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

Indy Eleven continues to struggle both on and off the field

Following a captivating 2016, Tim Hankinson has struggled to get his team going in 2017

By Brian Cook

In sports, it's often difficult to find a sole person or persons responsible when something goes wrong. In business, if someone thing goes wrong, it's easy to find the culprit. If a report isn't ran it's one person who forgot it. If you hold an event and something wasn't ordered it's that department's fault. Sales numbers down? Someone call a meeting with the sales department. 

Sports, however, has the complication of not having a clear idea of who the blame sits on. Often, when results on the field are down, it's the players who are to blame. They aren't trying hard enough, they aren't doing enough, and generally failing both the coaches and fans. More often in sports coaches get the boot due to poor performance. While players actually execute the play the coaches have to get the players prepared. 

All of this considered, a group in the hierarchy of sports that goes relatively untouched is the president/owner of the team and for Indy Eleven that rests on the shoulders of Jeff Belskus and Ersal Ozdemir. 

It would be easy to place the blame on the player's shoulders for the results so far. The players are on the field. Justin Braun and Eamon Zayed score the goals. Colin Falvey and Jon Busch stop other teams from scoring. Gerardo Torrado and Brad Ring maintain the midfield. Those are what fans, coaches, and the front office expect with players that get signed. All of the players have failed to live up to those expectations so far in 2017

Circumstances haven't afforded Hankinson the same resources he had leading up to the runner up season in 2016. His assistant coach and former interim head coach Tim Regan has left the team (replaced with former Scouting Director for Chicago Fire, Trevor James). The budget for salaries has been reduced. All of this seems centered around the largest question mark so far this season and that's the future of the club under Ersal Ozdemir and Eleven club president Jeff Belskus. 

Indy Eleven and Major League Soccer:

The bid for an MLS team came as a shock to many
Photo Source

The decision for the club to apply to join Major League Soccer very much came out of nowhere. The ironic eleventh hour bid was both exciting and interesting to see as the club had been pretty quiet on any expansion plans as well as stadium talks publicly. 

The news brought excitement and a lot of chatter from both local media, national media and the fans that were thrilled to see the club strive for more. 

The bid included a shift from the model the club holds internally at the moment with MLS Indy Eleven being held together by an ownership group including members like Andy Mohr, a successful local car dealer in the Indy area. 

The ownership group would put forward the MLS expansion fee as well as other fees the league requires but largely leave the stadium's building budget to the city/state through a "public-private" partnership that confusingly as well as remarkably left a lot of people quiet and the chatter of a soccer stadium empty on the statehouse floor.

The decision for the ownership group interested many people because up to this point Ersal largely kept finances for the club to himself. Coupling the MLS bid and the finances of this season begins to, in my eyes, put a puzzle together on what could be the issue for Indy Eleven's future but no decision on any ownership group being formed for NASL's Indy Eleven seems to be included with that. 

Addressing the Hankinson Out conversation: 

Tim Hankinson has done nothing but make seers believers for a fan base that limped through the early years. While the obvious early beginning struggles didn't hurt the core fanbase for the club Hankinson's success in 2016 brought in new popularity, positivity, excitement as well as higher expectations for league play. 

Hankinson largely took a team put together in an off season and brought Indy Eleven to a place it hadn't been before. When you look at what changes have occurred between then and now you begin to see that the focus has shifted from the current team to saving money for a potential Indy Eleven MLS club. 

The Stadium continues to be the largest hangup for #IndyMLS
Photo Source

One aspect that many haven't caught is the amount of soccer minds this team has lost. With the departure of Peter Wilt and Jeff Belskus arriving we saw Indy Eleven focus in on the business side while never replacing a person who understood both the business side of the game on and off the field. It's no fault of Jeff Belskus, who had success as the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but it's been very clear from soccer-related decisions that either Belskus isn't making them or that he is and he might be over his head with understanding.

Perhaps it's optimism or naivety but it feels like Ersal has chosen to save money on the front end (current season) to put money on the back end (MLS/Stadium). It could also be a measure to salvage the existence of the team but 2017 but that's purely speculative at this point. Nevertheless the bottom line is that choices made so far for this club financially has almost put Indy Eleven at a competitive disadvantage by not allowing Tim Hankinson to have a little more liberty with his roster building and weaknesses in depth while age related may also be due to the lack of depth in the wage budget. 

Since the beginning and as it is in most sports teams, the money put in in at the start often goes unpaid for years. Owners across all major sports in the United States of America, minus elite level teams in leagues like the NFL often lose a lot before they gain a little. Owning a non-MLS professional soccer team in the United States is arguably one of the least profitable prospects for potential owners. 

Financial stability:

Neil Morris, well known for his work covering NASL, had a great piece for WRAL on the financial missteps the NASL clubs have made:

Meanwhile, the rest of the NASL now realizes business (and budgets) as usual may not be enough to win titles. It will be interesting to see how the next few years play out, whether other teams will cede championships to the well-heeled New Yorkers or (over)spend in an effort to keep up with the Cosmos … Soccer Bowl 2013 weekend was a success for the NASL. What remains to be seen is whether on-the-field success for its members now comes with a price tag many cannot afford. - Source

This isn't something new for Indy Eleven who have pumped money both into the league, the team, the stadium they currently rent on the campus of IUPUI, as well as their fans. A struggle, which has been told to be addressed in 2017 is financial stability of the league as well as financial transparency. 

No one section of Indy Eleven's team has shined so far in 2017

If the club is attempting to save money on the front end to explode onto the scene in MLS what it translates to is Hankinson's hands being tied behind his back. Hankinson, while philosophically might clash with many players was clear about his intentions and his goals for Indy Eleven taking the job. The club was clear about their intentions and goals for the club. They want a championship. It just seems like they are expecting one to to fall out of the sky rather than earn it on the field. 

In an article by Richard Farley of Four Four Two, Rishi Sehgal talks about what struggles NASL teams have gone through:

“Our owners have recognized, we need to take some measures to not be so free market,” Sehgal says. “We needs some controls. We need to have a sustainable model. Being free market can work if the market forces are perfect in a developed market situation. But in the early stages, you need some controls to adjust for market forces that can skew too heavily in one way or the other.” - Source

Let's not call for Miami FC level spending. Indy Eleven doesn't need to overspend to compete but why ask the chef to make something with ingredients you haven't given him? 

Indy Eleven is going through what can only and perhaps best be described as growing pains. It's struggled to grow and maintain the level the first season in Indianapolis brought with a sold out home attendance. 

Largely the struggle was based around where the team would play and while Michael Carroll Stadium was a great launching point the longevity of Indy Eleven in any league playing at The Mike just doesn't make sense. 

One of the core issues with the finances of the club is the lack (publically) of another partner for Ersal's ownership of the team. A new partner would give increased money, possibly more visibility (depending on who it is) and for Ozedmir, a partner to share the burden and losses of the club. Ersal's sole weight of the finances seems both irresponsible and just really short sighted. It's unclear whether the lack of a visible partner in the club's finances is by choice or not whatever the case may be it remains to be seen what the future holds for Indy Eleven as a professional team.

The stadium deal clearly wasn't what the public nor politicians were after but something needs to come from it and fast in order for Indy Eleven to recapture the magic they once held. It just seems like the rust is starting to show on the new car and the cost of wax is to expensive because all of the money was spent on the car.

For fans though, who are struggling on where to place their disappointment don't look just at the box scores. This team from any year continues to fight despite the issues behind the scene. If you are angry don't focus on just one target because while results on the field rest on the shoulders of coaches and players the results off the field rest on the president and owner and shouldn't be overlooked. Hopefully we will see a day soon where we get back to what made the club great and aren't forced to watch the creeping falling of Indiana's team.

Indy Fail to Restore Pride in Eleventh Match - Indy Eleven V Jacksonville (6/10/2017)

Eamon Zayed heads home Indy's only goal in a 4-1 defeat at home.

By: James Cormack

Expectancy was high as Indy Eleven headed into their eleventh game of the season. Still without victory, Indy were coming off the back of a 2-2 draw in San Francisco and there were hopes that this home game could produce Indy Eleven's first win of the 2017 season.

Indy Eleven's injury woes continued to some extent with Justin Braun, Gerardo Torrado, Craig Henderson, Brandon Poltranieri and Kwame Watson-Siriboe unavailable for this game. Don Smart was a welcome sight returning to the starting lineup and Eamon Zayed made his second consecutive start.

Indy Eleven fielded a lineup that should be capable to win this game with but again there was some juggling, Ben Speas supported Eamon Zayed up front, Speas has been a critical player at left midfield but was not played there, instead Daniel Keller came in. Tanner Thompson played in front of Brad Ring behind the forwards.

With Kwame out the back four comprised of Marco Franco, Colin Falvey, Lovel Palmer and Nemanja Vukovic in front of Jon Busch. There was  enough experience and enough of an element from the 2016 side to put up a strong showing. On paper at least anyway, and in the hopes of the Indy Eleven supporters.

Where are NASL getting these referees from?

This is Younes Marrakchi, don't be like Younes, he is no fun at all.

This has to be mentioned, and it is by no means an excuse for losing this game, but how many times have we seen this year not only in Indy Eleven games but in other matches referees who just want to make the game all about themselves.

It's common knowledge amongst pundits in this beautiful game that any good referee, unless there is no shadow of a doubt and it's unavoidable, is not going to give a penalty in the early minutes of a match, if there is any doubt at all you don't give it. It can ruin a whole game right from the start. This referee was obviously one of those who wanted all eyes to be on him, he wanted the game to be about him,  and it continued that way throughout the game.

Maybe a league that almost ceased to exist can't afford to be picky on who they choose to officiate NASL games anymore, this would not surprise me, it seems we are getting bargain basement refs from Dollar Tree that can neither run fast enough to keep up with the game nor make sensible decisions to control the play in such a way to make the game entertaining and fair. I wouldn't even let this guy ref a youth game for fear some of those kids may decide it's not worth playing this game.

Are we in fact cursed, or have we just given up...

Lets look at the penalty first of all. As I mentioned previously no referee worth his salt is going to give a penalty decision very early in a game unless there it is unavoidable. Was there even a foul, or did Derek Gebhard deliberately use minimal contact to draw the foul and go to ground. The ball was not even near Gebhard and Falvey, both were moving towards the play, yes there is upper body to upper body contact and Gebhard used that as an excuse to go down. This is sometimes commonly known as cheating, but in today's game it can be viewed by some as a valuable tool in the skillset of a modern forward.

Regardless of that, it was a situation early in the game where the referee should have waved everybody up and told them to shake it off and get on with it. Instead Younes Marrakchi wanted his spotlight moment on TV as early as he could possibly get it and he got it in the 3rd minute. Quite ridiculous and it set a bad tone for the game. Jon Busch managed to pull of a great save from Jack Blake's initial strike but could not stop the return fire.

Indy Eleven came back well and put things on level terms thanks to a downward header from Éamon Zayed off of a Vukovic corner that bounced up and beyond Patterson-Sewell and after 10 minutes played the score was tied and we could begin again.

For the majority of the first half despite not being able to field the team we wanted to yet again, Indy Eleven produced several great chances to score, Eamon Zayed could have had a hat trick had the goalposts been slightly further apart. However it was Jacksonville who would take the lead again.

Another example of poor officiating, indicators showing line official and ball, apparently this is what offside looks like now?

A long ball from Jacksonville in the 41st minute found Gebhard in the Indy Eleven box, unable to full control the ball gave Colin Falvey a window to put in a great sliding tackle, but you just never know where the ball is going to pop out and JC Banks was on hand to push the ball away to Busch's right and low into the corner of the net. 

Still not something we couldn't recover from at this point. Until....

FLASH POINT.... Red Card. Controversial? No not really.

We know from past experiences from our own players we will always welcome a fight back, going into the half time break a goal down is never easy but it is not insurmountable. Going into the break a goal down and knowing you have to play the second 45 minutes with ten men is a slightly more complicated task.

There is no argument or defense for what took place in the first half stoppage time. Both players were committing to go for the ball, both players were going in feet high. Blake raised his foot to go for the ball then pulled out, Palmer foot was above Blake's waist in an attempt to clear the ball. It's one of those situations you just dust off get up and get on with it. It was a little reckless probably from both players, but not intentional or malicious.




Lovel Palmer got up and cold cocked him, it was a sucker punch and totally unnecessary in any field of play even amateur Sunday football. It's a straight red from any referee, and in the rules of the game for violent misconduct it is most likely a two match suspension. Just completely embarrassing and avoidable. Blake even extended a hand to help Lovel up and was greeted with a smack to the face.

This was where the game was lost when all is said and done, in one sweeping selfish act from an individual player.

Pushing on with Ten...

To give credit where it's due Tim Hankinson pushed forward with a view to attacking, there is no point trying to defend a one goal deficit obviously and changes were made throughout the second half to provide more attack. At the beginning of the second half Siniša Ubiparipović would replace Tanner Thompson at the beginning of the half with plumhoff replacing Smart and Goldsmith coming on for Zayed later in the game.

Had we cleared our line, JC Banks was undoubtedly offside, two players behind the last man.

With little over five minutes of the second half played however Indy Eleven found themselves two goals behind because of another goal that could easily have been avoided. It's hard to fault Don Smart having just returned to the side, but even a midfielder should know when you are taking a post at a corner or free kick and the ball breaks out away from goal you have to get off the line, off the post and push up with the play.

After the third goal there was no way to even pull back to a draw, it was a killer blow and evn if there was a glimmer of a hope within ten minutes the deficit would be three and the fourth goal was a perfect example of a team even with ten men that had given up.

I might be wrong but I think it was Kalen Ryden who took the ball from his own defense and was allowed to stroll through the middle of the park without challenge, he could have been riding a unicycle and eating an ice cream cone and still would not have been pressured. His pass to JC Banks was attempted to be blocked by Keller but fumbled. Jemal Johnson had what seemed like an entire parking lot of space to work in on the left side and received the ball and passed behind the defense for Gebhard to slot home. It was all too easy.

There were calls for offsides and it clearly was not, if you watch the highlight reel someone is screaming blue murder for an offside call. When the ball is played Franco is inside the six yard box trying to block and Gebhard is outside the box. It is neither here nor there now and not an argument. Indy Eleven were destroyed, the game was lost before half time and the rest was cruel and unusual punishment for those that remained to witness it.

Not even a sending off for Jacksonville when Patterson-Sewell clearly handled outside of the 18 yard box, much to his own disbelief, could give Indy Eleven any way back in the game. Little tip of the hat to JAX reserve keeper though, having to come in cold Kyle Nasta made a fine save from a Vukovic free kick late in the game.

The time for denial is over...

We are the worst team in the league, we have to accept that now. How long we will be the worst team in 2017 is up to the coaches and players. I will admit it does seem like we are cursed, if something can possibly go wrong when it comes to Indy Eleven right now, bad things are just going to happen to us.

Many people like myself are left scratching our heads, we can't put a finger on it. Players are obviously frustrated, you can see it in their faces during games, something is not right and even with our injury woes and bargain basement refereeing we should be playing better than this. A red card for Palmer and also the yellow card for Franco we born of frustration and it showed, despite poor officiating these cards were warranted.

One year ago from today, the 11th of June 2016 we witnessed the "Miracle At The Mike" and a familiar scoreline ,defeating our next opponent North Carolina 4-1 to lift the Spring Championship when even then the odds were stacked against us. A year down the road and we have not won a single game, we have seven draws and five defeats and have been dumped out of the US Open Cup by a PDL team.

In our last 6 competitive matches we have been defeated five times and achieved one single draw. The valid excuses we have cannot cover all that, not even close. Even the draw we had against San Francisco was the result of us giving up a two goal lead.

The Indy Eleven of 2016 was billed by Tim Hankinson as a team of Warriors and he also stated that it is not up to us to worry about the rest of the teams in the league, it is up to them to figure us out, we're just going to play our game. Well in 2017 there is no warrior spirit, there appears to be no backbone to this team and no confidence and as for teams having to figure us out that part is easy, they just need to watch any of our games, we are an open book right now.

At least from rock bottom we can accept the fact we are the worst and move on from there, any great result from here on in will be a welcome surprise. However something is wrong within this club and it is clearly visible to anyone watching. I can't figure it but someone needs to, and soon.

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. 

Picked Apart: Indy Eleven vs Miami FC REVIEW (5/20/2017)

Frustration was the theme of the night when Indy Eleven faced league leaders Miami FC.

By Brandon Cockrum

Entering Saturday’s match head coach Tim Hankinson described the Eleven’s meeting last weekend as "being ripped apart" by Miami. This week the Eleven lined up with three defensive midfielders in an attempt to stymy a Miami attack that Hankinson said goes right down the middle of the park. The result: rather than being torn apart, Miami cooly picked Indy apart, taking advantage of two defensive errors from the Eleven to claim a 2-0 victory. The loss humbly ends Indy’s NASL record 21-game unbeaten streak at home.

The Eleven lined up with a full-strength back four, however Kwame Watson-Siriboe paired with Colin Falvey at center back to allow Lovel Palmer to shift forward into a central defensive midfield role next to Brad Ring. Gerardo Torrado was deployed in front of them, creating a defensive cone in the center of the pitch to deflect Miami attacks away from Indy’s core.

Ben Speas and rookie Tanner Thompson were split wide of Torrado as attacking midfielders with Justin Braun as a lone striker. Clearly, with just three true offense-oriented players, defense would be a priority for Indy and the strategy would be to manufacture a goal through heart and hustle rather than a refined attack.

For 25 minutes Indy held on with just a few breaks in their defensive shield and seemed to be gaining their footing. Jon Busch was forced to make a nice save from a corner kick header in the 10th minute and a Miami attacker shanked a shot high from seven yards out in the 16th minute.

In the 27th minute Indy looked poised to manufacture the game’s first goal as Justin Braun, after tackling the ball from Miami defender Rhett Bernstein, went one-on-one against goalkeeper Daniel Vega. But, Vega was up to the challenge and stopped Braun’s attempted flick dribble around him.

A rapid Miami counter after Vega's stop of Braun was halted by an Indy foul near the top of the penalty box. While Indy dropped their heads or turned their attention to the referee Miami quickly restarted play. Robert Kcira made a simple pass to Vincenzo Rennella waiting on Busch’s doorstep and the experienced striker calmly finished the play.

In a matter of one minute, Indy went from looking like they had the game’s first goal to being down 1-0 and staring up a large mountain with inadequate climbing gear.

The first half concluded with Miami content and Indy unable to create and possibly the only highlight after the goal being an animated discussion during a stoppage in play between Ring, Falvey, Marco Franco and Hankinson.

Defender Marco Franco looks to spark an Indy attack.

The second half continued similarly with Miami probing and testing the Indy defensive but not causing much trouble and Indy struggling to build anything resembling a threatening offense. Possession was frequently lost by the boys in pinstripes in the midfield through poor passing or lack of control. Only once in the game did the Eleven manage a shot from their opponents penalty box.

In the 72nd minute another defensive error from Indy provided Miami with another clear opportunity on goal. Away from the play, a slow moving Watson-Siriboe kept Miami’s Kwame Poku onside and allowed Michael Lahoud to play a through ball that beat Poku’s defender and put the attacker in on goal where he calmly beat Busch with a shot.

2-0, with Miami in front and not looking over their shoulder,

The sport’s most dangerous lead was never threatened as Indy continued to struggle creating offense. Mild urgency at the end was easily dealt with by the visitors as they saw the game out and claimed their league leading 17th point of the season.

Four Takeaways

Mares eagerly waits to take the field in Indianapolis.

Mares Thriving in Miami

It's bittersweet to see, but Dylan Mares has been a key cog for the league's top team. The plucky attacking midfielder has 2 goals, 1 assist and is a league leader in chances created. The Eleven would have liked to have kept the homegrown product but higher wages, sandy beaches and youthful ambition drew him to Miami. While highly respected, it might have taken a move away for Mares' quality to be fully appreciated by everyone in Indy.

M.I.A.

The Eleven offense, currently missing in action, has now gone four matches without scoring a legitimate goal. Sure, they registered two goals last week in Miami but one was an own goal and one was due to a miscommunication between a defender and goalie on a ball that both had covered, a figurative gift from Miami for a clearly surprised goalscorer, Braun.

Among eight NASL teams, the Eleven are fifth in shots take and seventh in shot accuracy. So, they're not getting many shots off and those they do get are poorly taken.

A healthy Eamon Zayed and Don Smart should help the club find it’s lost attack but neither was even available for action on Saturday. It may be a few weeks (or more) before both return to full form and, even when they do, can we confidently say this team is poised for takeoff? More importantly, what do we do until then?

Roster Makeup

There has been pressure on coach Hankinson due to the poor results but he has lately been forced to put lipstick on a pig. A coach can only do so much with the ingredients he is given. Injuries should have been expected with a roster that is the league’s oldest club, however after the top 14 or so players there was a distinct drop-off in skill and experience. 

Now that injuries and poor form have hit the coach has few options to try. Two goalies are often part of our seven available subs on match day. Rookies David Goldsmith and Thompson have been required to play a lot of minutes, but this is a league that is very difficult for professional rookies to make an impact. Three in-season acquisitions have been feckless, to the point that none of them sniffed the pitch against Miami. On Saturday Daniel Keller was brought in late in the game with Indy needing to find goals. Last season, Nicki Paterson, Sinisa Ubiparipovic or other strong options were available off the bench for Hankinson. (Nothing against Keller but his skills are best utilized keeping the ball out of the net rather than putting it in.)

The club currently sits in sixth place (out of 8), well behind the top five. If club owner Ersal Ozdemir wants things to turn around it seems that he'll have to open up the checkbook for a key summer signing (or two).

Downward Spiral

The club’s poor results - six draws and three losses leave the club as the only pro team in the US without a victory - are now threatening the status of players and coaches. 

"If the downward spiral continues there will be changes, whether that’s coaching staff or players,” Hankinson told Greg Rakestraw on "Soccer Saturday" the morning of this match. 

With another poor result later that evening it seems that someone will be held accountable by the next match - the question is who and will it have a positive effect?

Indy Taste First Defeat in Miami: Miami FC v Indy Eleven REVIEW (5/13/2017)

Bizarre confusion surrounds the end of the game after only three of four stoppage minutes are played.

By: James Cormack

It wouldn't be a 2017 Indy Eleven game if we did not have some kind of new injury before the start. No sign of Eamon Zayed in the starting lineup or on the bench, contact in the previous match against Edmonton triggered a back injury, Craig Henderson also missing with possible hamstring. No immediate return to the starting lineup for Marco Franco either but he did make the bench along with the return of Don Smart and Ben Speas.

Indy's Starting XI

Indy Eleven lined up for the start with Jon Busch in goal, Lovel Palmer, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Colin Falvey and Daniel Keller across the back, Brandon Poltronieri, Gerardo Torrado, Tanner Thompson and Jason Plumhoff in midfield and David Goldsmith partnered Justin Braun up front in the absence of Zayed.

Miami FC had an injury of their own with Stefano Pinho missing, replaced by Jaime Chávez. Michael Lahoud was also unavailable for the home side.

Miami FC lined up with Vega, Bernstein, Freeman, Kcira, Trafford, Mares, Rezende, Ryan, Chávez, Poku and Renella.

Three Indy Eleven players made their starting debut, David Goldsmith, Brandon Poltronieri and Jason Plumhoff. Unfamiliar lineups are nothing new for Indy Eleven this year but in this match probably only 5 of the players on the field when the whistle blew would be considered part of a preferred starting eleven.

Indy prove mildly successful at damage limitation.....

Okay maybe that's a bit harsh. It could pretty much be guaranteed from the onset of this game that Miami FC were going to throw everything and several kitchen sinks at Indy Eleven from the onset. 

Barely a minute had passed in the game when Jon Busch was called upon to make a great save when Enzo Rennella unleashed a shot from outside Indy Eleven's box. Moments later Miami FC worked into a position to pass the ball across the face of goal leaving Busch stranded but Miami's attack couldn't arrive fast enough to push the ball into goal.

This was a pattern that would ensue for almost the entire first half, Miami FC working themselves into great positions and creating opportunities but failing on the final ball. Indy Eleven had to play spoiler and weather the storm for as long as they could. The first good look for Indy came in the 24th minute when David Goldsmith made room for himself to shoot from the center of the box and forced a fine fingertip save from Daniel Vega.




Miami FC continued to miss clear cut chances in the final third and as the half wore on and Miami appeared to be slowing down it looked like Indy Eleven would be able to go into half time still level. At this point in the game it is fair to say has Miami been more clinical in front of goal it could easily be 3-0 already.

Then a hammer blow was dealt in stoppage time of the first half. In the 46th minute of the game Enzo Rennella who had threatened the Indy goal multiple times already picked up on a ball from Poku and struck with his left foot at the top of the box and curled the ball past Jon Busch to give Miami a lead going into the break.

It can be demoralizing to let a goal in right at the half, when players and coaches are already preparing themselves to get to the break and plan for the second half, but Indy Eleven were not ready to roll over just yet.

Coach Hankinson appeared to use this game as an opportunity to bring players in his depleted roster up to match fitness. Brandon Poltronieri and Jason Plumhoff who had seen some good touches in the first half were replaced for the second 45 by Ben Speas and Anthony Manning, no doubt in an effort to gain fitness for the upcoming games against Michigan Bucks and Miami FC at home.

With only 10 minutes of the second half played and despite a considerable reshuffle in the Indy lineup, the Eleven found themselves level in the game again. Ben Speas delivered a corner from Miami's left and in an attempt to head clear Miami defender Hunter Freeman redirected the ball into the far side of his own net. The game was tied at 1-1 and I am sure many Indy Eleven fans watching would have loved the game to end at that point.

Indy Eleven's hopes faded in a flurry of activity from 60-65 minutes in the game, after spurning many chances in the game up until this point Miami FC found the net twice in the space of a few minutes. Dylan Mares broke some hearts by putting his team 2-1 ahead in the 61st minute. Setting up a one two with team mate Enzo Rennella, Lovel Palmer closed the pass down but it came back off the heel of Rennella and into the path of Mares who slammed the ball low past Jon Busch.

Only four minutes later Hunter Freeman the guilty party in Indy Eleven's equalizing goal played a cross that found Robert Kcira and his right footed shot from outside the box found the back of the net to give Miami a two goal lead in the game, it was a superb goal. It was also a crushing goal and at this point in the game you had to wonder just how bad it might get from this point.

Don Smart was another welcome sight returning to the field after several weeks out, he entered in the 72nd minute to replace David Goldsmith. Indy looked for more width to try and press Miami, there was little point in trying to be defensive in a game that looked already lost.

Smart was instrumental in helping the Boys in Blue pull another goal back in the game. In the 83rd minute the usual trickery from Don deep in the corner allowed hi to split two defenders and send a low pass in front of goal, one that looked a little too easy to gather. A complete breakdown in communication between keeper Vega and his defense allowed the ball to roll on past everyone and Justin Braun slotted home to reduce the deficit to only one goal.



The second goal offered a glimmer of hope for Indy and they never gave up on finding the equalizer right until the final whistle when Tanner Thompson worked well inside the Miami box but his final shot on goal was blocked and the game was over. Indy Eleven received their first taste of defeat in 2017 at the hands of league leaders Miami FC.

Well we thought it was finished, in one of the most bizarre moments I have seen in a game, both sides complained to the referee that he had stopped the game one minute before the allocated four minutes of stoppage time and after some back and forth the game was restarted for one minute. The score remained the same, credit to Alessandro Nesta, his team had already won but he seemed hell bent on getting that minute played and he pulled it off.

Where do we go from here?

There is an old saying that until you can never really be a winner until you have tasted defeat. The season to date has been a struggle for Indy Eleven that goes without saying, they have fought well to earn every point they have, but there is a breaking point. I think it was Éamon Zayed who was quoted last year as saying "it is how you react to defeat that defines you as a player and as a team".

The best way to remove that bitter taste is to move on and win. Indy despite their injury issues have had opportunities to give new players and returning players game time with the aim of bringing all players up to match fitness and this will pay off in the long run. In the coming weeks with a little luck we may be in an enviable position of having too many players to choose from. It still is very difficult to be disappointed with this team.

It may seem puzzling to some to see two substitutes being used at half time in the game, all games are important, but as I mentioned in a preview for this match, it is probably the least critical of the three we have to play this week. Hankinson has used this game to give Plumhoff, Poltronieri, Goldsmith, Manning, Speas and Don Smart valuable game time.

The midweek game against Michigan Bucks in the US Open Cup I am sure will not be taken lightly, but again it offers us further opportunity to bring fitness back to multiple players within the roster. By the time May 20th and the home tie against Miami FC rolls around, our opposition will no doubt see a much changed side from the one they have just defeated. Indy Eleven need a first home win, and also have an unbeaten home record to protect. If you want to answer critics, you may as well do it against the toughest opponent you can find.