their form and now that they have found it they can use this break to get healthy, get smarter, and get consistent with that form. 

Where will Indy Eleven finish the season at? It's hard to say. With the NASL it's sometimes a turn of the key on whether or not you have good or bad form. Indy has all the tools as well as the understanding of how to achieve success this season. It's really up to them what they want to do with it. For now, let's enjoy the season break and hope we get to see the quality of play the last five games gave us as we venture into the Fall season

Timony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Soccer Events

“I suppose I'll have to add the force of Miami to my list of enemies.” 

By Brian Cook

Speechless. I think that might be the closest way to describe how the 2017 season has gone for Indiana's team. Whether it be good or bad the results have not been what the club nor the fans had expected going into the season after a runner-up NASL title season in the year 2016.

Harder than watching the results of this season is trying to pin point where exactly the problem lie and on whose shoulders do they rest on. Clearly the on the field results rest squarely on the head coach, the leaders of the team (Falvey, Busch, etc) and on rest of the players in that order. On the field Indy Eleven are stuck in the shadow of last season's results. It seems that while Hankinson has stressed to both the players and fans that you have to earn what you get from this team that the club has failed to adapt and grow on their performance from last year.

I always recall seeing the massive change in the club when it moved from the very staggered 4-2-3-1 formation that clearly wasn't working to the 4-4-2 that this was the new Indy Eleven. A club that has been destined for greatness and more importantly has been able to see the issues and fix them 

The argument now rests on whether or not it's fair to hit the panic button on the season and the correct answer is yes and no

“Never trust anyone who has not brought a winger with them.”

It is fair to panic. Miami FC is clearly the strongest and most well built team in NASL for a number of reasons. But even against a Cosmos team that was built in a similar fashion of building a team outside the general scope of how NASL clubs are built Indy Eleven found a chance to win. The team this season remains largely intact from the 2016 campaign and fans are expecting better from a club that put up four goals on the last day of the Spring Season to win the Spring Championship.

It also isn't fair to panic. The general understanding (when looking at the table) is that with another win or two the club would literally be back into the pile at the top half of the table. With the restructuring of the schedule for the 2017 season the Spring season is far less than a sprint and much more of a jog unlike previous years. The injury bug also plays a huge part into the performance this year. Indy Eleven has been far from healthy and their strongest first eleven really hasn't gotten the chance to hit the field year.


There are also plenty of distractions and issues on and off the field outside of the general scope of how the season has gone.

On the field:

Eamon Zayed: 

One of the largest question marks since the beginning of the season has been the on again off again place of Eamon Zayed in the starting lineup of Indy Eleven. It's safe to say the biggest change seen in the team in 2017 was the first game of the season not having Eamon Zayed in the starting eleven. Nothing was ever officially confirmed about the reasoning behind this move though there was plenty of speculation. Nevertheless the holder of the team's scoring record hasn't gotten off to the best start so far and one only wonders if the beginning of the season plays into that. 

Ben Speas 

There is a moment in the movie MoneyBall (with Brad Pitt) where Billy Beane realizes you can't replace a player directly but rather replace their results they give you. What he was talking about was the struggle that the Oakland Athletics (on a much lower pay wage than most of MLB) would have in replacing the bats of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and the arm of pitcher Jason Isringhasen. The three of them had brought tremendous amounts of success for Oakland Athletics the season before the infamous Moneyball season and were huge losses for the A's. 

“It is one of life's bitterest truths that endtime so often arrives just when things are really getting interesting.” 

Cue the analogy, Ben Speas for all intents and purpose was dog eared to be the replacement for an outgoing Dylan Mares who moved onto the sunny beaches of Miami FC. Ben Speas, who last season averaged four goals and four assists against Mares five goals and seven assists as a member of the Boys in Blue was tailor made to come and fit the role Indy would be lacking which was a wing based playmaker and for the most part he truly hasn't failed at that.

He's just struggled to keep up the pace and I think Speas' performance shows more about how you wouldn't be able to play the same system as last season and use Speas the way you used Mares. Speas skill set allows you borderline more attacking presence than Mares did but Mares skillset was much more at hand with what Indy had on the field last season. 

Centerbacks 

When it was announced that Colin Falvey would be out for a portion of the beginning of the season due to surgery I think everyone gasped. . Colin Falvey and Jon Busch's work in the backline last season was all but key in the overall success of 2017. Losing Colin Falvey not only lost a great defender but a great leader and with no Cory Miller you were left with a versatile Daniel Keller and someone new to Indy Eleven, Kwame Watson-Siriboe.

In a previous blog, the positive impact of Colin Falvey's presence was discussed so it was no secret why it was vital he get back on the field as soon as possible. Early into the season with Falvey it was clear the defense needed another leader besides Jon Busch. Keller, who has been with the club for two years, has played nearly every position in the backline has the ability but not the leadership at least not what's been seen. 

Truthfully I'm still waiting for the moment where we understand what Hankinson saw in signing Kwame Watson-Siriboe because up until now he's been a loose cannon in the backline leaving huge gaps and causing more issues for the defense than preventing them. Even Falvey's return to his leadership role hasn't curbed Kwame from running up and playing a stopper role and leaving Falvey alone to stop an attack. 

While the return of Falvey clearly had a difference in how the backline work and rotated but even with Falvey's return the Indy Eleven defense is nothing compared to how strong the defense was in 2016. 

Coach Hankinson

It's pretty safe to say that the honeymoon phase is over. Last season was amazing but it's pretty clear that last season's successes rest right there. Last season. I'm not entirely sure what the plan was for this season but whatever it is it's not working. Between the roster building leaving huge holes in the structure of the team and decisions involving benching Eamon Zayed have left a lot of people, quietly, questioning what's going on in the mind of Indy Eleven's head coach. 

Some of this is on the field, some of this is general team cohesion but nevertheless it shouldn't a question. Speaking on the US Open Cup match against the Michigan Bucks, which removing the faces and names is an amatuer side that Indy Eleven should have at least beaten if not been comfortable in the victory even with squad rotation.

“Well-defended people are less likely to be evil.” 

It's not even to say that Hankinson is the problem. Clearly people need a direction to point and it's easier to point at the head coach than anyone else. There is a fair argument given last season's successes that Hankinson is definitely performing below expectations. His choices in the lineup, both at the beginning of the season to now, have left some questions out there.

Injuries have also played a huge part. Indy Eleven isn't the youngest team in the league by all means and as a result they have gotten ripped apart for lack of a better word by the injury bug and have struggled to maintain consistent performances. 

Off the field

The off the field troubles are pretty clear. A lack of a stadium, a lack of good results, losing good players, weather. All things that have impacted what every sport's team struggles with and lower division soccer in America is no different. 

The bottom line.

In an interview about the infamous Stadium for Indiana deal Ersal Ozdemir pulled no punches when he said:

“Without a new stadium, we have some serious decisions to make,” he said.

-Source

The stadium, which was reproposed for a fourth time, is an healthy 100 million dollar plus deal which would have Ersal and his 'ownership group' paying the fee for getting an expansion club and other expenses while resting the bill for the stadium on a 'public - private partnership' which would have the city and state pick up most of the tab. (At this moment we haven't reached out to the club on a comment for this quote)

The public movement of the bill (or lack there of) has weighed heavily on the shoulders of staff and players. What does it say when the owner of a team eludes to the possibility it could be the last year for his club and thus the last year for a lot of people to work for the club? Whether it was a tactic to help motivate those who have the ability to get financing for the stadium or just Ersal making his everyday stresses public the statement has hurt the club, players, staff, as well as the fans.

Whatever the case may be. This club is in the thick of it. Since the beginning of the season it's been like watching a roster collectively grab shovels and slowly dig a hole down. While they are working together in that regard it's hard for players to be motivated to win games, it's hard for staff to hear that the club is struggling financially and above all else it's difficult for casual fans who base their decision of attending games off of the performance of the team to feel inclined to come watch Indy struggle. We hope that this is just a rough patch on the road and things eventually turn around for a team that should clearly be performing better than it is. 

Purgatory: Indy Eleven vs. FC Edmonton Review (5/6/2017)

Exactly how it feels. Photo: James Cormack

By: Jordan Kalt

Three games in eight days. Thousands of miles of international travel.

Such was the weight of exhausted repetition on FC Edmonton’s shoulders. And yet, somehow, the Eddies came out and looked much like the defensive squad of yesteryear.

Indy Eleven’s perpetual challenges took a different but familiar shape. With what felt like nearly half the roster once again sidelined due to injury, Indy's starters didn’t have to begin the match fighting physical exhaustion in the same way as Edmonton. It was more a question of going full-90' with a will to win and break out of this drawn out agony.

At the end, I believe they were found having rightly given all they had. Pulled up and clutching their knees alongside the weary Canadian travelers, the Eleven exhausted their options and their energy, but without a win to show for it.

How many times must we repeat this?

Turn! Turn! Turn!

To everything a season. Exhaustion is a complicated season. It’s both physical and mental. Though they've never sprinted along the pitch for a single minute outside of the club's first home win, you can still tell supporters are in a state of exhaustion. Endless draws.

Six in a row.

The players are there, too. As much as the fans may want a win, nobody is as sick and tired of drawing these games as individuals on the Eleven's squad.

Then There Were Positives

Edmonton came out with strength and conviction but Indy Eleven absorbed the pressure until they were able to begin bending it back on their opponents near the end of the first half.

Keeper, Jon Busch, and center back, Colin Falvey, seem comfortably inside their old groove again. Our defensive shape and organization was at a season best. This is directly attributable to Busch and Falvey’s leadership and communication, though Daniel Keller deserves a very special mention of his own for a remarkably good night filling in for the injured Vukovich.



Likewise, Indy’s midfield worked themselves into good shape after a slow start. Aerial duels began falling consecutively to the home side near the middle of the match as Edmonton’s fatigue started to show and experienced stalwarts such as Torrado and Ring tightened the screws.

In this area of the pitch Ubiparipovic has really come into his own. The long injuries and uncertainty of last season are behind him and he appears to have that number ten role all to himself again. His masterful feeds have been key in seeing the team build play from the center midfield and the top of the box, dynamics which were decidedly on display Saturday evening. May the nights of forty hopeful crosses into the box never be seen again.

And it must be said that on the front lines, Justin Braun and Eamon Zayed have never looked better. Their link-ups have become multifaceted and much more reciprocal. In this match, Braun developed a particularly titanic struggle with Edmonton center back, Pape Diakite, which every Eleven supporter was dying to see end in a self-satisfied goal.

The Wise and Dissatisfied

With a significantly shortened deck of players, Hankinson pushed the starting eleven as far as he possibly could and their conditioning held up well under the pressure. It was just before the 80th minute when the coach put in his first sub, newcomer, Jason Plumhoff, who made a notable impact.

Hopefully Plumhoff will be yet another in a stellar series of player acquisitions by Tim Hankinson this year. The player budget has been notably reduced for 2017, but Hankinson has made the best of it. Yes, there have been many injuries which have certainly cost us early on and roster depth has been a constant struggle. But I never would have thought the team’s record would survive so many big-name injuries as it has and that is all thanks to Hankinson’s eye for talent and congruent pieces.

A retention like Daniel Keller may have seemed a small thing in the offseason but could become a linchpin with Vukovich out now. Similarly, inconspicuous additions like Tanner Thompson and Jason Plumhoff promise to keep the club hungry and in the hunt through the rest of this injury stretch.

Tanner wants more. Eddies say, "no." Photo: James Cormack

You Already Know How This Will End

Following a well-earned yellow card early in the match, Brad Ring got tangled with a flailing opponent in the 90th and was shown his second card and a path off the field. What hopes the Eleven may have had of a last second victory seemed to dissipate with the shift to a ten man lineup.

The final attempt of the match fell inside the box to Justin Braun and as he lowered himself for the hopeful, traffic-jammed guess at a bicycle kick, the play at once became a fitting analogy for the overall feelings of these first six games.

We are doing so much right. We are so often in the right place and at the right time.

And we're still stuck in this cycle.

The win still hasn't come.

But I will say this... as healthy players begin returning over the next few weeks, some unlucky club is going to find themselves on the receiving end of a very angsty and talented Indy Eleven team. It will come.

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Post match reactions from Colin Falvey, Tim Hankinson and Justin Braun. Also available on iTunes and Stitcher, search for "Bloody Shambles Soccer"

Unbeaten and unsatisfied: Indy Eleven vs SF Deltas Review (4/22/17)

Solid play from Marco Franco and Colin Falvey helped earn Indy their first clean sheet of 2017.

By: Caleb Ramp

The start of the 2017 NASL season has been frustrating for supporters of Indy Eleven. Spoiled, perhaps, by the ease in which they would dismantle teams at home in the latter stages of last season -- outscoring opponents 25-5 in the fall season. 

Four draws from four matches (including a squandered 2-0 lead) have left many trying to determine who or what to blame. Being held scoreless at home for the first time in the Tim Hankinson era only adds fuel to the fire. 

Soccer is a game of thin margins, however. If a few pivotal moments thus far had gone Indy's way -- had Braun's third goal against Puerto Rico not been disallowed, or had any number of painfully close chances from Indy's forwards this season found their target -- the narrative would undoubtedly be different.

The impact of key injuries should also be taken into account -- though it could be argued that the very apparent lack of depth (especially when compared to last season) is a failure in and of itself.

Broken Wings:

Injuries to Don Smart and Ben Speas (both expected to miss another few weeks, per Tim Hankinson) resulted in Gerardo Torrado and Craig Henderson starting on the outside of a 4-4-2 diamond. Unsurprisingly, neither looked particularly comfortable. 

Torrado, to his credit, linked up well with Sinisia Ubiparipovic (who found himself in the starting lineup for the first time in 2017) -- but the Indy attack repeatedly fizzled in the final third. After the game, Hankinson criticized the number of unnecessary touches and low-percentage passes the Eleven had taken: "We weren't thinking productively enough."

On the right, Henderson had a game to forget. Turnovers, misplayed passes, inaccurate cross attempts, and defensive errors plagued him from the opening whistle. The absence of Don Smart -- and the lack of a suitable replacement -- dramatically limited the area of the pitch San Francisco was tasked with defending. Unable to find consistent success through the midfield, Indy often opted to bypass it altogether -- a less-than-ideal strategy when playing into wind gusts of 20+ MPH.

LEFT: Ben Speas and Don Smart vs SF Deltas (3/25/17)
RIGHT: Gerardo Torrado and Craig Henderson vs SF Deltas (4/22/17)

It's not all bad for the Boys in Blue, though. Despite doing so in a fairly unimpressive fashion, drawing the Deltas meant setting an NASL record with 20 unbeaten home matches, and the extended 16-game Spring season grants Indy a bit more time than usual to get healthy.

Four games, four draws -- but only four points from the top of the table. League-leading Jacksonville Armada await.

That's a new one.

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Post-Game Audio (with Tim Hankinson):

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Indy Eleven is holding out for a hero in their backline

Falvey was available for last Saturday's match against Puerto Rico

By: Brian Cook

If you watched Saturday's draw with Puerto Rico FC you witnessed what can only be described as the best and worst portions of soccer. You saw a high scoring game but for Indy Eleven fans you also saw fixable defensive mistakes. Mistakes that were the difference between an early - season defining game and one that may play a bigger role later on in the season. 

Regardless of the circumstances Indy were found to be unlucky Saturday as they lost a two goal lead and barely escaped with a point to show for their efforts. While nothing should be taken away from starting lineups for both games as they were clearly the top performing players for Indy so far, the first goal given up by the Eleven put a light over the huge missing piece in Indy's defensive efforts:

Colin Falvey.

Falvey, recovering from a late off season sports hernia surgery, was on the bench Saturday. While the circumstances weren't deemed difficult enough to warrant bringing on Falvey who, as was mentioned by Hankinson during the week, fresh enough for 20 minutes or there about the defense had struggled and let Puerto Rico slam them with their attack.

The buildup to the play in question that opened the flood gates for Puerto Rico's attack involved simple almost uncontested passes and finished up with Conor Doyle putting the ball in the back of the net

The goal, while skilled, gives you a great observation of the issues presented with the current backline for the Eleven. The ball seemingly floats into the box and Watson Siriboe acts as if he is stuck in quick sand watching as Conor Doyle snaps a shot into the left corner of the net.

Again, while only two games into the 2017 season the goal is a clear sign of the issues still facing the starting eleven for Indy. Daniel Keller and Kwame Watson-Siriboe have started both game and while it's clear they had earned the start based off of the Deltas game the result last Saturday spells more about the lack of communication and skill beyond the midfield.

For comparison, 2016 saw Indy Eleven play Tampa Bay Rowdies in Florida. The game took place on September third and the backline had little depth (no real defensive substitutions were available for the game). With Keller and Falvey lining up side by side in the center it was almost like they were stretched to help out on both sides of the backline.

Heatmap from IndyEleven.com

For clarification purposes, Daniel Keller was on the left hand side of that heat map and Falvey was next to Palmer on the right center defender portion. The heatmap can give you a good idea of not only where the players are on the field but in this case how wide they were able to cover together.

This is the heat map from the Puerto Rico game with Daniel Keller and Kwame Watson-Siriboe which shows considerably less amount of distance shared between the two but also a considerable hole between them that both Doyle and Ramos exploited:

Heatmap from IndyEleven.com

From this comparison it's more or less that Keller and Watson feel stuck and either aren't able to move out to help out or are not sure what will happen if they do. A feature of the lack of your obvious best defender and confidence boosters for other members of your backline being sidelined. 

This isn't to say that Daniel Keller and the first year boy in blue Kwame Watson-Siriboe are bad players. Nor is it a fist to throw at the leadership between the sticks of Jon Busch who has had his fair share of leadership advances for Indy since joining last year but there is a difference in the eye both statistically and on the pitch when you don't have the person who ties everything together. 

Going back to the play in question, a clear lack of marking which featured an astounding eight players watching as Conor Doyle placed the ball in the back of the net. Let's say that play again carries on the same way and instead of Keller or Watson you have Falvey. You may still see a shot on goal but based off of previous games and heat maps you would more than likely see a more fluid swapping of positions and communication. 

You would see, perhaps, Doyle go to hit the kick and instead of Watson watching the ball fly by him he's a half a foot over closer to the center of the net and is able to stop. You might see that Keller was able to close down on Doyle before he gets the shot off. You may even see Falvey himself on the ball and able to clear it away. 

Let's compare another match from 2016 which featured the highest quality centerback pairing since Indy Eleven began play. Greg Janicki's 2015 season was less than stellar which left many people confused when Hankinson chose to keep Janicki with the club heading in 2016. No one truly saw the impact that Falvey's arrival would have on Janicki's game and the partnership they formed was a huge part of 2016. 

The October 22nd match between year one club Puerto Rico FC and Indy Eleven saw one of the strongest showings of Indy Eleven. Not to be outdone by the scoreline when you investigate the centerback position and the heatmap for both Janicki and Falvey you see the strength of their partnership and the depth they were able to achieve from the position. 

Heatmap from IndyEleven.com

The heat maps provide incredible insight into not only how the teams layout over the course of 90 minutes but also the difference in how a back line not led by Colin Falvey performs. His insight, voice, leadership and direction was a pivitol part of the club's success in 2016. It's also clear from the San Francesco game that both Watson Siriboe and Keller are good centerback options but aren't able to lead the defense and provide depth beyond the basic skills of a centerback like Falvey is. Both players will improve with Falvey on the field. At this point it's unclear when you will see Indy Eleven's captain take the pitch in 2017 but after the match against Puerto Rico it's clear that the timetable for his return should be moved up if it can be.