Routing the Rowdies 2-0 - Indy Eleven V Tampa Bay Rowdies REVIEW

Forward Elliott Collier, who recently arrived in Indy on loan from the Chicago Fire, celebrates his first goal for Indy Eleven as team captain Matt Watson rushes in to help celebrate. Photo by Trevor Rruszkowski

Hump Day Happiness In The Circle City

By REBECCA TOWNSEND (aka The Pitch Bitch)

Looking for redemption for the 3-1 loss suffered during their July 21 visit to Tampa Bay, Indy Eleven met the Rowdies at Lucas Oil Stadium Wednesday night with a lineup designed for defensive impenetrability while maximizing the host's capacity to spread the field and counterattack.

Focus and intensity ensured Indy Eleven eluded some of the gremlins that have cost the team victories in games past. The Boys in Blue made it through the opening minutes of the game — and the opening minutes of the second half — without being scored on. And those successes stuck, allowing the Eleven to claim victory — and for keeper Owain Fôn Williams to record his 11th clean sheet of the season. (Head coach Martin Rennie believes Fôn Williams either tied or set the club clean sheet record with the evening's result.)

Fôn Williams is tied for seventh in the entire USL for number of saved goals at 77 (including two blocked penalty kicks). (The Tulsa Roughnecks FC's Fabián Cerda leads with 104.)

Indy's defense was entirely no-nonsense straight from the start. Reiner Ferreira sent Junior Flemmings crumbling to the carpet on a couple occasions in the game's opening minutes. Captain Ayoze showed commanding control of his flank and the rest of the back line, in lock-step and interchangeable flow with the midfield and even the forwards, all followed suit by putting immediate and effective pressure on Tampa's possession, absorbing everything they could bring and then redistributing for the counterattack from all directions of the field.

"Patient passing; low, accurate switching of fields...still more, patiently unzipping their backline," Pitch Bitch game notes read. "Maybe now test with some shots."

That may be the Bitch's greatest input at this point: Let's be even more confident in the attacking third. Let's test the hell out of our opposing keepers and D with some wicked hard shots from all around the 18 perimeters! And then crash the box! Keep their defense frantic! The clinical un-stitching with close-range destruction is also beautiful to behold. Have fun finding balance. Keep bringing your highly fit relentless intensity.  

Carlyle Mitchell gets credit for so much, but to choose a highlight: Picture him in the first half, flying backward through the air for a floating heading clearance of a ball that was going to drop over every other defender and land about 10 yards out from Indy's goal with a swarm of Rowdies rushing in to finish? Nice. 

Midfielders Nico Matern, Seth Moses and Dylan Mares all came out hard, defending like animals and then building consistent and effective counterattacks. Matern, in particular, was called out by coach Rennie after the game for having one of his best-ever matches.

Matern's play "was a key factor in us improving our possession and keeping the ball going," Rennie said.

Tampa Bay's play of the game came in the 26th minute when Rowdies forward Sebastian Guenzatti took a wicked one-touch volley from the top of the box, forcing lightening fast reflexes from Fôn Williams, who just managed to the tip the ball off the post and out of harm's way.

"Great shot! Great save!" says commentator Brad Hauter, also the coach of DePauw Men's Soccer.

Ten minutes later Indy defender Kevin Venegas cracks a shot of his own, forcing Tampa keeper Daniel Vega into a diving save to tip the ball over the crossbar. 

The defense continued its offensive onslaught of first-half fury when Karl Ouimette bagged his third goal of the season, which also happened to be his third header into goal from an Ayoze corner kick.

How did it feel?

"Amazing!" Ouimette said following the game, calling Indy Eleven's 2-0 victory over the Rowdies "a big step up from past games."

The game's positive results were clear, he said, especially from the perspective of a defender whose first objective is to win and second is to record a shutout. 

"We scored a goal and we didn't sit back too much," he said, "We defended well
throughout the game. We were able to dominate and put up pressure and impose our style of play. That was a big plus for us today. And, obviously, scoring on a personal side is always good!"

The team has "amazing players..such nice guys and we have each others' backs," he added. "Lots of teams have internal negativity. Not here. We want to help each other succeed."


Ouimette attended a post-game press conference with one of the team's most recent signings, Elliott Collier, who came to the Circle City on loan from Chicago Fire. Collier scored the night's second goal after beautiful teamwork set up Jack McInerney to tangle Tampa's defenders and leave a deflected ball rolling straight into Collier's path at which point the New Zealand native buried left-footed, one-touch shot.

Tense moments about 10 minutes into the second half when an errant call from officials left Tampa Bay setting up for an undeserved penalty kick, which if netted would have tied the score. The center official intervened, however, and reset the play where with a drop ball instead. Thereby a riot was prevented. Thank you refs!

Perspective on Potential Post-season Action

The team's playoff dreams are still in play. They currently sit at 5th place in the USL's Eastern Conference. The top eight teams from each conference will square off to see who will face the best of the Western Conference and claim the USL's 2018 Championship.

Three games remain, including two road games against teams that sit at the first and third spots on the table. This upcoming Saturday's (Sept. 29) road trip to FC Cincinnati presents a huge challenge and opportunity. Cincy has invested in a roster that will help them make the transition into the MLS next season. As a result, they've remained the Eastern Conference leader all season long — and they've beat Indy twice; a 0-1 defeat for Indy's first-ever home game played at Lucas Oil Stadium, followed by a 2-3 result in Indy one month later.

USL Eastern Conference Standings as of Sept. 27, 2018

The challenge lies in beating a team that has consistently dominated all competition. The opportunity lies in knowing that Indy improved its form from the first game to the second against Cincy. Plus, Indy Eleven has been improving as a unit all season and FC Cincinnati hasn't contended with them since early May. 

The prospect of tearing down the top dog is too tasty, especially on its home field. Huge egos are designed by God to rupture. The Eleven just may end up doing the Lord's work by checking their neighbor to the southeast with a healthy dose of revenge. How fun would it be to send those guys packing to the MLS with a 2-2 record against Indy? A regular season victory this weekend would give Indy one and then they can follow with an even sweeter playoff victory! 

A prescient piece of Scripture comes to mind: "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" (Matthew 19:26)

So when haters try to talk "odds" or "reason" or "logic" or "MLS caliber" ... just remember Jesus — and the Blues Brothers. ("We're on a mission from God.") And keep playing your flippin' hearts out! We take no result as a fore-drawn conclusion.

Jimmy Cliff also comes to mind: "The harder they come, the harder they fall."

Humbling the haughty and earning some payback for letting those jokers come over here and steal Indy's first home game victory — all while building confidence as the team prepares for winning playoff form? Sounds like solid motivation for Saturday's match.

"I feel we'll reward the fans with the way we play," Collier said. "You get the fans behind you, you can shake the other team, as well. So come on out and we'll have a good time!"

Cincinnati and Louisville will be a preview of the playoffs, Collier said. 


"Everyone is going to go at it," he said. "Those environments can be tough but we're going to go out and do what we can (in terms of perfecting the Indy system)... As good as the players are here, I think they're even better people. Bring a bunch of really good soccer players and really good people together, you'll have a good environment to build off."

Words of wisdom from Coach Rennie

Here are some tasty nuggets gleaned from Rennie's post-game comments.

"Good performance. We possessed the ball well and created some good chances.
We managed to win the ball higher up pressure on the ball reduce the chances the opponent had to attack us."

"In the last two home games, two of our best performances."

"We've been on a good run. It's a good time to be playing well, it's a good time to be gaining confidence and that puts us in a good position."

(Heading into Cincinnati:) "We have high-quality players who can get the job done for us. We have a short turnaround but ultimately it will be an exciting weekend for us."

"It's really about continuing the momentum ... we're looking for improved confidence."


"The game will take care of itself ... a lot on the line ... good players with good experience...I'm sure they'll relish the opportunity and make the most of it."

Moving forward

Supporters are encouraged to travel to Cincinnati (ticket info) this weekend and to Louisville where the team will play its final regular-season game on Oct. 13. The Brickyard Battalion is organizing carpools for Cincy here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsh6da2VlW67jjKj2KpeM0GsHPOqk9zZZfaBNOqgrn2vIQJQ/viewform.

The final regular-season home game is set for Sat., Oct. 6 against Bethlehem Steel FC. (The game will be broadcast on MyIndy 23 TV. Tell your local bartender to tune in!) Kickoff  is 7 p.m.

Fee-free tickets are available for purchase through the Brickyard Battalion supporters club at BYBtix.com. The team has plenty of good deals, as well, at IndyEleven.com. 

— — —

 

Thanks to the Indy Eleven communication team for this lineup summary:

Scoring Summary:

IND – Karl Ouimette (Ayoze) 37’
IND – Elliot Collier 75’

Disciplinary Summary:

IND – Owain Fon Williams (Yellow card) 74’

Indy Eleven lineup (4-4-2, L-->R): Owain Fon Williams (GK); Reiner Ferreira, Ayoze (C), Carlyle Mitchell, Karl Ouimette; Dylan Mares (Matt Watson 68’), Nico Matern, Seth Moses, Kevin Venegas; Elliot Collier (Soony Saad 84’), Jack McInerney

Indy Eleven bench: Ben Lundgaard (GK); Brad Ring, Brad Rusin, Matt Watson, Juan Guerra, Ben Speas, Soony Saad

Tampa Bay Rowdies lineup (4-5-1, L-->R): Daniel Vega (GK); Papé Diakité, Zac Portillos, Tarek Morad, Hunter Gorskie; Junior Flemmings, Lance Rozeboom (Joe Cole 78’), Afrim Taku (Alex Morrell 72’), Dominic Oduro, Kwadwo Poku (Jaime Chavez 65’); Sebastian Guenzatti

Tampa Bay Rowdies bench: Akira Fitzgerald (GK); Kyle Porter, Alex Morrell, Leo Fernandes, Martin Vingaard, Joe Cole, Jaime Chavez

Late Winner Takes Three For Indy - Bethlehem Steel FC v Indy Eleven REVIEW

We didn't need to give Bethlehem 99 problems, one was enough. Jack McInerney with the only goal.

By: James Cormack

Indy Eleven kicked off their third in a series of four away matches at an unusual start time of 11.00 am at Goodman Field in Bethlehem. After losing to Charleston Battery and Tampa Bay Rowdies our team needs to find points and find them soon. The two sides have met once already this season at Lucas Oil Stadium when the visitors left with all three points after defeating Indy by two goals to one.

There were three changes to the starting XI that lost 3-1 in St. Petersburg at the weekend, one forced change was Brad Ring who received a retroactive suspension from the previous match. Tyler Pasher continued at left back and Ayoze not in the squad this time around. Nico Matern dropped from starting lineup while Soony Saad, Seth Moses, and Zach Steinberger returned to the starting lineup.

Only five of the Bethlehem players that started against Indy Eleven in the initial encounter in May will begin this game. One of them was Santi Moar who was pivotal in Steel's attack along with McGuire, Mahoney, Najem, and Ngalina.

A welcome sight to the listed roster for the match was Reiner Ferreira added to the bench after missing the bulk of the season so far, missing since picking up an injury in the first home match of the season against FC Cincinnati on April 1st. He would see game time in the match sooner than we would have liked.

Starting XI: Williams, Venegas, Ouimette, Mitchell, Pasher, Moses, Watson, Guerra, Steinberger, Saad, Starikov. Bench: Lundgaard, Ferreira, Rusin, Matern, Amankona, Speas, McInerney

Action from the home tie in Indy where Bethlehem stole the points in a 2-1 victory.

The first half was more of an exhibition of passing than anything else, very few shots on goal from either side. Indy threatened more, Seth Moses pressuring Maguire early in the first ten and shortly after a good interchange on the right between Venegas and Starikov saw the latter drop a nice pass back in front of goal but Venegas could not get in fast enough to let off a shot.

Starikov and Venegas starting to look comfortable with each other and 17 minutes in, interchanges between the two drew a corner but Indy Eleven could make nothing of it. Around the 20 minute mark, Bethlehem got their first real shot on goal from 22yrd out centrally but was easily smothered by Owain Fôn Williams.

The pitch was heavy and wet after a lot of rain locally, the surface was slick and players on both sides were losing their footing. Indy Eleven did well to defuse the attacking danger of Santi Moar, most of Steel's best opportunities of the counter were coming on the opposite side of the field where the ground was wetter.

Bethlehem's Ferris was causing most of the trouble on Indy's right. Two thirds into the first half after an Indy free kick on our left Ferris again showed he had the measure of our back line and was unlucky not to get a shot off. Bethlehem caught us with pace again on the opposite side with Mbaizo but his cut back pass into the box was luckily not met by a teammate.

Venegas and Starikov linked up again in the 35th, Venegas took it to the line and cut back in for the onrushing Starikov but his shot went high. A minute later Seth Moses managed to beat the back line and attempted a chip shot over Maguire but the home side keeper saved the ball with his face as it was heading goalwards.

An unfortunate site as Tyler Pasher leaves the field after 38 minutes and is replaced by Reiner Ferreira who has not taken the field for Indy for over three months, Ouimette slides out left to allow Mitchell and Ferreira to pair up at centre back. Reiner promptly picked up his third yellow card in only his third appearance of 2018.

Ferreira got himself involved again on 45' conceding a free kick on the left corner of the 18-yard box which worrying got delayed after Ouimette fell to the ground clutching his leg. The free kick came to nothing and 0-0 was the score heading into the break.

Fans waited a long time to see Tyler Pasher return, sadly he exited the match before halftime.

Indy came out fast in the second half with a minute played Steinberger linked up with Watson who fed in Soony Saad in front of goal but his curling shot went just wide of the upper 90. Steinberger also missed a chance in the 53rd minute after a corner clearance fell to his feet but his long-range effort went wide left.

It's cliche to say the game had 0-0 written all over on evidence of the first half, with occasional flurries of activity in the second half it settled down to looking just like that again. Both sides finding chances but unable to apply the concentration in the final third. Indy's next best chance would fall to Saad again, approaching 70 minutes into the game a buildup that started with Mitchell on the edge of our 18 ended up with Saad in front of a near open goal but was not able to get his shot on target.

As the game wore on Bethlehem almost managed to level it up in the 84th minute with a free kick about 19 yards out from the Indy goal after Nanco drew the foul, but Chambers low driven shot to the right of the wall was well smothered by Owain Fôn Williams.

Jack McInerney came into the game for Soony Saad previous to this and it was he who would be the late hero for Indy. The match was not exciting by any means and neither was it an outstanding performance by Indy Eleven, but it is fair to say if one side was going to open the scoring it likely would have been the visitors.

Zach Steinberger stepped up to take his first corner from what can only be described as a swamp in the left corner of the field and this was probably the best delivery of the game. Sent in towards the penalty spot the ball curled in and found the head of Jack McInerney who directed his header away from Maguire and into the right side of the net. It was enough of a hammer blow for Bethlehem to seal the win as they appeared deflated for the closing minutes.

Indy Eleven did enough with possession to round out the six minutes of added time and take the three points back to Indianapolis. After two straight defeats on the road, these three points are extremely valuable. To head to Louisville with none or only one, other matches in between could potentially put Indy out of the playoff positions or perilously close. Instead, they move to 5th in the table with 31pts.

It was a difficult game, Indy is still having issues with some forced rotations and lineup changes but now have over a week to rest and recover before facing Lousiville City FC in Kentucky for the first time in four years on August 5th, following that match Indy Eleven will not play again until they face North Carolina on August 15th at home.

There won't be many breaks for Indy after that, and it's important as they near the final third of the regular season to up their game and start winning points on a regular basis, inconsistency will put them in a position of relying on the fate of others, to do that they will have to start finding the back of the net on a more regular basis. Indy has averaged only a goal per game for their last six matches.

FT: Bethlehem Steel FC 0 Indy Eleven 1

We need a good travelling support for our next match, if you are interested in joining the supporters buses for Lousiville you can get ticket and bus INFORMATION HERE. Also, don't forget to pick up tickets for Indy Eleven's next home match against North Carolina FC on August 15th at BYBTIX.COM

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.

Unbeaten Teams Reach 1-1 Stalemate In Heavy Heat - Indy Eleven V Penn FC REVIEW

McInerney pulled Indy back to a point with a well placed free kick. (Photo: James Cormack)

By: Rebecca Townsend (aka The Pitch Bitch)

Indy Eleven began a seven-day run featuring three home games with a draw against Penn FC. The result extends the team's unbeaten streak to five games, placing them fifth among 16 teams in the United Soccer League's Eastern Conference.

Penn FC, under the leadership of head coach Raoul Voss, also entered the match on the tailwind of four unbeaten games. The 1-1 draw keeps both team's bragging rights alive.

Both teams deserve credit for holding each other scoreless in the first half. And Penn deserves credit for the efficacy and speed with which it sprung its goal on Indy just minutes into the second half. Yes, technically Lucky Mkosana scored the goal off a pk, but the truth is Karl Ouimette took him out in the box after Penn players shook their Indy defenders with an excellent series of quick and deadly passes. And yes, Ouimette began his tackle outside the box, but the critical contact game in the no-no zone.

Officiating that one coach referred to as "catastrophic" saw cards issued to three Indy players and one Penn player. 

The Pitch Bitch contends that the yellow against Watson was bogus.

She also felt irrepressible outrage at the blatant malpractice exhibited with just 10 minutes left in the match when the refs missed the absolute in-the-box penalty the Penn D committed against Eugene Starikov (who brought a renewed energetic vigor when he subbed in for Seth Moses in the 58th minute). 

Soccer karma came instantly for the mistreated hosts, however, who were ultimately able to save face thanks to a surgical, right-footed free kick from Jack McInerney about 30 yards out, which bent beautifully into the lower left netting. The roar that erupted in the stadium seemed to suggest a crowd twice its actual size. Indy deserves extra credit for holding their own despite having to play with 10 men for 15 minutes after Ouimette accumulated his second yellow card, resulting in a red-card suspension.

Karl Ouimette's departure saw Indy finish the match with 10 men. (Photo: James Cormack)

Perhaps the crowd's cry serves a harbinger of the great games yet to be had ... Two more this week ... Fourth of July, Downtown Indy ... Should be off the hook ... Maybe that's the night the Pitch Bitch closes the Slippery Noodle Inn for the first time in more than a decade ... All she needs is a good reason to celebrate ...

How much bigger can Hoosiers make these soccer crowds, anyway? The Pitch Bitch believes in big dreams — and she can't shake the dream in which Lucas Oil is packed to the roof for soccer. In fact, she still clings to the even wilder dream in which the necessary players finally embrace Indiana's great soccer heritage and give the people a world-class futbol facility. (If only Indiana could have been ready to be part of the 2026 World Cup... The Pitch Bitch likely won't live long enough to see another U.S.-based World Cup ... but maybe some future generation could have a thrill that big! Even with big dreams, an Indiana World Cup would be a wild sight to behold, for sure.)

Sidebar: Speaking of Indiana's soccer legacy and the World Cup... A special note of appreciation to Fort Wayne's DaMarcus Beasley, the first U.S. player to appear in four consecutive World Cups, currently defending for the MLS's Houston Dynamo, who traveled home this past week for the opening of the Beasley Courts public futsal facility, which will support footskills development for generations of players to come. Thanks for being so awesome, DaMarcus!

Sweltering heat settled hard on Indy Saturday and the stadium had a sauna-like feel. The players weren't so much running as they were swimming. The sweaty sheen of the spectators cast an iridescent haze around the arena, entirely appropriate with the rainbow color scheme of Pride Night.

Brickyard Battalion celebrate and support Pride Night in Indy (Photo: James Cormack) 

Indy began with possession, which they lost straightaway by launching a long aerial down the right flank. A series of arrows in the match notes indicate possession traded back and forth for the first nine minutes of the match, with both sides trying to test each other and neither making inroads.

A minute of craziness opened up in the 11th minute as Penn intercepted a mistimed header a player tried to drop to his defensive support, positioning the visitors to have a nice angle on goal. Indy readjusted quickly enough to neutralize the threat — and spring a counter that almost provided Justin Braun with a great 1-on-1 opportunity at the opposite end of the field. Almost. Instead, back and forth play resumed, with both sides displaying solid defensive cohesion and moments of attacking creativity. Two former members of Indy Eleven from its NASL days, Marco Franco and Paolo Jr., started against Indy and contributed to the team's efficacy on both ends of the field. 

Match notes credit Venegas with sweet touch receiving a crossfield long ball deep in Penn territory and adding a nice evasive move to elude the initial defensive pressure. (The subsequent defensive pressure ended that particular attack, however.) Venegas also was the initial link in a shot combination with Watson, Braun, and McInerney. Credit goes to Seth Moses for his penetrating dribbles and passes through the midfield. Also to Ben Speas, who subbed in for Braun in the 63rd minute, and did well to stay on his feet despite heavy Penn pressure. Venegas fed Speas for an excellent last-minute shot opportunity, but the ball was not destined to find its target. Ayoze had a brilliant nutmeg. And Carlyle Mitchell exhibited nice footwork, which launched a hopeful ball toward Penn's goal.

Venegas and Starikov combine on the right flank for Indy (Photo: James Cormack)

All this goes to say, Indy continues exhibiting the ability to absorb and re-direct virile threats. Players are building their multi-pronged attacking strategy, engaging all players in cooperative, dynamic movement. This is a promising foundation on which to build the rest of the season.

Indy head coach Rennie Martin said he intends to do just that: continue to build.

"There are always things to learn," he said in a post-match press scrum. "From this game, it's just the tempo of our passing and attacking. That's easy to say that sitting on the sidelines; it was a hot night and hard to breathe. But I felt maybe the speed of play wasn't as quick as I'd like and that we didn't really penetrate enough on the dribbling or passing behind their backline. Their backline was very, very deep. So, when that happens, we have to get in there and take people on or play one-twos. So that'd be something we could improve on."

(Click Here for the full post-match interview with Martin Rennie)

Indy Eleven will host the Ottawa Fury FC on July 4 (Military Appreciation Night, with the team offering 50 percent off tickets to military members who use the code military18 at Indyeleven.com/military) and Charlotte Independence on July 7. Both games begin at 7 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium. Fee-free tickets are available for purchase through the Brickyard Battalion supporters club at BYBtix.com.

Indy 2 Tough 2 B Bothered By Atlanta United 2 - Indy Eleven V Atlanta United 2 REVIEW

Watson stripped Atlanta of the ball and opened the scoring for Indy (Photo: James Cormack)

By: Rebecca Townsend (aka The Pitch Bitch)

Indy Eleven took a good 30 minutes to feel out their guests, Atlanta United FC 2, in front of a crowd estimated by the team to have topped 10,000 people Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.

And then the Eleven turned on the heat. 

Captain Matt Watson returned to the starting line-up just in time to score the critical morale-boosting goal around the 30th minute, after intercepting a mis-timed Atlanta pass at midfield and proceeding to cut past Atlanta keeper Paul Christensen, who was far upfield

 of his goal line, and taking one more cut wide around a final defender, before turning his hips back toward his opponent’s goal and using his less-favored, but better-situated left foot to drive the ball past the line to score.

With Brad Ring, Zach Steinberger and Ben Speas on the bench, the starting midfield featured Watson, Soony Saad, Juan Guerra, Nico Matern and Seth Moses, who earned his first start of the season.  Justin Braun played target striker and, from left to right, Ayoze, Karl Ouimette, Carlyle Mitchell and Kevin Venegas made up the back line.

Two members of that backline, Ayoze and Mitchell, combined nicely when a corner kick dished from the former connected with the perfectly timed running header of the latter, propelling the ball to the back of Atlanta’s net to bring the hosts a 2-0 lead 10 minutes

into the second half.

Carlyle Mitchell nodded home his first goal for Indy Eleven to bring the score to 2-0 (Photo: James Cormack)

When the ref signaled the game’s final whistle, the hosts managed to protect the win — and a clean sheet in the match (though Indy keeper Owain Fon Williams was a bit roughed up in stopping a last-minute drive into Indy’s box). All in all, a refreshing change of pace for Indy fans who had not had a home win since its May 5 win against Louisville City FC.

Another change of pace for the Indy lineup. Forward Eugene Starikov brought a refreshing intensity in his first appearance back at a home game since the season opener.

Picking a sprig of wild mint from a Fletcher Place patio about an hour before game time, the Pitch Bitch wondered if that vibrant shot of revitalizing aromatherapy could be teasing an emerging theme for the evening: Revitalization.

Reviewing the first-half notes, a refreshing theme does emerge: repeated examples of the team maintaining possession through a series of several passes, not rushing … working together to build. Furthermore, this possession was not mindless. When the team found itself within striking distance, players would shoot or drive into the opposition’s back line.

Seth Moses showed aggression and a different dynamic in midfield for Indy (Photo: James Cormack)

The Pitch Bitch game notes recorded several examples of these continuous building efforts in the minutes leading up to halftime:

* Indy threatens, is dragged down before cross sent pack in …

* Venegas manages to weave a cross through... Soony meets it, but couldn’t get a proper foot on it.

* Watson and Guerra had a promising moment only to have Atlanta keeper Christensen right on point.

* At 41: Indy makes a good team effort to work it around, then lost when they took too many touches, opting to dribble instead of making a quick pass. (But on the edge of the attacking third — which is where Indy was at this juncture, the risk of dispossession is worth the chance of a goal. Keep up the pressure, Indy! You are on the right track!)

Post-win #soccertalk with @IndyEleven Coach Martin Rennie ... #IndyForever  https://t.co/9w0dcziqAy

— Rebecca Townsend (@hoosierchild) June 10, 2018

The game marked the “best performance so far this season” from the Boys in Blue, according to Indy head coach Martin Rennie, who said he was happy to have a full week of training in before the evening’s match. Throughout May, the team had so many games, full training weeks were impossible, he added.

Coaches Rennie and Dos Santos prepare for Indy's first game of June (Photo: James Cormack)

The productive and energetic teamwork reflected the past week’s training, the coach said.

“In May, we didn’t really get to train because we had so many games*...a lot of the fundamental things that we’d worked on were not on show. And that’s not that surprising with new players. But we can’t revert back now that we’ve set the standard.”

Rennie is likely to look at the season’s first repeat lineup as he looks forward to the team’s next challenges: away games to Toronto and Nashville before returning home to host Penn FC on June 30.

“We’ve not been able to play the same lineup twice ever, so that would really help us,” Rennie said.

Working on other things, the team forgot about fundamental lessons players felt they had mastered early on. Now, they’re returning to their roots.

It means, according to Captain Watson, “back to basics, hard work.”

He summarized tactical issues his team faces and presented his ideas for improvement:

“When we sit back and don’t press the ball, we’re not very good.

“It’s mostly about making sure we are moving as a group .. sometimes we get spread out where the back line is really deep, the forwards are high, and the midfield is huge and we can’t cover the whole field. So it’s important that we talk.

Matt Watson showed how much he has been missed on Saturday against Atlanta (Photo: James Cormack)

“Communication is key. Sometimes I like to press. If I go, they’ll stretch the field. So, when I go, we all need to go. And press higher to make it harder for them to play balls in behind. Hopefully, we have a high line and can play them offsides. We’ve got great guys back there who can, if it goes over the top, get there first. It’s all about moving all around the field as a group. Something fundamental that we got away from …

“Is there a communication hierarchy when it comes to heat-of-the-moment communication on the field?” the Pitch Bitch asked Cpt. Watson.

“It’s situational on the field,” Watson said. “It’s about balance. Sometimes there’s not one right answer. Sometimes, if I go, people may say I’m wrong because I’m stretching the field, but if I win the ball like I did today … every play in soccer is situational, there’s not one right or wrong answer. You kind of look at it and say, ‘What’s best for the team? No one player is bigger than the team."

*The team played six USL games in May, plus its tragic loss to Mississippi Brilla in the US Open Cup.

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