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.

Eleven Paths To Victory: How Indy Gets to MLS

Indy Eleven surprised the soccer community with its MLS announcement.

By Brandon Cockrum

Late in the evening of January 30, less than 24 hours before the deadline to formally apply for the next phase of MLS expansion, word began leaking out that Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir would be arriving the following day at MLS headquarters in New York City with his club’s application in hand. Hard-core supporters of the club and fans of the sport exhibited a spectrum of responses, with the most common being surprise. News of the bid also inspired plenty of skepticism toward Indy's chance at success.

Ozdemir signs paperwork for the bid at MLS HQ. // Image courtesy of: Indy Eleven

I too was surprised, but after reviewing the info the team did share, talking with others about the bid and conducting some research, I hold the opposite opinion: I think the club and Indianapolis will be highly competitive and that their bid will see the Eleven arrive in MLS. I’ll even kindly provide you (and Mr. Ozdemir, if he’s reading) a detailed path to victory for the Eleven.

Before we get to that though, here’s what we know about Indy’s MLS bid:

• Indy is one of twelve clubs competing for four spots in MLS
• Two clubs are expected be announced by October 2017 to enter the league in 2020 and two announced at a later date to enter in 2021
• The MLS expansion fee for the first two teams is $150 million each; the fee could be higher for the second pair
• The Eleven proposed a 20,000 seat stadium at an estimated expense of just over $100 million
• In two previous Indiana legislative sessions, the Eleven were not quite able to successfully negotiate funding for a new stadium
• The Eleven are in negotiations to purchase 16 acres of land for the stadium, bordered by Kentucky Avenue and Merrill, McCarty and West streets
• The ownership group will provide “a significant” amount of money to get the new stadium built, but suggested public assistance may be necessary as well
• The Eleven’s proposed ownership group consists of local auto dealer Andy Mohr; Elwood Staffing President Mark Elwood; Heritage Environmental Services President Jeff Laborsky; and Mickey Maurer, a shareholder in The National Bank of Indianapolis and IBJ Corp
• The ownership group meets MLS' financial requirements but is likely to add more members

Proposed site of stadium. Photo looks northeast from the intersection of Kentucky, Oliver and McCarty streets.

Now, let's discuss their path to victory:

1. Three teams eliminated from the competition… by being successful bids

San Diego, Tampa Bay, Phoenix

Three great cities and three of the largest markets in the country without a MLS franchise. It’s hard to argue with any of these bids as they check a lot of boxes, plus San Diego and Tampa Bay are among the closest of all cities to having their stadiums fully approved. So, three down, only eight teams for Indy to beat now. This will be easy.

2. One city eliminated for being less experienced

Raleigh

The market of the North Carolina city is nearly equal to the league’s smallest in Salt Lake. Indy frequently hosts world-class sporting events such as NCAA Final Fours, the Indianapolis 500 and even a Super Bowl. What has Raleigh hosted? The College Cup? Please.


3. One city eliminated because the Eleven have a big head start

Nashville

The former supporter-owned club in the Music City has new owners and will be moving up from a lower league into the USL in 2017. Their bid checks some boxes but they’re the smallest market and their stadium plans are nowhere near being finalized. Meanwhile, Indy has posted at least the fourth-highest attendance in lower division soccer for three straight seasons and might be closer to getting a stadium built.

Image courtesy of: The Monsieur

4. Three cities eliminated because they can’t get stadiums deals done

St. Louis, Charlotte, Detroit

Stadia funding and locations seem to be significant holdups in these cities at a critical time. Each had a rejection of their stadium proposal on the eve of submitting their MLS bids. These cities might check more boxes than the Eleven, but, no stadium, no bueno. Indy has to get over the same hurdle, but it’s possible, you’ll see.

5. Three cities eliminated because of proximity to existing franchises

Sacramento, San Antonio, Cincinnati

Both Sacramento and Cincinnati have great clubs and supporters and are possibly the most deserving clubs making a bid. San Antonio is just barely off their pace. However, MLS doesn’t always choose the most deserving clubs to promote. (See Sacramento, still not in MLS.)

The San Jose Earthquakes have approved the addition of Sacramento, just two hours up the road, but the league may not be interested in five California franchises. The market is also not one of the best of the 12 but the city does have an approved stadium site and funding. However, at the final hour, the ownership group stripped Sacramento Republic FC and essentially many of their supporters from their bid. The mayor is attempting to negotiate a peace treaty but this opened the door to the city being passed over once again. Regardless, their bid comes up short of San Diego's and only one Cali team gets in this round.

San Antonio FC has half of an MLS stadium already in place and a classy owner in Spurs Sports & Entertainment, among the best in the NBA. The second year USL team stands on the shoulders of an NASL club that built the current stadium and established a good foundation of support. If there weren’t two MLS clubs each about three hours away by car the city would be nearly a lock. Unfortunately for them, the two cities are both that close and each struggles with attendance despite seeing success on the field, which might scare MLS away from taking a chance on the smaller San Antonio market.

Cincinnati is attempting to become the league’s second Ohio team. A two-hour drive separates the city from Columbus Crew and the cities teams pull fans from many of the same markets. The Crew have negative revenue, one of the league’s lowest attendances and have begun talking about needing a new stadium. FC Cincinnati averaged a larger attendance than the Crew and seems MLS ready, however the league appears to be pushing them to build a soccer-specific stadium. If think the Crew will view the Cincinnati bid as more of a threat to them than a benefit, and the club’s owner is on the expansion committee, making this bid a no go right now.

6. Plot Twist: A fifth expansion spot becomes available

The 24th spot in MLS is currently designated for David Beckham and Miami, however the likelihood of him making enough progress in the next year to hold onto his spot is looking less and less likely. As more high-quality bids from other ownership groups come together, the league will feel pressure to move on from Miami. They’ve not yet set a date for the expiration of Beckham's franchise rights to the 24th spot, but it will be here sooner than later.

7. Indy is a hub for a MLS midwest core

Indy is located almost exactly 3 hours from both Chicago and Columbus and their inclusion in the league would create an instant rivalry with each club. If Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Louis or even Louisville join the league at some point, Indy is an easy road trip and natural geographic rival with each. The same cannot be said for the other midwest bids as they are not located as centrally in the region. Competition between MLS’ Cascadian Cup clubs have taken the sport to new heights in North America. The midwest represents a similar opportunity to grow the US game and Indy is right in the middle of it.

As compared to Cincinnati, Indy is an easier road trip and more natural geographic rival with existing and proposed clubs. 

8. Ozdemir thinks big and has key connections

Eleven-owner Ozdemir has built an empire as a successful developer, and is not simply just the owner of a sports team. He’s also a reserved, thoughtful strategist that can execute big projects. Even if this bid came together quickly, Ozdemir would likely not jump into the fray unless he was confident in its’ success.

The club’s owner also has widespread GOP connections in a state dominated by Republicans. Indianapolis leans more Democrat and the developer has many positive relationships here as well. While the city and state governments are likely to be reticent in offering much public assistance for another sports stadium, they could be convinced with the right arrangement. The club will have to propose a better deal than it has in the past, and they’re already talking like that is going to happen. There is opportunity here, and Ozdemir might be one of the few people that can pull it off.

9. Herb Simon and Reno 1868

With his founding of Reno 1868, real-estate tycoon Herb Simon and owner of the Indiana Pacers, has recently become a player in the American soccer landscape. The Eleven are admittedly looking to add to their recently-formed ownership group and the current investor list includes names that are locally impressive but not quite up to MLS expectations. Getting the billionaire Simon on board would be more than enough to satisfy MLS requirements.

Launching this season in the USL, 1868 will play its games at the Triple-A baseball stadium also owned by Simon. MLS' San Jose Earthquakes currently work with the Reno club in an affiliate partnership, which is similar to a Triple-A team's relationship with a partner in Major League Baseball. With Simon as an owner of both, the USL club could easily partner with the Eleven instead of the 'Quakes. Having a reserve side ready to go on day one is a small but possibly important differentiator for Indy. Some of these bids - Detroit and St. Louis, for example - feature zero active teams; Indy could have two active teams in its bid package.

10. Plan 2020

The City of Indianapolis will begin celebrating it’s bicentennial in 2020 and is mobilizing to launch and execute plans to re-envision and redevelop areas of the community. The city has also been working hard but failing to generate development in the GM and Stadium districts on the southwest side of downtown and in December designated the GM land a TIF area, which allows them to reinvest district tax dollars directly into area improvements. This TIF area is also immediately adjacent to the Eleven’s proposed stadium location and improvements are already in the planning stages for streets that serve the stadium property. Coincidentally, the Eleven are using “2020” as part of their MLS marketing campaign. Partnering Ozdemir and Simon in a significant real estate and development project involving the GM and Stadium districts and that is in progress by 2020 sounds like a deal the will be hard for local and state officials to pass up.

Indianapolis has high hopes for the GM and Stadium Districts. The proposed stadium could spur more projects in the area.

11. Hamilton County saves the day

The continuously growing and affluent county to the north of Indianapolis is also a soccer hotbed. Home to the Eleven’s training facility and many excellent youth soccer programs, a community in Hamilton County might be willing to help fund the stadium if downtown Indianapolis does not work out. Carmel and Fishers are each investing in economic development projects and trying to change perceptions of their communities from sleepy suburb to sophisticated metropolis. A professional soccer stadium in their backyard might make the local soccer moms quite happy, however, a transition to MLS and move to Hamilton County might test the relationship with club supporters.

Indianapolis, Spring 2020. Is this what the future looks like?

Now, not all of these events have to happen for the Eleven to be successful. The key event is Indy securing a stadium and if that occurs Indy has a very good chance of being selected. 

I think there is a bit of serendipity in play right now and the timing is right for the club to secure a stadium. There are also just enough flaws with the other bids (and maybe a fifth expansion spot), which will allow the Eleven to enter MLS in Spring 2020, literally kicking off Indianapolis' bicentennial celebration.

Coach Is Pissed: Indy Eleven Struggles Continue

Photo: Lucas Carter

By: Aaron Gunyon

People get worked up over preseason.  Should they?  The teams are preparing and training and in the case of Indy Eleven they are playing all in the hopes of being ready for the actual season.  These games and practices don't count in the standings and no points are awarded from the strength of schedule.  

The team doesn't look great, but its tough to expect greatness this early on.  There are more than a few rusty players and not everyone is on the same page yet.  The average age on this team is up and there are quite a few experienced guys out there so I assume transitions ought to come more easily.

However, Injuries are mounting and this team is already dealing with unexpected obstacles and roster questions.  Projected starting LB Steven Deroux has not made it to Indianapolis.  He has had surgery for injuries sustained in training while in Wisconsin with the Milwaukee Wave.  It will be months before he takes the field wearing checkers if he ever takes the field at all.  

Dino Williams is another player that we will probably not be seeing anytime soon.  The 25 year old striker was coming off of a great season in the Red Stripe Premier League but he has yet to suit up for the team.  He was wearing jeans and sneakers for last Saturday's 1-1 clash with FC Cincinnati and he was not to be found on the bench yesterday as the team took on Louisville City FC.  Coach Hankinson revealed in a post-game interview that Williams also had surgery to injuries that prevent him from playing in the near term.  

Williams was the worst kept secret in Indy Eleven history when a Jamaican Observer article linked him to the team a solid 2 months before the official announcement.  The news of his injuries becomes more troubling when you consider Williams has worked very recently with Hankinson at Montego Bay United and he was hand picked for this squad.  Williams also currently occupies one of the seven coveted international slots that each NASL team is awarded. 

There is another signing on the way.  A Colombian.  It's an attacking player and that will raise questions about how to play with 8 international spots meaning somethings gotta give.  

Other minor knocks for players are common in preseason as most fans will be aware and most of them aren't too concerning for the long term, but nagging injuries do prevent training at 100%.  Indy Eleven are dealing with that now.  There were players like Nicki Patterson and Sinisa Ubiparipovic who were held out last week and held to limited preventative minutes against Louisville.  I do see their fitness lagging as you would expect so other players will have to step up and play a more solid game.  Gorka Larrea was out and he is another player Indy would like to have available as soon as possible.  

This most recent game continues a long trend of the Indy Eleven under performing and underwhelming in the preseason.  Indy dropped Saturday's match to visiting Lou City  0-1 and are now winless in their last four attempts.  This marks the second time Indy has been blanked by a USL side since March began.  Indy conceded first in both of last weeks 1-1 draws and failed to generate much of an attack through long spells during the most recent contest.  

Indy is now 0-3 lifetime in what I am calling the Ohio River Derby.  Its a lopsided rivalry with our neighbors to the south as they were the team to bounce the boys out of the Open Cup last summer.  

So why do we care so much? 

Coach Hankinson cares... and so does the Indy Eleven front office.  Peter Wilt, Jeff Belskus and team owner Ersal Ozedemir were all at the game yesterday.  You play like you practice and preseason is practice for the regular season.

It was quiet after the game and it was the first time that I have seen Hankinson address the team behind closed locker room doors.  A team huddle was all that was required in the center of the pitch a few days ago, but Hankinson had more to say in private on Saturday.  There was a sense that tensions were high and that expectations were not being met.  Peter Wilt had poked his head into the locker room for a short time, but appeared to let Hankinson run the show and he waited to talk to and catch up with players from just outside the doors.

It's obvious the team isn't winning and this team is yet again struggling to put balls in the back of the net, but Coach Hankinson identified some other troubling issues and he discussed those in his post game Q & A with myself and a few others.  These issues seem to nag at him a bit more than the scoreline. 

"The inability to close down opponents on the ball and around the ball faster is a big issue.  We basically allow them to play."

Hankinson elaborated and then expressed concerns over another issue.  Players are taking too many touches.  

"We have a few guys that just enjoy watching themselves play and that means they are not playing for the team.  So I am very angry about that.  And that will change because I will squeeze it out of them."

Always that calm and measured demeanor that I have come to expect from this coach but you don't have to listen long to hear the disappointment in his voice.

"Obviously this was a more reserve oriented squad and it wasn't up to the task and there will be some roster changes.  I let these players know that if they are crying looking for playing time...this is about the guys that can get it done and leave the rest to rot on the bench."

As I soak all that honesty up and glance at my phone to make sure I got it all.  I realize that the coach just spoke continuously for two plus minutes about his frustrations with the team and he hadn't been asked a single question.  Hankinson is not a man who is afraid to speak his mind.  

It does not really take a lot to knock me off my interview game but Hankinson did it early when he spoke so bluntly and without provocation.  Uncharacteristically, I started to have a bit of sympathy for these professional athletes so my first question to Hankinson had him describe who had impressed him.  

The beginnings of his reply didn't shock me when he named players like Duke Lacroix who has stood out in almost every game this preseason.  But when he steered the answer back to disappointing play, and away from the safety of my softball question, I got a much better sense of how much work is let to do before April 2nd and the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

"There were a lot of inefficient players as well that couldn't understand how to close guys down.  Couldn't cover passing angles that we have talked about tactically.  Not making the next pass...Those are the guys we have to asses more shrewdly and make some hard decisions at this point."  

This is not just preseason.  For some of these players, it might be the only season they get.  They have to perform week in and week out.  They have to attack together and defend together.  Hankinson said that was not happening  and that "Defensively we weren't good enough."

There are still some weeks left before the season kicks off but the clock is definitely ticking.  I have a feeling that its going to run out on this team and a few players before we see what Indy 3.0 can do.  I was given an indication that we would see a more first team selection for the game against Butler University on Wednesday and that we will see starters get closer to 90 minutes.  Some players will still have their time monitored closely to prevent further injury, but we should get a better sense as to where everyone shakes out. 

Where are the goals going to come from?  He thought about it and then replied.

"Not from that."

Is this team ready to face Tampa Bay on the 2nd?  The answer was the shortest of the afternoon.  

 "Not today."