Magnificent goalkeeping from Owain Fôn Williams kept Indy Eleven alive under heavy pressure from Bethlehem Steel. Photo - Trevor Ruzkowski
By REBECCA TOWNSEND (aka The Pitch Bitch) The tragedy happened in slow motion. The salvation happened in a heartbeat. Host team Indy Eleven and visiting opponents Bethlehem Steel, both with playoff spots on the line, engaged in a physical match in which raw emotion between the players often surfaced as they scrapped for an advantage. Indy had some bright moments. Captain Matt Watson managed a solid shot on goal. Reiner Ferreira sucked the life out of a virile Bethlehem counterattack with a solid block. And then there was brilliant work from Indy goalie Owain Fôn Williams after Steel midfielder and captain James Chambers and forward Faris Moumbunga unstitched Indy's entire field and looked to have an all-but-certain goal on tap. Not one to cave in the face of unkind odds, Fôn Williams not only deflected Moumbunga's point-blank shot, he also scrambled successfully to reject a second attempt made off the rebound. Then, in the 39th minute, an ugly scene. Moumbugna streaked down the right flank as Carlyle Mitchell, the last Indy defender back, sprinted in to shut down the attack. Just as Mitchell closed the space, he crumpled to the turf clutching at what appeared to be a seized or pulled hamstring. Moumbugna paid no heed, seizing the 1-on-1 situation that had just unfolded between him and Fôn Williams. The keeper, caught off guard by the sudden lack of defensive pressure, could not shut down Moumbugna's angle and the visitors went up by one. With so much on the line, one can hardly blame the man for capitalizing on the unexpected advantage. But still, watching the Steel celebrate, one couldn't help but think, "You feel proud of yourselves for that, do you? Shame on you." Heading to the locker room at halftime, Indy trailed. The setup for the Oct. 6 match could have hardly be more dramatic. The teams stood back-to-back on the United Soccer League's Eastern Conference standings table, both scrambling to secure a spot in the playoffs for the USL championship. Each team had earned a victory and suffered a loss in the two games they played against each other earlier in the season. Three points would secure that spot for Indy. A loss would make the situation much dicier. Then tension was high the entire second half. Within the first few minutes, Steel midfielder Michee Ngalina tried to provoke a fight on a dead ball by aggressively pushing Indy's Ayoze in the chest. But cooler heads prevailed among the host side and Indy kept working. Defensive midfielder Nico Matern had a solid attempt on goal rebuffed. But Indy continued pressing. But then, in the infancy of the 61rst minute, the tension was broken by a play of unquestionable beauty. Whereas the tragedy unfolded in slow motion, Indy's salvation occurred with two strokes so swift and decisive, Bethlehem had no idea what hit them until they watched the replay. Seconds after Indy's defensive disarmed a Steel attack, Ayoze took possession of the ball at the top his defensive third on the left flank and, after quickly zeroing in on his target, sent a 55-yard aerial ball across the field to the top right corner of the Steel's 18. Indy striker Eugene Starikov read the play as it unfolded and sprinted to connect. With a defender at his left shoulder and keeper Tomas Romero still in front of him, Starikov took one touch on the volley to chip Romero and send the ball into Bethlehem's goal for the equalizer. Brillance. Few things are more fun in soccer than watching the opposing keeper flying back into his own net, desperately clutching for a ball that is already past saving. The scene was the perfect remedy to the heartache endured in the first half. The play also provided a positive end note for the conclusion of Indy Eleven's first season at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Boys in Blue have one final road match to play in the regular season. They will face Lousiville City FC next Saturday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Forward Elliott Collier, who recently arrived in Indy on loan from the Chicago Fire, celebrates his first goal for Indy Eleven as team captain Matt Watson rushes in to help celebrate. Photo by Trevor Rruszkowski
Hump Day Happiness In The Circle City By REBECCA TOWNSEND (aka The Pitch Bitch)
Looking for redemption for the 3-1 loss suffered during their July 21 visit to Tampa Bay, Indy Eleven met the Rowdies at Lucas Oil Stadium Wednesday night with a lineup designed for defensive impenetrability while maximizing the host's capacity to spread the field and counterattack. Focus and intensity ensured Indy Eleven eluded some of the gremlins that have cost the team victories in games past. The Boys in Blue made it through the opening minutes of the game — and the opening minutes of the second half — without being scored on. And those successes stuck, allowing the Eleven to claim victory — and for keeper Owain Fôn Williams to record his 11th clean sheet of the season. (Head coach Martin Rennie believes Fôn Williams either tied or set the club clean sheet record with the evening's result.) Fôn Williams is tied for seventh in the entire USL for number of saved goals at 77 (including two blocked penalty kicks). (The Tulsa Roughnecks FC's Fabián Cerda leads with 104.) Indy's defense was entirely no-nonsense straight from the start. Reiner Ferreira sent Junior Flemmings crumbling to the carpet on a couple occasions in the game's opening minutes. Captain Ayoze showed commanding control of his flank and the rest of the back line, in lock-step and interchangeable flow with the midfield and even the forwards, all followed suit by putting immediate and effective pressure on Tampa's possession, absorbing everything they could bring and then redistributing for the counterattack from all directions of the field. "Patient passing; low, accurate switching of fields...still more, patiently unzipping their backline," Pitch Bitch game notes read. "Maybe now test with some shots." That may be the Bitch's greatest input at this point: Let's be even more confident in the attacking third. Let's test the hell out of our opposing keepers and D with some wicked hard shots from all around the 18 perimeters! And then crash the box! Keep their defense frantic! The clinical un-stitching with close-range destruction is also beautiful to behold. Have fun finding balance. Keep bringing your highly fit relentless intensity. Carlyle Mitchell gets credit for so much, but to choose a highlight: Picture him in the first half, flying backward through the air for a floating heading clearance of a ball that was going to drop over every other defender and land about 10 yards out from Indy's goal with a swarm of Rowdies rushing in to finish? Nice. Midfielders Nico Matern, Seth Moses and Dylan Mares all came out hard, defending like animals and then building consistent and effective counterattacks. Matern, in particular, was called out by coach Rennie after the game for having one of his best-ever matches. Matern's play "was a key factor in us improving our possession and keeping the ball going," Rennie said. Tampa Bay's play of the game came in the 26th minute when Rowdies forward Sebastian Guenzatti took a wicked one-touch volley from the top of the box, forcing lightening fast reflexes from Fôn Williams, who just managed to the tip the ball off the post and out of harm's way. "Great shot! Great save!" says commentator Brad Hauter, also the coach of DePauw Men's Soccer. Ten minutes later Indy defender Kevin Venegas cracks a shot of his own, forcing Tampa keeper Daniel Vega into a diving save to tip the ball over the crossbar. The defense continued its offensive onslaught of first-half fury when Karl Ouimette bagged his third goal of the season, which also happened to be his third header into goal from an Ayoze corner kick. How did it feel? "Amazing!" Ouimette said following the game, calling Indy Eleven's 2-0 victory over the Rowdies "a big step up from past games."
The game's positive results were clear, he said, especially from the perspective of a defender whose first objective is to win and second is to record a shutout. "We scored a goal and we didn't sit back too much," he said, "We defended well throughout the game. We were able to dominate and put up pressure and impose our style of play. That was a big plus for us today. And, obviously, scoring on a personal side is always good!" The team has "amazing players..such nice guys and we have each others' backs," he added. "Lots of teams have internal negativity. Not here. We want to help each other succeed."
Ouimette attended a post-game press conference with one of the team's most recent signings, Elliott Collier, who came to the Circle City on loan from Chicago Fire. Collier scored the night's second goal after beautiful teamwork set up Jack McInerney to tangle Tampa's defenders and leave a deflected ball rolling straight into Collier's path at which point the New Zealand native buried left-footed, one-touch shot.
Tense moments about 10 minutes into the second half when an errant call from officials left Tampa Bay setting up for an undeserved penalty kick, which if netted would have tied the score. The center official intervened, however, and reset the play where with a drop ball instead. Thereby a riot was prevented. Thank you refs!
Perspective on Potential Post-season Action
The team's playoff dreams are still in play. They currently sit at 5th place in the USL's Eastern Conference. The top eight teams from each conference will square off to see who will face the best of the Western Conference and claim the USL's 2018 Championship. Three games remain, including two road games against teams that sit at the first and third spots on the table. This upcoming Saturday's (Sept. 29) road trip to FC Cincinnati presents a huge challenge and opportunity. Cincy has invested in a roster that will help them make the transition into the MLS next season. As a result, they've remained the Eastern Conference leader all season long — and they've beat Indy twice; a 0-1 defeat for Indy's first-ever home game played at Lucas Oil Stadium, followed by a 2-3 result in Indy one month later.
USL Eastern Conference Standings as of Sept. 27, 2018
The challenge lies in beating a team that has consistently dominated all competition. The opportunity lies in knowing that Indy improved its form from the first game to the second against Cincy. Plus, Indy Eleven has been improving as a unit all season and FC Cincinnati hasn't contended with them since early May. The prospect of tearing down the top dog is too tasty, especially on its home field. Huge egos are designed by God to rupture. The Eleven just may end up doing the Lord's work by checking their neighbor to the southeast with a healthy dose of revenge. How fun would it be to send those guys packing to the MLS with a 2-2 record against Indy? A regular season victory this weekend would give Indy one and then they can follow with an even sweeter playoff victory! A prescient piece of Scripture comes to mind: "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" (Matthew 19:26) So when haters try to talk "odds" or "reason" or "logic" or "MLS caliber" ... just remember Jesus — and the Blues Brothers. ("We're on a mission from God.") And keep playing your flippin' hearts out! We take no result as a fore-drawn conclusion. Jimmy Cliff also comes to mind: "The harder they come, the harder they fall." Humbling the haughty and earning some payback for letting those jokers come over here and steal Indy's first home game victory — all while building confidence as the team prepares for winning playoff form? Sounds like solid motivation for Saturday's match. "I feel we'll reward the fans with the way we play," Collier said. "You get the fans behind you, you can shake the other team, as well. So come on out and we'll have a good time!" Cincinnati and Louisville will be a preview of the playoffs, Collier said. "Everyone is going to go at it," he said. "Those environments can be tough but we're going to go out and do what we can (in terms of perfecting the Indy system)... As good as the players are here, I think they're even better people. Bring a bunch of really good soccer players and really good people together, you'll have a good environment to build off."
Words of wisdom from Coach Rennie
Here are some tasty nuggets gleaned from Rennie's post-game comments.
"Good performance. We possessed the ball well and created some good chances. We managed to win the ball higher up pressure on the ball reduce the chances the opponent had to attack us." "In the last two home games, two of our best performances." "We've been on a good run. It's a good time to be playing well, it's a good time to be gaining confidence and that puts us in a good position." (Heading into Cincinnati:) "We have high-quality players who can get the job done for us. We have a short turnaround but ultimately it will be an exciting weekend for us." "It's really about continuing the momentum ... we're looking for improved confidence." "The game will take care of itself ... a lot on the line ... good players with good experience...I'm sure they'll relish the opportunity and make the most of it."
Moving forward
Supporters are encouraged to travel to Cincinnati (ticket info) this weekend and to Louisville where the team will play its final regular-season game on Oct. 13. The Brickyard Battalion is organizing carpools for Cincy here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsh6da2VlW67jjKj2KpeM0GsHPOqk9zZZfaBNOqgrn2vIQJQ/viewform. The final regular-season home game is set for Sat., Oct. 6 against Bethlehem Steel FC. (The game will be broadcast on MyIndy 23 TV. Tell your local bartender to tune in!) Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Fee-free tickets are available for purchase through the Brickyard Battalion supporters club at BYBtix.com. The team has plenty of good deals, as well, at IndyEleven.com.
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Thanks to the Indy Eleven communication team for this lineup summary:
Scoring Summary:
IND – Karl Ouimette (Ayoze) 37’
IND – Elliot Collier 75’
Disciplinary Summary:
IND – Owain Fon Williams (Yellow card) 74’
Indy Eleven lineup (4-4-2, L-->R): Owain Fon Williams (GK); Reiner Ferreira, Ayoze (C), Carlyle Mitchell, Karl Ouimette; Dylan Mares (Matt Watson 68’), Nico Matern, Seth Moses, Kevin Venegas; Elliot Collier (Soony Saad 84’), Jack McInerney
Indy Eleven bench: Ben Lundgaard (GK); Brad Ring, Brad Rusin, Matt Watson, Juan Guerra, Ben Speas, Soony Saad
Tampa Bay Rowdies lineup (4-5-1, L-->R): Daniel Vega (GK); Papé Diakité, Zac Portillos, Tarek Morad, Hunter Gorskie; Junior Flemmings, Lance Rozeboom (Joe Cole 78’), Afrim Taku (Alex Morrell 72’), Dominic Oduro, Kwadwo Poku (Jaime Chavez 65’); Sebastian Guenzatti
Tampa Bay Rowdies bench: Akira Fitzgerald (GK); Kyle Porter, Alex Morrell, Leo Fernandes, Martin Vingaard, Joe Cole, Jaime Chavez
Indy began their league campaign in Richmond and returned home with three points.
By: James Cormack Indy Eleven won their inaugural match in USL thanks to a first-half goal in Richmond by Jack McInerney. In a game that many of us thought was a very good chance for Indy Eleven to win, possibly by several goals, we will gladly accept 1-0 victories every week.
Not only does Soony Saad, Jack McInerney, and Owain Fôn Williams make history with Indy Eleven's first assist, goal, and shutout in USL, but Indy Eleven also recorded their first win in an opening league match in five years.
It was never going to be easy taking a guess at a starting lineup with this roster and maybe a few selections were surprising. Martin Rennie has faced off against Leigh Cowlishaw before and it was interesting that the chose the same formation of 4-2-3-1. Was this Rennie's preferred starting XI? Who knows? My feeling is Rennie doesn't think in terms of only eleven players and we may see several different lineups during the early months of this season.
Jack McInerney scored the only goal of the match and Indy's first in USL.
The starting lineup for Indy was similar to the one that drew 0-0 with Jacksonville Armada but with a couple of changes. Owain Fôn Williams started in goal behind a back four of Pasher, Ferreira, Mitchell, and Ouimette. Matern and Watson made up the two with Nico playing tighter to the back line while Watson covered a larger area of the midfield.
In front of them, Steinberger took the role of central attacking mid and covered an incredible amount of ground for the entirety of the game, alongside him Soony Saad and Eugene Starikov seemed almost interchangeable and often switched sides during the game while Jack McInerney sat just in front of that attacking three.
Indy Eleven showed remarkable organization and fluidity for an opening match, they were not organized to the point where they just became rigid in their positions with more than a few stepping well away from what may be considered a comfort zone for their position. The best way I can describe how we played is organized, disciplined and fluid, players were not on a short leash but regained formation well at times when they roamed out of their position, and each was covered well by a teammate when they did.
Heat and Touch map for Matern, Watson, and Steinberger alone is remarkable in the areas covered.
If you have the time to flick through some of the heatmaps and touch maps provided by USL's Opta stats for the match, you can clearly see just how well each player worked within this formation, and the 4-2-3-1 is an easily adaptable shape if a change is required later in a game. Things that stood out for me was the work rate and areas covered by Matern, Watson, and Steinberger (shown above) and the ability of Pasher and Ouimette to hug the lines from back to front.
The work by this group of players alone when Indy was not in possession allowed our two center backs to solely concentrate on anything that may slip through the middle, they had a bit of work to do but not too much. The same group of players moved the ball through Richmond's midfield very well when we attacked.
When I think back to the opening game of 2016 against Tampa Bay where we drew 0-0 we didn't have that same composure and organization as early, we had a solid starting lineup but it still seemed new and unknown to each other. To me, Indy Eleven looked like they were already a few competitive games into their season and that's a very good sign.
Matt Watson took the captain's armband for Indy's first USL match and wore it well.
When you can take three outstanding players like Brad Ring, Juan Guerra and Justin Braun off the bench and fit them seamlessly into a setup that is already working it bodes well for the future. Kevin Venegas and Ayoze didn't even travel with the team and our reserve lineup still looked scary.
The fact we only scored one goal matters not, we'll find more opportunities as the team settles. I felt my prediction of 2-0 was fair, it was our first competitive match and despite Richmond missing some key personnel they were still coming off the back of a heavy defeat and playing in front of their home fans, they fought well and may feel they deserved a point.
A win is a win however it comes and Indy Eleven got another 90 minutes of field time under their belt and will have learned more about each other as they head into what may arguably be a much tougher game against FC Cincinnati. We will likely be considered underdogs this weekend and that's fine, we have been in his position before and stepped up.
The Boys in Blue will have enjoyed their first taste of league football this year and will be eager to head straight back into the fight, FC Cincinnati played in the opening round while Indy watched and it was Cincinnati's turn to sit out this week. It should be a very interesting and challenging game.
Reaction from Caleb Ramp: Indy Eleven and her fans will experience many “culture shocks” with their 2018 move to USL and Lucas Oil Stadium. While most of these will be in off-field operations and league structure (with the exception of the actual field, I suppose), the potentially large talent disparity in week-over-week opponents is something which may take time to get used to. In the NASL, there weren’t many free lunches – especially on the road. Perhaps it’s disingenuous to say a road victory in your first match with a new team and a new regime is “expected” – but if we were to categorize the Have Nots of the USL, the Richmond Kickers would certainly qualify. It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t have to be. There were clear synergy issues which come with a late start to the preseason and season. The squad failed on numerous occasions to put Richmond away in a scoreless second half and were lucky not to be punished near the end.
Tyler Pasher worked box to box on the left flank in Richmond
That isn’t to say there weren’t moments of positive play or a showcase of talent to encourage further optimism, however. Watson looks active, everywhere, and worthy of the armband. Steinberger looks every bit of the player who made an otherwise-underwhelming Armada squad relevant in 2017. Pasher and Saad look to be a menacing duo down the left wing. McInerney might even make a play for the 2018 USL Golden Boot. Our much-touted depth – Venegas and Ayoze didn’t even travel with the team, Speas and Moses sat unused on the bench, and Braun was given only a token stoppage time appearance – also shouldn’t be forgotten. Ultimately, to compete for a playoff spot we’ll have to perform better -- but we certainly have the tools to do so. In the words of an Indianapolis favorite: We're on to Cincinnati.
If you still have not got your tickets for Indy Eleven's home opener against FC Cincinnati at Lucas Oil Stadium check out BYBTIX for the best price ticket and no fees, we need the Brickyard Battalion section sold out! The South end zone section has been sold out but more seats are being opened up, for seats there and other parts of the stadium please visit INDYELEVENTICKETS. DON"T MISS OUT ON THE HOME OPENER!
