Looking for the lessons - Indy Eleven V Richmond Kickers REVIEW

Captain Brad Ring keeps his eye on the ball — and the bigger picture. Is a 1-1 tie against a team with a record like Richmond's a bummer? Yes. Are we still unbeaten after an 8-game test of strength and endurance? Yes.
Are we still playoff contenders? Hell yes!  (Photos by Matt Schlotzhauer, courtesy of Indy Eleven)

By: REBECCA TOWNSEND (aka The Pitch Bitch)

Maybe it was a matter of overconfidence. (After all, the opposing team was entering the match with the worst defensive record in the entire United Soccer League.) Maybe they were tired. (After all, they were entering their sixth of a 7-games-in-22-days gauntlet.)

Maybe the heat just got to everyone. Maybe everyone needs Labor Day vacation.

The Pitch Bitch knows something was off — or maybe it is more accurate to say something wasn't quite on. Because she has watched Indy Eleven (11-7-9) build its chemistry over the course of this season, she knows the talent and the potential existed to unleash a torrent of goals on the visiting Richmond Kickers, a team that arrived with the distinction of allowing the most goals in the entire USL.

Soony Saad on the move.

She also believes that the game of soccer exists to teach lessons and press its adherents to better performance on mental, physical and spiritual planes. So the goal the Kickers scored at 4-something minutes into the game underscored a lesson most profound.

As she watched unpressured midfielder Raul Gonzalez make a simple, beautiful jog to receive a pass from the flank (a pass that ultimately eluded four Indy guys) — a pass he sweetly redirected with one touch into Indy's net, she recalled one of the sweetest, most profound lessons of futbol: Be ever vigilant — especially in the early minutes of the game.

She flashed back to college practice, running suicide sprints for two minutes because her team was scored upon in the first two minutes of their previous match. 

Her coach wanted the team to remember that for those opening two minutes (just as we would be in the rest of the game), we needed to be tougher, harder and faster.

Indy's head coach Martin Rennie likely has more civilized methods of dealing with teams who are scored upon in the first five minutes. In this case, vacation. He knows his lads need a few days to lick their wounds before they host the second-to-last of their Wednesday night games of the season when they host the New York Red Bulls II on Wed., Sept. 5. The Bulls (10-7-10) currently sit just under Indy in the USL Eastern Conference Standings.






The Pitch Bitch was tired during the Indy/Kickers game. The game notes were sparse. 

Dylan Mares' equalizer off a 50-yard, field-switching, laser-sighted pass from Venezuelan international Juan Guerra said it all really. That is the stuff we are capable of.

Dylan Mares has a mean strike. And his willingness to shoot from out wide ensured that Indy would walk away from the field with a 1-1 tie, instead of losing to the team with the worst defensive record in the league.

The assist was beautiful. And as the Pitch Bitch watched young Hoosier Mares square his shoulders up on that goal frame, she knew he was going to score. As he prepared to shake one last defender before launching a shot of such speed and strength that the diving keeper could do nothing but hear that disheartening swish of the ball landing in his net, she could read it in his body language.

"We are too f*cking good to be losing to this team! We will not lose to this team! It is time to score!"

That is exactly right. It's time to score! And, by golly, we are going to concede fewer goals!

Let's get some rest and keep the big picture in perspective. Indy still sits at sixth — and we know what we are capable of moving forward. The team has managed to stay unbeaten during an 8-game slog.

Captain Brad Ring (Go Hoosiers!) summed it up nicely on Twitter:

Thanks to @The_BYB & all @IndyEleven fans who came tonight 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. Great atmosphere #INDvRIC . Frustrated not to get a win but 8 unbeaten isn’t too bad. #IndyForever

— Brad Ring (@BradRing87) September 2, 2018

Post-match USL Eastern Conference Standings.

Just three home games remain ahead of the playoffs. The season will conclude with a Wednesday game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Sept. 26 and Bethlehem Steel FC on Oct. 6.  (The final three home games will be broadcast on MyIndy 23 TV.) Kickoff time for all these matches is 7 p.m.

Fans may also consider a road trip to Cincinnati on Sept. 29, when Indy will visit the league leader.

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.

Indy Eleven Begins New Journey With Victory - Richmond Kickers V Indy Eleven (3/24/2018)

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!

Bloody Shambles HOT TAKES! - Richmond Kickers V Indy Eleven Thoughts And Predictions

Coach Rennie assembles his troops. Photo: Trey Higdon/Indy Eleven

The Bloody Shambles team gives their final thoughts going into the first USL Easter Conference match against Richmond Kickers...

Brandon Cockrum:

I’m looking forward to seeing the formation and strategy that Coach Rennie uses in a game where the Eleven should feel like strong favorites. Richmond was unimpressive, maybe even the exact opposite of impressive, in their week one match. I’m not too concerned with who starts this match - at this point in the season, the head coach might prefer players that he’s worked with in previous seasons and who best understand how he wants his team to play or maybe those who are most fit - because it is such a long season and the roster is very deep. 

I’m more interested to see the strategy that Rennie applies on the road in a match that Indy should take three points from. Does the coach run out the team with an attacking mindset and try to keep Richmond on their heels? Or does Indy take a more conservative approach and sit back, focus on defense first and try to hit Richmond on the counter? The strategy applied here might tell us more about what's to come this season than the players that hit the pitch.

Nico Matern defensive midfielder for Indy Eleven has been the latest signing.

Player to watch: Nico Matern. 

Based on preseason performances, Indy Eleven might have found a diamond in the rough in the Indiana Wesleyan product. As we've seen in previous seasons, it is extremely difficult for a rookie to make much of an impact in their first season in the second division; however, Matern seems like he might be poised to do it this year. 

I know I said I wasn't looking too deep into the significance of the lineup this weekend but this is the exception. If Matern gets the starting nod he will have proven his worth among some very good central midfielders on the roster and it will show that Rennie believes the newbie has the potential to be an impact player in 2018.

James Cormack:

I have probably been more impressed with the roster building this year than any other. Our 2016 squad was solid with great players for a starting lineup but we did not have the same depth, especially in defense, if one player was injured it was a major problem. We are very deep in defense this year and that is highly important. No matter how many times you try to pick out a starting XI from this roster you look at the players you left out and think "that's a very good team".

I watched multiple USL games over the opening weekend and saw several teams including Richmond that looked like they were not of the same standard and experience in terms of this roster. From what I saw of Bethlehem Steel, I think Indy Eleven will be more technical and clinical than they were despite winning that game 4-1. I don't expect Indy Eleven to lose this game, it's hard to call a win in an away day opener but if one team will win this game I can't see it being Richmond especially with two of the back line missing as well.

Player To Watch: Eugene Starikov 

Starikov (right) will be hungry for game time and he is finding goal. Photo: Trey Higdon/Indy Eleven

Hard to pick out just one but so far from all I have heard about pre-season he has been a real ball of fire, as has Soony Saad and I am curious to see if both will start together as both have been real trouble for opponents thus far. If Justin Braun is still in recovery mode and doesn't start the game it's an ideal situation for someone else to show themselves. With limited playing time last year I think Starikov will be very keen to show why he should be picked every week and will score.

Caleb Ramp:

The last six months had been an era of unprecedented shortage for Indy Eleven and her supporters. The latter parts of the 2017 NASL season saw a shortage of wins. This was soon followed by an offseason short on hope, short on answers, and eventually short on a league to play in, a stadium to play at, and players to play with.

Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, the Eleven find themselves with the biggest surplus in club history. Not a financial surplus, to be sure (sorry, Ersal) -- but a surplus of hope. A surplus of anticipation. Excitement. Perhaps most importantly, a surplus of on-field talent.

This leads me to my "player to watch" for the 2018 opener: Martin Rennie.

All eyes on Martin Rennie as he targets success in 2018. Photo: Trey Higdon/Indy Eleven

Cheating a bit? Sure. But I'll stand by it. The 2018 Indy Eleven roster is -- at least on paper -- the deepest this city has ever seen. Nearly every player on our 23-man roster can make a case for a spot in the starting eleven. On game days, the Indy bench will be filled with players who have been critical pieces in a playoff or championship-caliber D2 squads in recent history, or have otherwise been spending time with quality D1 clubs. 

Rennie will have an incredibly wide range (a surplus, even) of options in available tactics and personnel combinations. His ability to utilize this squad to its fullest potential (while still maintaining a healthy and involved locker room) will go a long way in determining the Eleven's ultimate success in a very competitive Eastern conference.

Richmond Kickers V Indy Eleven Score Predictions

It may seem a little cliche to call wins on the road for your team in their opening match, if we end up with egg on our face so be it, but this is not a case of giddy fanboy reactions. Indy Eleven is stacked with top level experience, let's see if that proves fruitful over 90 minutes or not.

Brandon Cockrum: 0-4 Indy Eleven
James Cormack: 0-2 Indy Eleven
Caleb Ramp: 0-3 Indy Eleven

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 james@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.

Preview: Richmond Kickers V Indy Eleven - Can Indy Start With A Bang? (3/24/2018)

Matt Watson and Indy Eleven get their first taste of competitive play in 2018 this Saturday.

By: James Cormack

Forget the unseasonably cold weather, forget the myriad of life-endangering potholes spread across the city like a plague of meteor craters, and forget the uncertainty of whether our team would play this year. Indy Eleven's season starts this weekend. It's finally happening and nothing else matters.

After an off-season of uncertainty, the Boys in Blue head off to Richmond for their first taste of USL. Other teams including our opponents for this week have already begun their season in round one while Indy took advantage of an extra week of preparation.

In the USL Eastern Conference, Richmond Kickers fell 4-1 at Bethlehem Steel in their opening match. Former NASL foes North Carolina and Tampa faced off in a highly entertaining match in Cary where the visiting Rowdies won by three goals to one. Another familiar foe Ottawa Fury suffered a 4-1 thrashing from Charlotte Independence.

Last years Champions Louisville secured a 2-0 victory over franchise boys Nashville SC. FC Cincinnati started with a 1-0 away win at Charleston. In the first of six opening games in the Eastern Conference last weekend two MLS reserve sides called II came head to head and one of the II won 2-1.

Are We Ready To Rumble?

Yes, I feel we are. As ready as you can be given the shortness of the pre-season. As mentioned in our earlier preliminary fluff piece, Martin Rennie has gone a long way to counter our lack of prep time by assembling a roster of highly experienced players. This doesn't mean anything of course unless they can bond quickly (and I think they have), but it does help a lot.

The USL and its schedule are a lot different to what you may have been used to with NASL. There are multiple games at times packed into a short period. Remaining injury free, fit, and having an ability to rotate strong players can give you a good advantage in this league.

From the evidence of the games we have played and the roster we have, Rennie has worked himself into a position where he could field two completely different teams in back to back competitive matches and each would be strong and competitive at this level.

Nico Matern the latest roster addition is a good example of our roster depth.

On two occasions this year we have seen Indy Eleven play back to back matches in one day, allowing the coach to field different teams and get all players an adequate amount of playing time. In the final day of pre-season play on Saturday, Indy Eleven played out a 0-0 draw with Jacksonville Armada and a 7-0 win over Indiana Wesleyan with a good mix of what could be considered starting players in each team.

In all Indy have played seven pre-season matches against varying levels of opposition and lost only once in the opening match against FC Cincinnati at Grand Park and have conceded only three goals and scored fifteen.

Our depth is very good compared to other years, especially in defense where even in 2016 we were lacking adequate cover. This past weekend the Eleven were able to play a back line of Moses, Ferreira, Mitchell, and Ouimette in one match, Venegas, Rusin, Pasher, and Ayoze in another. Neither back line conceded a goal, and each I think could hold their own in a USL league match.

The roster currently stands at 23 players and the latest to be added Nico Matern who came from Wesleyan with a German academy background has been turning heads in pre-season and could be one of the shrewdest signings in the league this year. Competition for starting spots is strong, and that is a very good thing.

When you can literally split your roster down the middle and field two very strong teams then you are in a good position going into the season.

Is Richmond Ready For Indy Eleven?

It would be wrong of me to make too many assumptions based on Richmond's 4-1 thrashing at Bethlehem in their opening match, but it was not pretty at all and they could easily have conceded twice that many goals. However, it was the opening match so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe first day jitters? Maybe not?

Richmond had Trevor Spangenberg sitting on the bench and I wondered at times what he was thinking watching that match. He is one of the few players in their squad along with Brian Shriver and Neil Hlavaty that I have experience watching and he must have been peeking through his gloves as the second half wore on. Richmond's performance was littered with defensive and goalkeeping mistakes from bad timing to bad positioning, poor decision making, and poorly executed passing.

If Richmond doesn't find a way to correct these issues over the coming week Indy Eleven have many experienced players who will pounce on mistakes like these faster than flat screen TV sales on Black Friday. However it's important not to read too much into these things this early, Indy can suffer first day jitters as well, but hopefully not.

City Stadium in Richmond, Virginia (Photo: Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Richmond has played five pre-season matches all against colleges. Three wins, one draw and a loss to William & Mary Tribe Soccer. 2017 was not a great year for Richmond, they finished the year 14th of 15 teams in USL East with the lowest standing of any independent team across both conferences.

So on the evidence of the first game perhaps they were underprepared for their league opener, but that doesn't mean they will be an easy team to beat at home, no team ever is. Nor does it mean they can't bounce back after suffering a heavy defeat.

I am sure the home support will be expecting the players to lift themselves after that and prove they have better to offer. With a few players missing it also gives some an opportunity to stake a claim on a starting spot, an important factor in any game. Expect the unexpected.

Team/Match News.

Richmond Kickers will continue to miss Brazilian forward Luiz Fernando through suspension. Mekeil Williams and Alex Lee who started in the back line against Bethlehem will be missing on international duty for Trinidad and Guam respectively. Bruno Mirando who appeared in the second half for Kickers will also answer the call for the Bolivian National Team.

Update: Jamaican Dane Kelly who did not feature in Kickers opening game is unavailable and on international duty also.

Indy Eleven will miss Nathan Lewis who will join Williams in The Trinidad and Tobago camp for matches against Guadeloupe and Curaçao. Justin Braun is working his way back to full fitness and scored in Indy's second game on Saturday. The status of Jordan Farr return from injury is unknown (is in full training) and we may see Fon-Williams and Lundegaard as the traveling goalkeepers.

In the event of further updates, we will bring those to you as the week progresses.

The City Stadium in Richmond boasts a usually well-tended natural grass surface. The future forecast shows low forties at kick off time with a high chance of rain before kickoff. If you fancy the ten-hour drive you can pick up general admission tickets HERE and meet up with other Indy Eleven fans before kickoff.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

1st Bloody Shambles Match Poster of 2018