Indy Eleven 2018: When Time Is Short Experience Is Critical

Justin Braun and Ben Speas (pictured) return with Brad Ring for Indy Eleven in 2018

By: James Cormack

A lot of things have happened and many things have changed since the end of Indy Eleven's 2017 season. Most of the news surrounding the team will not be new to you so rather than give a long-winded explanation of all recent events I will summarize as briefly as possible before looking at what we should expect during the course of 2018.

- Indy Eleven have departed from the NASL (North American Soccer League) after four seasons and one Spring Championship win in 2016. The team will now compete in the United Soccer League (USL) in 2018. Indy will play in the Eastern Conference of the USL and will face 15 other opponents home and away as they attempt to reach post-season playoffs and a possible USL championship game.

- Tim Hankinson has departed as head coach and been replaced by Scottish coach Martin Rennie. Martin Rennie has many years of experience in US Soccer including a period in the MLS where he was appointed manager of Vancouver Whitecaps in 2011. Rennie was also the head coach of Carolina Railhawks (now North Carolina FC) both in USL1 and NASL.

- Phillip Dos Santos, brother of Marc Dos Santos was announced as the assistant coach to Martin Rennie. Phillip has worked with his brother Marc for numerous years, most recently at 2017 NASL Champions the San Francisco Deltas. Phillip brings a wealth of coaching experience and player contacts to Indianapolis.

- Indy Eleven announced they will play their home games at Lucas Oil Stadium (LOS) in 2018 marking the end of four years at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. LOS provides a venue with modern facilities and an all-weather playing arena. The team hopes to attract 16,000 supporters to home games. Seating will be arranged on three sides of the playing area with the Brickyard Battalion supporters group being situated in the north end zone.

- Indy Eleven will play their first game in USL away to Richmond Kickers on March 24th followed by our home opener on March 31st against FC Cincinnati. For a full 2018 schedule click here and for details on Indy Eleven season tickets and single-game tickets click here. The first pre-season match will be against FC Cincinnati at Grand Park on February 22nd with kick off set for 2.00pm. This is a non ticketed match and Grand Park is a public venue for those who would like to attend.

Why Experience Is Critical for Indy Eleven in 2018

Forward Jack McInerney joins Indy Eleven after 7 years in MLS (photo: The Oregonian) 

For reasons mostly outwith their own control, Indy Eleven's switch from NASL to USL and the need to secure a home venue for 2018 matches has left them very little time to recruit coaches and players and arrange suitable playing challenges before the first regular season game.

The decision to play in the USL was announced on January 10th and Martin Rennie was appointed as the new head coach on the 16th along with Phillip Dos Santos as his assistant on the 22nd of the same month. From the announcement of Rennie as head coach, Indy Eleven found themselves with a mere 67 days to prepare for their first competitive match of 2018. Two months and some loose change!

Despite being so close to the beginning of the season and most players already entered into contracts, Rennie has so far put together a very solid roster so far, the bulk of which are highly experienced not only at NASL or USL level but also MLS. With this weeks announcement of Jack McInerney from LA Galaxy and Soony Saad from Sporting KC the addition of quality players does not appear to be slowing down.

This will be important for the team as the level of quality being added can help counter the lack of time available to develop chemistry not only between players but between the playing staff and the coaches. As we saw in 2016 the arrival of Tim Hankinson triggered a squad overhaul and a rather short, timid pre-season schedule. Hankinson also added quality and experience which made Indy a hard team to beat and as it turned out they remained undefeated throughout the Spring Championship and lifted the trophy.

I think in 2018 we will see something quite similar. The squad will learn more about each other through competitive matches once the season begins, for now, it's all about gaining fitness and time on the field. Pre-season matches are never a good indicator of a team's potential and the results are not important, but the playing time itself is valuable for the squad to build on-field relationships between each other.

It's easy to pass judgment based off "things on paper" but I will say looking at this roster that I doubt any team in the Eastern Conference are going to find Indy Eleven an easy team to play against. We may have to endure some draws and possibly a narrow defeat or two before this new team finds itself, or maybe not? All the right ingredients are there, it's up to the coach and players to produce the magic.

We Are Excited And You Should Be Too...

If you are not already hyped to a frenzy for Indy Eleven in 2018 please fix that and catch up.

Indy Eleven's roster to date is starting to resemble something like an NASL All-Star team combined with new and exciting players and some MLS ringers. It's pretty stacked at the moment, let's be honest.

Justin Braun, Brad Ring, and Ben Speas return from Indy Eleven's 2017 NASL side along with a return of Zach Steinberger from Jacksonville Armada. Add to that Ayoze, Juan Guerra, and Starikov from NASL's three-time champions the New York Cosmos. Karl Ouimette and Reiner Ferreira two regular defensive players from last year's NASL champions the San Francisco Deltas and Brad Rusin from Miami FC join them.

Kevin Venegas played with Minnesota in NASL and MLS, Matt Watson with North Carolina FC, Vancouver, and Chicago Fire, Seth Moses arrives from Puerto Rico FC. Thirteen players who could easily grace an NASL team of the week sheet.

Indy Eleven have also dipped into young MLS talent bringing Jack McInerney from LA Galaxy, Hassan "Soony" Saad Ali from Sporting Kansas, and Tyler Pasher also from Swope Park and SKC.

Rennie has added two Trinidad Internationals. Defender Carlyle Mitchell played under our new coach at Vancouver and Seoul with a spell in NASL at Edmonton in between. Midfielder Nathan Lewis was part of the Trinidad national team that played against the USA in World Cup qualification. Welsh goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams arrives from Inverness where he was playing in the Scottish Championship.

Surprisingly not many young players have been added but we may see more before the season begins. 22 year old Ghanaian midfielder Amass Amankona arrives with previous experience at Real Monarchs, and goalkeeper Jordan Farr with 44 shutouts in NAIA gets his first taste of professional soccer.

This is not even a complete roster, when I read through that again I have to pinch myself and read it again. This is, as it stands, a very strong squad. Up until a short time ago survival of the club was my only concern, and I feared with all the changes we may go conservative on signings so this is an unexpected surprise.

Indy will face Louisville City FC as league opposition for the first time in 2018

For four years in the NASL our closest opponent may have been Atlanta or North Carolina and for the more adventurous perhaps a trip to Minnesota. Not only will we now play 15 other teams in one conference but 11 of those teams can be driven in around 10 hours or under.

We also have two very close rival teams in Louisville City FC and Cincinnati FC which gives supporters even more opportunity to see their team play. Nashville also joins the league this year and is around a 4 hour drive from Indy. Even Pittsburgh Riverhounds at around 6 hours driving could be considered a day trip.

Indy Eleven will renew its rivalry with Tampa Bay Rowdies our furthest away opponent and also Ottawa Fury FC. North Carolina FC have made the switch to USL putting four former NASL teams in the USL Eastern Conference.

Click here for approximate drive times to each of our Eastern Conference opponents.

Home games will now be played at Lucas Oil Stadium allowing Indy Eleven to up its possible attendance which is believed to be around 16,000. The Brickyard Battalion supporters section capacity has been expanded from around 1500 to 3000 giving us the opportunity to be twice as loud as we were before.

Lucas Oil Stadium also offers protection from the elements meaning the prospect of a delayed or postponed game highly unlikely. I know this will disappoint some who like to get drunk in parking garages and listen to the Red Card Regiment but it also means we may not lose 80% of the attendance when a weather delayed game begins.

If ALL of this has not made you more excited than ever before as an Indy Eleven supporter then you must be a very hard person to please. Tell your friends, bring new supporters to games, buy extra tickets and show Indianapolis that professional soccer is here to stay. The future of our club and the possibilities of eventually securing our own stadium rely on continued interest and a growing support. We have sold out many games before at Carroll Stadium, we can do it again at Lucas Oil. Help us make March 31st 2018 a landmark day in Indy Eleven's history.

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Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and our website BloodyShambles.com. The Bloody Shambles Soccer Show podcast will returning during the course of the season and is available on iTunes or directly from Soundcloud. If you are interested in being involved in supporter media with Bloody Shambles Soccer, possibly you have an idea for a supporter related article about your experiences or the team or you have an idea for a podcast please email jcormack@bloodyshambles.com or contact us through Twitter. Indy Eleven needs more supporter driven content and we are more than happy to give fans a platform to express their opinion on the team or just relate their experiences from match days, road trips, community events etc.

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.

San Juan, Puerto Rico FC Win Restrepo Award for Top NASL Away Day

Who's ready for a road trip to San Juan?!

By: Brandon Cockrum (@brew_wallace)

Congratulations to Puerto Rico FC and the city of San Juan for winning the first ever Top NASL Away Day! The island club is the first ever recipient of The Walter Restrepo Away Day Achievement Award.

While this is likely the only “hardware” that the expansion club will win in 2016, it’s nonetheless an accomplishment worthy of pride. In just over one month of play in the NASL, the football club, owned by pro-basketball player Carmelo Anthony, has already established itself as the most desirable city for NASL supporters to visit. The chance for soccer travelers to make a beach holiday out of the away match certainly helped San Juan's chance at winning, but the club’s supporters, stadium and match day experience were also significant features that appealed to voters.

Puerto Rico FC play their games at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, PR. The 22,000 seat, former-baseball stadium hosts nearly 5,000 supporters of PRFC for each home match.

"When you come to Puerto Rico you come to paradise! When you come to Juan Ramón Loubriel, you'll see some of the most passionate fans in the league. Electric atmosphere! Everybody is welcome to our Island!" - @BarraNaranjaPRFC (@BarraPrfc)

More than five hundred votes were cast in the competition pitting all twelve NASL cities in a bracket-style tournament to determine the NASL's most appealing city to visit. San Juan beat out Indianapolis in the competition’s final round, with 62% of voters preferring a trip to the island territory. In previous rounds, San Juan also edged out Tampa Bay, Edmonton, and Ottawa. Indianapolis advanced to the finals with wins over New York City, Minneapolis, and Oklahoma City.

The prestigious, international award is named after professional soccer player Walter Restrepo, currently on loan to the USL’s Bethlehem Steel from MLS’ Philadelphia Union. In 2014, Restrepo was traded from the NASL’s Ft. Lauderdale Strikers to the San Antonio Scorpions for the eye-catching price of “free lodging and transportation during Fort Lauderdale’s two road trips to San Antonio in 2014.” The creative deal has been recognized as one of the most unique trades in sports. On the field, Restrepo has twice been named to the NASL’s Best XI and twice lifted the NASL’s Soccer Bowl as league champion.

Final Round: Top NASL Away Day

If you could visit any NASL city for a match, where would you go?

By: Brandon Cockrum (@brew_wallace)

After three weeks of voting we have eliminated ten cities from the Bloody Shambles Top NASL Away Day tournament and are down to our finalists. 

Midwest-region winner Indianapolis topped East Coast-region champ New York, winning 63% of votes. The International-region representative, San Juan, Puerto Rico, narrowly edged the Florida-region's Tampa Bay, 51% to 49%. BloodyShambles staff were starting to develop a tie-breaking contest to determine a winner, when the deciding was vote was cast at the last minute.

          

Our final matchup features the club with the league's best attendance over the last three seasons, Indianapolis, against the newest member of the league, San Juan. The Midwest city, provides great tailgating and large crowds on match day, and has a growing food and culture reputation to explore in a visitor's free time. The Puerto Rican capital offers an international travel and match experience, as well as the always-popular sun and sand.

Voting for the final round will remain open for approximately three days. Voters should NOT vote for their club's home city. (If you don't want to vote against your own club, don't vote in that bracket.) Vote for the city that you would most like to visit for an away match. Criteria for casting your vote could include the opponent's match day experience and supporters culture, your desire to also visit an away city for food or culture, or any other personal travel preferences you might have. (Quality of local breweries and waterparks are key criteria for me.)

Cast your vote today for the NASL's Top Away Day:
VOTING HAS ENDED

Final Four: Top NASL Away Day

If you could visit any NASL city for a match, where would you go?

By: Brew Wallace (@brew_wallace)

After two weeks of voting we have eliminated eight cities from the Bloody Shambles Top NASL Away Day tournament and are now to the final four. On one side of the bracket we have the sun and sand cities of Tampa Bay and San Juan squaring off. The other matchup features the noisy newcomer, Indianapolis, versus the Empire City, New York. While some of the results of the first round might have been predictable, anyone city could advance from this round to compete in the final.

Voting for the regional winner round will remain open for approximately four days. Voters should NOT vote for their club's home city. Instead vote for the city that you would most like to visit for an away match. (If you don't want to vote against your own team then you don't have to vote in that part of the bracket.) Criteria for casting your vote could include, but is certainly not limited to, the opponent's supporters culture, the expected match day experience, your desire to visit a city, or any other personal travel preferences you might have. (Quality of local breweries is a key criteria for me.)

With the formalities out of the way, let's get it on!

Tampa Bay, Indy Advance In Top Away Day Tourney

Rowdies led start to finish.

Indy and Minnesota were neck and neck.

By: Brandon Cockrum (@brew_wallace)

Tampa Bay and Indianapolis advance to round two of the Top NASL Away Day tourney. Nearly 140 votes were cast in in the first two regional battles. The voting played out differently for the regions, however, with Tampa Bay taking the lead at the start and running away from their Florida brethren, collecting 62% of the votes for most appealing South Florida city to visit for a match. Minneapolis led Indianapolis out of the gate, but as more votes were collected Indy surpassed its regional rival, winning 49% to 43%.

Thanks to all who participated in the first ever Top NASL Away Day tourney. The next round of voting will kickoff on Monday, July 25, and feature the International and East Coast regions. Be sure to check back at BloodyShambles.com early next week so you can cast your vote for the most appealing away match.

Updated bracket. Who will Tampa and I

Indy Eleven NPSL Season Approaches - Why Should You Be There?

Indy (in white) prepares to kick off in the National Semi Final against Chattanooga FC in 2015

By: James Cormack

It seems somehow the stars align with dates when it comes to supporting our Boys in Blue. Indy Eleven NPSL will kick off 2016 with a US Open Cup match against Cincinnati Dutch Lions (they're not really Dutch) on the ELEVENTH of May!

If you are late to the show and asking yourself what is the NPSL and who are Indy Eleven NPSL? You can find out everything you need to know about the team by reading our introduction from earlier this year here. You can also find out more information at Indy Eleven's club overview page.

Supporters are in for a treat this year as the first two games of the season are big ones. Indy Eleven NPSL (formerly Indiana Fire) will play in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup by virtue of winning the Midwest Regional Championship last year. The match will take place on May 11th and only a few days later on May 14th the boys will face off against AFC Cleveland who they defeated in last years regional final.

The US Open Cup is a big deal for these players. It is the longest running national soccer tournament in the United States and the third longest running open soccer tournament in the world. Indy Eleven NPSL will participate in the 103rd competition.

If their opponents the Cincinnati Dutch Lions sound familiar, they are part of the same organization as the Dayton Dutch Lions who played against Indy Eleven in the US Open Cup in 2014. Cinci Dutch Lions play in the USL PDL which is a league at the same level as NPSL in the US Soccer pyramid.

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NPSL Midwest Championship Trophy

This will be Indy's third season in the NPSL, the team has been highly successful in a short period of time under head coach John Simmonds. Coach Simmonds played at Center Grove High School before moving on to Purdue University where he helped win the NCCSA Championship in 1991 and also making First Team NCCSA All America and appearing in the 1991 College World Cup in Juarez, Mexico.

He has been a director of coaching since the nineties beginning with Indy Inferno. After Inferno merged with Carmel United, John became a board member and Boy's Director at Carmel for 10 years. After taking the position of Boy's director at Westfield Select in 2012, Westfield and Carmel United then merged to form Indiana Fire Juniors where he became Director of both Boys and Girls U13-U19 as well as head coach of Indiana Fire NPSL.

Coach John Simmonds [JS] took time this week to answer some of our questions about the team and the upcoming season...

The team has made great strides in only two seasons, Midwest Champs in 2015 and National Semi finalists. Will we see a continued progression in 2016 and is the National title a realistic aim for us?

 - [JS] We have all intentions to repeat as NPSL Midwest Regional Champions. It is very difficult to win a regional championship and even harder to repeat it. We will not be surprising anyone this year and our path will be more difficult. We have addressed a few things positionally with our roster to help us beyond the regionals, if we are that fortunate.

In 2015 the team played in front of over 9000 fans in Chattanooga, what would it take for Indy Eleven NPSL to host a national game, is this something you aim for to get that home advantage?

 - [JS] The national semi final in Chattanooga was an unbelievable environment that would be tough to replicate. Yes, we would love to put our name out there to host possibly the Midwest Regional finals or National semis for obvious reasons.

However, we need to get the local soccer community behind the team and bolster our home game attendance to even be considered. We have an excellent home venue now in Grand Park and would love for people to see the high level that Indy Eleven NPSL soccer is.

Several supporters have asked us why an NPSL roster is so large, at the moment we have 39 listed players, what is the reason for that?

 - [JS] Our roster is primarily college players, many of whom are from out of state and also some non college players. We feel we need the large roster to get through the whole summer. We have some players that go home for a week or two to visit family, we also have to account attrition (injuries) as the season progresses.

We also have back to back play dates and will sometimes use entirely different rosters for each game to keep players from being worn down. We also add some local players purely as a developmental piece for them. Throughout the season all rostered players will see time on the field in either league or friendly games.

Lukman Ahmed Shaibu, Lamine Balde, Jeffrey McClure and Travis Wannemuehler Class of 2016

Of the Class of 2016, the new players coming in this year, who should we be watching, which names are going to make heads turn and other teams cry?

 - [JS] Lukman Ahmed Shaibu - 2012 Junior College American at Prairie State College with 27 goals. Transferred to Holy Cross in South Bend, led Holy Cross in 2014 with 7 goals. Lukman will add another much needed goal scoring threat in attack.

Lamine Balde - 2014 Fort Pitt Regiment NPSL leading scorer. A seasoned veteran that adds depth to an already reloaded attack.

Jeffrey McClure Jr - Brebeuf HS and Uni of Southern Indiana grad. Has played last few years in PDL with Cincinnati Dutch Lions and Muskegon Risers. Jeffrey will add leadership experience to the back line. He appeared in preseason with Indy Eleven and played 90 minutes against University of Louisville.

Travis Wannemuehler - Travis will be a senior this fall at NC State. He is a very versatile player who can play many positions. Travis was also a representative on the US Mens U18 team.

Having seen some big crowds on your travels, what does it mean to you and the team to have more people come out and support?

 - [JS] The staff and players are looking forward to improved home attendance this year. The roster is full of well accomplished players including some former pros. The product the fans will is of an enjoyable high standard. 

We want to see more fans in the seats this year, it can be disheartening to players to not see a similar crowd size at home as we do on the road. These players deserve the support of the local soccer community as many of them grew up here.

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Indy GK - Cody Schweitzer

Last season was the first for goalkeeper Cody Schweitzer [CS] who had an outstanding year and also was chosen to represent the Midwest NPSL Combine team in Florida (coached by Tim Regan in the absence of coach Simmonds) which they won for the second year running. We asked Cody for his thoughts on a great first year.

Last year was your first in the NPSL Team, what were your expectations, were they exceeded and what did playing in the league give you as far as development and experience?

 - [CS] My expectations was to be playing against mostly college players looking to get extra work in on the field, but they were exceeded a little when I realized there are more than just college players, also some of the teams had a lot of fans like Lansing United and Chattanooga FC.

The NPSL gives you experience at amateur level, development is also good depending on what team you play for. I was lucky enough to get a chance to train with Indy Eleven's first team last summer so it certainly does help. It also gave me a better understanding of the path to becoming a pro and what exactly I need to improve upon in order to reach that goal. The league is growing every year and I am glad to be a part of it.

If you could relive one of these moments from last year, would it be lifting the Midwest Champions trophy or playing in front of over 9000 people in Chattanooga at the National Semi Final?

 - [CS] I would absolutely love to relive the National semi final, playing in front of 9000 people was an amazing feeling. There is no feeling like that and they were so enthusiatic. I think we were the better team for 70 minutes and it was as if the whole team was feeding off the energy of the crowd, I know I was.

I felt cool, calm and collected during my warm up... and even when we were 3-0 down. The loss was heartbreaking but it's just one of those losses you have to feel out in order to learn from it. The whole team was honed in on the game the whole time and honestly none of us were distracted. It was an amazing experience for the team, players and coaches.

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Team Captain - Nago Mbengue

Team captain Nago Mbengue [NM] has been in the team since the first kick and also has played with Indy Eleven this year against University of Louisville along with Jeffrey McClure and Thomas Schmitt. Nago has played professionally for Dayton Dutch Lions in the ULS and in the US Open Cup.

You have captained the side for two years and in that time the team has had great success and won a championship. How important is it for you as a player and captain to go even further with this team?

 - [NM] To see what our team has been able to accomplish these first two years has given us the confidence to believe in not only reaching the National finals but to win the final as well. Being in the finals will not only increase player confidence it also gives us more local and national exposure, promoting a larger fan base as well as attracting more talented players. As a captain and a player my pride in being a part of this program's success is driving me to continue to train and develop to meet the challenges of the coming season.

The first game for the team this year will be in the US Open Cup, have you played in it before and how important is this game to you and the team?

 - [NM] This will be my second time competing in the Open Cup, I played with Dayton Dutch Lions three years ago and we made it to the third round that year before losing to MLS side Columbus Crew. I feel it is my job to get the guys motivated, excited and ready to play. This is a big opportunity for us to get more national exposure as we have a chance to play against established pro teams. We're all very confident that we can get a couple of wins and make some noise in this tournament.

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Please come out and support the team as they represent Indy Eleven in the NPSL. Tickets for the USOC game on May 11th are not part of the regular season ticket package but are only $5 each. Season tickets are available in two packages and cover all league and friendly matches. Regular season ticket package is only $25, if you wish to get season tickets plus commemorative 2015 Midwest Champions scarf you do so for only $40! Click here for ticket information and purchasing! SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CLUB!

Everybody needs more scarves!