Indy Eleven vs Birmingham Legion - 13.21

Summary

- Opponent: Birmingham Legion
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 8,898
- Final Score: 2-2 D

- Starting XI: Dick, Mitrano, Herbert, Craig, Hafferty, Quinn (C), Lindley, O'Brien, J., Blake, Kizza, Rendon

- Substitution: Mesanvi 52' (O'Brien, J.); Sharp 76' (Mitrano); Sing 76' (Kizza); Rasheed 77' (Craig);

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Barry, Henry-Scott

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Hafferty 20' (unassisted)
BHM - Pasher 40' (assist Diarbian)
BHM - Williams 66' (assist Vassell)
IND - Sing 90'+8' (unassisted)

- Bookings:

BHM - Williams 32' (Yellow)
BHM - Cole 87' (Yellow)

- Referee: Atahan Yaya

- Adage goals: One
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 10

Thoughts and Opinions

Indy went from 100-degree temps (but it's a dry heat) in Phoenix last week to 90-degree temps tonight in Indy with 70% humidity. Last year, it seemed like Indy constantly struggled with rain being an issue during games, but this year, the Carroll turf has spent more time with blazing temperatures than it has been under water. During last night's Purdue football game, former player Ryan Kerrigan, who is now doing commentary for BTN, was asked what advice he could offer for players in this kind of heat. Basically, "stay hydrated, drink even if you don't feel thirsty, and take salts." That's for football where players have short bursts of action, but admittedly, with much more gear. How players in this version of football routinely deal with this level of heat always impresses me. I did yard work this morning, which wasn't on a turf field that I've measured in the past at 137-degrees, and I went through a large glass of water and two large Gatorades. While I'm at it, I tip my hat to Zeke too because, damn, that costume has to be stifling.

The first real opportunity for Indy happened in the 6th minute, when Rendon jumped a pass between the Birmingham back line and immediately put it to an on-rushing Kizza who one-timed his shot, but his shot went straight to Koleilat. Minutes later, a similar chance was there but Blake's shot couldn't make it passed the first line of defenders. Like many a game this year, Birmingham looked to play a more possession-based style, but it was Indy who was getting the better of the chances at goal. Those chances were finally rewarded in the 20th minute when Hafferty blasted the ball from outside the box. From the tactics camera angle (the one behind the goal), it looked like the ball was likely headed to the upper left corner, but a deflection from Washington put the ball into the right side of the goal. Despite the deflection, the goal was still awarded to Hafferty in just his 3rd game with the team after his transfer from Lexington.

Birmingham equalized before the half by doing what Indy has done. Allow the other team to possess the ball, counter with pace, and then get one of your top players to blast the ball out of the reach of the goalkeeper. When that top player is Pasher, the goal is something that a lot of Indy fans have seen over the years. Pasher made a run into space just outside the 6-yard box around Craig and then put his left boot through the ball in a way that made it impossible for Dick to react. An adage goal by the visitors in the 40th minute and the two teams went into the halftime locker room knotted in a 1-1 draw. The halftime stats looked like two teams that were tied, with stats nearly identical to each other.

Fitting for a stadium that includes a 9-lane track around it, the early stage of the second half turned into a track meet going both directions. Both teams looked like they knew that the second goal could be the winner and the sooner they could get it the better. It meant that the ball didn't spend a lot of time in any one half, but it was slightly tilted to Indy's offensive half. That was until Birmingham pulled a bit of Indy-transition style offense as Peter-Lee Vassell attacked the Indy defense straight through the middle of the field and laid it off perfectly for Romario Williams who made no mistake about it and blasted it into the goal before Dick could react to it. That was just 1 of 2 shots by Birmingham in the second half, but it put the visiting side in the driver's seat to get the result.

Distribution - Final 25 Minutes

Indy found themselves chasing the game. 

The good news for Indy fans was that the track meet mostly stopped as it was generally one-way traffic towards the Birmingham goal. The Legion managed the one shot after their goal, but Indy's effort in the final 25 minutes resulted in 5 shots, 2 of which were on target, plus a third that ended up being the game tying goal, not counting the goal that was taken off the board that Herbert headed in but was just offsides nor the goal that went through Koleilat's hands but was ruled a foul on Sing. Indy finished the game with a 36 to 7 crosses advantage, many of which came towards the end of the game. 

Whatever you want to say about tactics, towards the end of the game, tactics went out of the window. Indy secured the point with the stoppage time goal due entirely to their effort. Yes, they were chasing the game and yes Birmingham was trying to ride out their result, but Indy fought through the evening's heat to put consistent pressure on the Birmingham goal in pursuit of the equalizer through sheer effort. It's no secret that Indy does rely on possession or the "beautiful game" to get results. Indy want to be stingy defensively and attack with speed and numbers. If you're sitting back trying to absorb pressure, you're playing right into Indy's advantages; tall defenders ready to head or boot the ball back up field when you try to clear, a trio or experienced midfielders (Blake, Lindley, & Quinn) who are experts at distributing the ball around and offering crosses, and speedy forwards ready to get on every ball pumped their way. That was the majority of the last 25 minutes. At some point, every team breaks. It took until the 90'+8' for Indy to get their official 2nd goal, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort.

If there's one thing that this season should have emphatically taught Indy fans, it's that what you do with your possession is drastically more important than an actual possession advantage. Indy actually won the possession in this game (barely...50.7% to 49.3%) mostly because of all the possession at the end of the game, but Indy was highly effective with their possession. And for all that Birmingham wanted to play "pretty," their two goals were scored on counterattacks in very much the same "ugly" style that Indy plays. Put the ball in dangerous areas, quickly, and give yourself chances to score goals all while maintaining discipline on defense. That's Indy. It didn't get them a win tonight, but it probably should have as the more than doubled Birmingham in shots and shots on target. 

There were a ton of draws tonight across the league, so Hartford's midweek win against Charleston is really the only game that affected the conference standings, bumping them up ahead of Indy and Rhode Island, but having played one more game than the two teams behind them. Indy would have definitely preferred the win, but they beat a team below them to keep that separation as we get into the final weeks of the season. 

Indy head out west to play New Mexico next Friday before returning home to play the rescheduled game against Brooklyn (on a Tuesday) and then a Sunday game against the Oakland Roots. I don't expect much from the New Mexico game given the United's current run-of-form having lost just once in their last 13 games, but the next 5 games after the NMU game are all against teams below their respective playoff cut lines (Brooklyn, Oakland, Miami, Rhode Island, and Loudoun). Indy have to maximize the number of points they can get in that run of games, because they finish with Tampa Bay (who already clinched a playoff spot tonight), Louisville (who are going to want to make amends for their recent loss to Indy), and Charleston (who are also going to want to make amends for their earlier loss to Indy), and only the Tampa Bay game is in Carroll Stadium.  

Game Beckons Game Ball

I debated going with Hafferty. Given his time in Indy, he's quickly put himself in my good graces as one of the best players on the team and that's saying something with a team that includes Blake, Lindley, Quinn, and Rendon. I'm not sure how he wasn't getting more time in Lexington because he looks amazing in McAuley's system. With limited training minutes, he's just come in and done his job. 

However, tonight's GBGB winner edges our Hafferty by just a hair. When it came down to the end of the game with Indy in full attack mode, I kept noticing the midfield players look to find out where Rendon was located. Despite having Sharp, Sing, Mesanvi, and Rendon all floating around the forward line, the midfield seemed to feel most comfortable with the idea that it would Rendon that was most capable of making a play for them. In the end, his final shot was inches from going in, but it was that shot that lead to the salvaged points. The GBGB is subjective, and tonight's subjectivity was lead by who it seemed like some of the other players had faith in. So Hafferty was deserving, but it was Rendon who gets tonight's GBGB.

Indy Eleven vs Phoenix Rising - 13.20

Summary

- Opponent: Phoenix Rising
- Location: Phoenix Rising Stadium
- Attendance: 6,127
- Final Score: 2-1 L

- Starting XI: Dick, Mitrano, Craig, Herbert, Hafferty, Quinn (C), Lindley, O'Brien, J., Blake, Kizza, Rendon

- Substitution: Mensavi 64' (Kizza); Rasheed 70' (Mitrano); Henry-Scott 70' (Rendon); Omar 71' (O'Brien); Barry (Craig)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Sing

- Scoring Summary:
PHX - Badji 5' (assist Sacko)
IND - Own Goal 7' (Boye)
PHX - Flores 28' (unassisted)

- Bookings:

PHX - Moursou 24' (Yellow)
IND - Herbert 59' (Yellow)
IND - Lindley 64' (Yellow)
PHX - Sacko (Yellow)

- Referee: Benjamin Meyer

- Adage goals: One
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 10

Thoughts and Opinions

After a long week that included a three-day conference for my day job, and a late-night start in Phoenix, I think this game requires one of my periodic bullet point recaps:

• In the "if it ain't broke, down fix it" category, McAuley seems to have found a lineup that he likes with Indy starting the same lineup in Phoenix that started last week against Louisville. 
• Indy's start was disastrous, conceding within the first 5 minutes.
• Much like last week's second goal against Louisville, Indy immediately responded getting a goal within seconds to equalize.
• Indy fell behind in the 28th minute from a free kick outside the box that went through so many people that you have to wonder how it didn't accidentally hit anybody on its way to goal. Instead, the ball went under legs and off Dick's hand who was shielded from the ball by the mass of humanity in front of him. The goal proved to be the game winner.
• With his yellow card tonight, Lindley is now just one card away from tying Ring for the team's all-time lead. 
• With his 90 minutes tonight, Blake overtook Ayoze and now sits 2nd in terms of Minutes Played in team history, behind only Lindley. 
• With his minutes tonight, Quinn becomes the latest member of the Century Club. The current roster now includes 3 different players and a coach with that distinction at the same time, bringing a level of consistency that has rarely been seen in the club.
• Indy never gave up and had some chances to find the equalizer, but couldn't get over the line.
• Phoenix was limited to mostly shots from outside the box, including both goals, but it doesn't matter how you score, just that you score. Indy had 23 crosses, connecting on nearly 1/3 of them, but lacked the finishing touch tonight, from nearly everybody. 
• Indy's road results this season is abysmal. A 1W-3D-7L record on the road across all competitions makes for a daunting prospect for a team that if they make the playoffs will be on the road in the first game.

Indy could have helped themselves in the table with at least a point tonight, but continue to struggle to string more than just a few games together with positive results. Indy may, ultimately, make the playoffs, but it appears like they are going to make it difficult on themselves to get there. A cathartic win at home against Louisville was followed by a disappointing loss out west. Indy return home next weekend to play Birmingham, who are also struggling, getting just one win out of their last thirteen games. Hopefully Indy's ability to get good results at home (9W-3D-3L record across all competitions) shows up and they get a win against Birmingham, one of those key aspects of trying to make the playoffs; beat the teams below them.

Indy Eleven vs Louisville City FC - 13.19

Summary

- Opponent: Louisville City FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 9,542
- Final Score: 2-1 W

- Starting XI: Dick, Mitrano, Craig, Herbert, Hafferty, Quinn (C), Lindley, O'Brien, J., Blake, Kizza, Rendon

- Substitution: Mesanvi 68' (Kizza); Rasheed 68' (Hafferty); Henry-Scott 80' (Rendon); Barry 90'+4' (Blake)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Omar, Sing

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Rendon 31' (assist Quinn)
LOU - Adams 58' (assist Davila)
IND - Blake 60' (assist Kizza)

- Bookings:

LOU - Adams 69' (Yellow)

- Referee: Muhammad Hassan

- Adage goals: None
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 10

Thoughts and Opinions

If you were looking for a night not have a poor attendance for a rivalry game, tonight was that night. The Indianapolis metro area was hosting Garth Brooks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indianapolis Indians were hosting the Louisville Bats at Victory Field, Westfield was hosting the LIV golf tournament, and both Indiana University and Purdue University begin classes on Monday so many fans were taking family members to school. That was just the obvious stuff that jumped out to me. So I put very little stock in the announced attendance for the night, but it was a good-sized crowd under the other entertainment alternatives available to folks in the not-so-sleepy Naptown area. However, the fans that were in Carroll Stadium saw something that hadn't happened since 2022. The Indy Eleven beat Louisville City. In the history of the two clubs, Louisville, rightfully, held a 13W-7D-5L advantage in the series coming into the game, but Indy pulled out a 2-1 victory to send their rivals back down I-65 with a rare defeat.

Photo Credit: Don Thompson Photography

This week, the Indy roster made some adjustments as Okello was traded to Lexington for Joe Hafferty and Malik Henry-Scott, and Kian Williams was loaned to Detroit City FC. The newest Boys in Blue were immediately inserted into the gameday roster, with Hafferty getting his first start in his first chance to do so, taking the spot that Nibunguchy filled last week. The left back spot has been a revolving door lately with neither Nibunguchy nor Neidlinger before him even making the bench tonight. Hafferty's 68-minutes of action tonight was the kind of performance that will endear him to Indy Eleven fans. Based on what I was able to get from staff and players, Hafferty had a single training session with the rest of the players, but you wouldn't have known it from his performance. That was a pro being a pro. Learn the game plan and then go do your job. That was one hell of a performance by Hafferty given his absolutely minimal time with the club.

In the game last week against Sporting JAX, McAuley pushed Quinn back into the midfield with Mitrano getting the start as the left back. The same tactic was employed tonight against Louisville City, but against a much better Louisville team, the midfield had a much flatter appearance than the Lindley/Quinn deep and Blake/O'Brien more forward arrangement that was used against JAX. 

Dick was quick off his line in the early stages of the game in a very back-and-forth first 10 minutes. It seemed like it was a very specific talking point by the team that Dick was going to need to make his presence felt against the Louisville offense. So in addition to having Blake and O'Brien sitting deeper, there was an appearance that Indy came into the game with the mentality that it was definitely all hands on deck defending by the home side. 

Indy kicked off the scoring in the 31st minute when the midfield effort was rewarded. Louisville tried to force a ball through the middle of the field that a sliding Lindley picked off directly to Quinn. Quinn one-touched the ball up the field to Rendon who used his noggin as his first touch to settle the ball to where he wanted it. Then Indy's leading scorer (the latest to reach double-digits in scoring for the season), drove a ball across the turf across the goal and under Faundez who couldn't get down fast enough to make the save. As has been stated ad nauseum this year, Indy couldn't care less about the possession difference and their lack of holding onto the ball (which was 70/30 at that point in the game) if their style of play results in opportunities on goal. Heading into the halftime locker room, Indy had a drastic disadvantage in the possession, but held the advantage in shots, shots on target, and most importantly on the scoreboard. 

Louisville City found their own goal in the 58th minute when Adams redirected a corner kick that Dick acted like he thought it was going to drift wide, but it tucked into the side netting to even the scoring. Minutes later, though, Kizza (more on him in a bit) dropped a ball off to Blake who blasted the ball to the left side of the goal beyond an outstretched Faundez. The flurry of goals nearly continued with the visitors getting their own opportunity seconds after the restart, but didn't find the goal. 

At that point, it became apparent that this game was going to go until the very last seconds with Louisville needing to chase the game. A team chasing the game plays into Indy's style of play of defend and counterattack, so it felt like the 2-1 score line was not going to be the final score. After the Indy goal, the field tilted in Louisville's favor as they pushed to find the equalizing goal. Nine of the visitor's 19 shots came after the goal, all of them after the 80th minute when McAuley replaced Rendon with Barry, signaling that it was time for the Indy players to lock-in defensively from top to bottom, with only Mesanvi left on the field for his counterattacking speed. Despite 6-minutes of stoppage time, Louisville City was unable to get a second goal and the home side found a rare win in the series. 

Indy will look to keep the momentum going with a trip out west to play Phoenix next weekend before returning home for Labor Day weekend to play Birmingham. Indy will want to get good results against both teams, who currently sit below their conferences respective playoff lines, before heading back out west to play the Western Conference-leading New Mexico United.

Hi Olivia! Thanks for reading.

Game Beckons Game Ball

As I've stated before, many times the GBGB doesn't always go to the player that scores the goal, or gets the assist, or that even has eye-popping stats. Sometimes it's just the player that keeps catching my eye making, or trying to make, good plays. Tonight, that was Kizza. Again, his stats aren't spectacular. He lost a lot more duels than he won. But his effort was great, and he kept putting himself into positions to try and help the team. He regularly dropped back towards the midfield to make himself available for the ball, while also understanding that in this version of the 4-4-2, he had to be available going forward. His hold-up play might have been one of the best we've seen from the team this season. He's had to come off the bench a lot this year and isn't averaging a ton of minutes, but he put in a shift tonight that was good for the team.

Honorable Mention:

Apparently, Kibunguchy's injury last week helped keep him out of the lineup tonight which is what allowed Hafferty to get the start in the game, but his play tonight might keep Kibunguchy on the bench even after his injury heals. As I mentioned before, that was one hell of a performance from a guy with almost no time with the team before tonight's game.

Photos: Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Sporting JAX - 13.18

Summary

- Opponent: Sporting JAX
- Location: Hodges Stadium
- Attendance: 1,366
- Final Score: 1-0 W

- Starting XI: Dick, Mitrano, Craig, Herbert, Kibunguchy, Blake, Quinn (C), Lindley, O'Brien, J., Kizza, Rendon

- Substitution: Rasheed 60' (Kibunguchy); Mesanvi 77' (Kizza); Barry 77' (Mitrano); Sing 88' (Rendon)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Okello, Omar

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Own Goal 90'+2'

- Bookings:

JAX - Wilson 23' (Yellow)

JAX - Mota 72' (Yellow)
IND - Craig 73' (Yellow)
JAX - Alvarado 76' (Yellow)

- Referee: Joe Surgan

- Adage goals: None
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 10

Thoughts and Opinions

For full transparency, I did not watch this game live. Nor even on Saturday. I spent the day with my daughter for move-in day for her first day of college. By the time we returned home, I was in no mood to watch the game, and definitely not at a level to write about it. So I watched it today. Distractedly...as I did some of my other normal weekend jobs. So we're going to keep this short and simple today.

This game looked exactly like what we've come to expect from Indy Eleven. Concede possession. Stay compact and disciplined on defense. Counterattack. Don't get beat by the teams lower than them in the table, and try to get results from the teams above above them. Throw in some set piece chances and that's Indy's method of operation these days.

In the Jacksonville temperatures and humidity, Indy kept the game close for as long as possible in the first half, and then stepped up their effort in the second half. Indy's defense has, mostly, been acceptable during the recent rough stretch, but their finishing in the final third has been severely lacking, and this game was no different. Indy managed 19 shots to Sporting's 5, but Indy were only able to put 4 of their shots on target. Eventually, Own Goal, finally got involved and provided the stoppage time game winner for the visitors. 

Coach McAuley, seemingly hamstringed by the constant injuries, threw in a wrinkle to this game in an attempt to get his most talented (and healthy) players on the field. Mitrano started in the left back position and Quinn moved into back into his preferred midfield position, setting Indy up in a 4-4-2 arrangement with Quinn, Blake, Lindley, and O'Brien in the midfield. The four players constantly switched locations with each other in their attempt to control the midfield and keep Sporting JAX on edge on where any of the four of them might turn up on the field. With minimal options, McAuley once again showed he's trying to put out of a lineup from the roster he has into winnable positions. 

Indy picked up a much needed win, and despite a 0 goal differential on the season, moved up a couple of spots in the table. Don't lose to the teams below them. Check. 

Indy return to action this coming Saturday against Louisville at Carroll Stadium in this year's first edition of LIPAFC. Indy will be at home with their own fans. However, I have a hard time thinking that Indy will get a good result out of the game, but they continue to fight until the end of games so maybe they can do something unexpected. Try to get good results against the teams above them. Guess we'll see if they can take this game's win and do something positive with it.

Indy Eleven vs Hartford Athletic - 13.17

Summary

- Opponent: Hartford Athletic
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 8,147
- Final Score: 1-1 D

- Starting XI: Dick, Mitrano, Craig, Herbert, Neidlinger, Blake, Lindley, O'Brien, J., Mesanvi, Kizza, Rendon

- Substitution: Okello 75' (Rendon); Kibunguchy 75' (Neidlinger); Rasheed 83' (Mesanvi)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Omar, Sing, Williams, K.

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Kizza 3' (assist Blake)
HFD - Scarlett 74' (assist Anderson)

- Bookings:

IND - Herbert 24' (Yellow)
HFD - Scarlett 50' (Yellow)
HFD - Anaku 57' (Yellow)
IND - Neidlinger 72' (Yellow)
IND - Kibunguchy 90'+3' (Yellow)

- Referee: Edson Carvajal

- Adage goals: None
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 10

Thoughts and Opinions

Pregame, the potential existed for Coach McAuley to helm the team for his 100th game, Eric Dick to get his 100th appearance in the USL Championship, and Cam Lindley to get to 10,000 minutes in an Indy Eleven jersey if he played more than 88 minutes, which seemed likely since he has played every minute of every league game this season. What was unknown, however, was whether Indy could overcome the late afternoon Sunday temperatures to get a win or whether Hartford Athletic would spoil all of their milestones by walking away from Carroll Stadium with their own win, leapfrogging Indy in the table standings in the process. With the two teams splitting the playoff eligibility line, the game had the feeling of a proverbial six-point game despite Indy's game-in-hand on the visitors. Indy found an early goal to give themselves a chance to get a much-needed win, but Hartford fought back to get their own goal to split the points. The proverbial six-point game finished with both teams in the exact same positions they were coming into the game, 8th for Indy and 9th for Hartford.

Hartford's injury report was substantial, and the team plays Wednesday in the knockout round of the USL Prinx Tires Cup, so they were rotating players tonight. As such, Brendan's Burke's tactics for the game looked much like the typical Indy Eleven style-of-play with trying to defend as well as possible and counterattack. The game skewed initially towards Indy in possession and in heat map in the first half after their early goal, but Hartford's counterattacks were effective to give them a 9 to3 advantage in shots as the half progressed, but couldn't find a way to get many of those shots on target. Indy's early goal held up and the teams went into the halftime locker room with Indy on the right side of the score line thanks to a stoppage time save by Dick that prevented the visitors from getting on the board.

Post-74th Minute Shots

After the break, Hartford looked the better team, particularly after they made a mass substitution in the 59th minute, changing out four players at once. It took until the 74th minute, but the Hartford momentum was finally rewarded when Scarlett flicked a headed ball out of the reach of a Dick who couldn't get down quickly enough to push it outside of the post. Indy's early goal had been erased and Hartford looked like the team more likely to come away with the full three points after the goal. Much like Indy many times this year, if they had been more clinical around goal, this wouldn't have stayed a 1-1 draw. When the final whistle blew, both teams walked away with points, but if I were a Hartford Athletic player or their supporters, I think they had a legit argument that they deserved more out of the game than just the one point. 

Indy still have a game in hand (or two or three depending on the team) on most of the teams around them, but we're on the downhill side of the season so points are vital moving forward. McAuley has said recently that the team needs to not lose to the teams below them on the table because Indy is currently sitting in the last playoff spot. What's equally important is that Indy get points off those teams and then hope everybody else beats up on the teams below them. Indy didn't lose points to Hartford tonight, but the number of "points lost from winning positions" increased, which means that Indy is leaving the teams below them within striking range. 

I recently heard the phrase "limitations lead to creativity," and while the place where I heard it was well outside the sports realm, I immediately thought about Indy Eleven. Coach McAuley has continued to have to be creative in his lineups as a result of player availability due to injuries (and talent?). The back line has bounced around game-to-game as the injuries have piled up. This week Mitrano gets the start because of a hamstring injury to Quinn. Neidlinger was back in the starting lineup after losing his starting spot last game to Kibunguchy (found out Kibunguchy also had a slight tweak to his hamstring which limited his minutes). O'Brien has found himself playing much higher the pitch than we've seen in his previous seasons. The results, lately, haven't been as good as Indy would like, but it's not for lack of trying from McAuley to find a combination of healthy bodies to turn the tides. I'm just not sure he has enough to be able to compete, particularly against the elite teams in the league, but seemingly even against the average teams in the league.

During Indy's USL Cup group stage game against Fort Wayne FC, I stated that: 

It's become more and more evident as the season has progressed that Indy is likely an average to maybe below average USL Championship team this year, at least based on results. However, through three games this year with USL League competition (twice with Union Omaha and once against Fort Wayne, who are in their first season as a professional team), Indy has lost twice and drawn once, indicating that this year's Indy Eleven team might be an average to below average League One team. Particularly when you factor in that two of those three games utilized what could be considered Indy's "A" team. The average age more closely resembles that of a League One team and it turns out that the overall talent level may reflect that too. 

As the season has progressed, I stand by that statement. I'm just not sure this team has the talent, across the board, to be more than what we're seeing right now, which is a team teetering precariously on the playoff line. If Indy go to Sporting JAX next weekend and don't have a good performance and get positive results, I'm not sure that I see this team recovering from that. After that game, Indy will have 12 games remaining, 5 of which include Louisville twice (pay no attention to their recent struggles compared to year's past, I don't think Indy wins either of them), New Mexico in Albuquerque, Charleston, and Tampa Bay. Their final three games of the season are at home to Tampa Bay, away to Louisville, and away to Charleston. If Indy don't make some headway in the 9 games before the final stretch, I don't see any way that this current team overcomes that stretch.

Watching today's game against a battered, bruised, and rotated Hartford squad, Indy hanging onto the final playoff spot seems difficult to imagine. 

Game Beckons Game Ball

As I've said repeatedly in this segment, sometimes the GBGB just goes to the player that jumps out at me (in a good way) as making an impact even if their statistics don't reflect tonight. Tonight, though, Blake's stats, assist, and general work rate made him stick out for him. In what felt like a disappointing draw to me, Blake looked like his injury that kept him out a couple of games wasn't a factor and he was all over the place trying to make something positive happen. His cross that led to the early Indy Eleven goal was perfectly placed and just needed a slight flick from Kizza to get it out of Siaha's reach. I keep talking about the overall lack of talent on the team, but Blake isn't in that group. There just isn't enough Blakes on the team.

Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs San Antonio - 13.16

Summary

- Opponent: San Antonio FC
- Location: Toyota Field
- Attendance: 6,145
- Final Score: 3-1 L

- Starting XI: Dick, Quinn (C), Craig, Herbert, Kibunguchy, Lindley, O'Brien, J., Omar, Mesanvi, Rendon, Okello

- Substitution: Rasheed 45' (Kibunguchy); Blake 45' (Omar); Neidlinger 45' (Mesanvi); Mitrano 58' (Quinn); Kizza 71' (Okello)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Barry

- Scoring Summary:
SA - Cuello 25' (assist Sorto)
SA - Parano 48' (assist Maldonado)
SA - Parano 70' (assist Hernandez)
IND - O'Brien, J. 90'+4' (assist Herbert)

- Bookings:

SA - Berron 49' (Yellow)
IND - Blake 53' (Yellow)
IND - Mitrano 59' (Yellow)
IND - Quinn 59' (Yellow)

- Referee: Gerald Flores

- Adage goals: One
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 8

Thoughts and Opinions

Coming off a 3-game losing streak (and 4 of the last 5), Indy headed on the road on a Friday night to try and turn their fortunes. Making a trip to San Antonio, who are towards the top of the Western Conference, is not exactly the team you want to see when you're trying to break a losing streak, particularly when your record on the road this season is 0W-2D-5L coming into the game. In a 3-1 loss, Indy's road woes and losing streak continued.

San Antonio dominated the possession early, but mostly in their defensive half of the field. So as the possession differential continued to grow in San Antonio's favor, Indy looked completely comfortable letting the defenders pass amongst themselves. Eventually though, the home sides' midfielders started getting involved and disrupting Indy's mid block, pushing Indy further and further back towards their own goal. Once that happened, Indy's constantly in flux defensive line began to look completely discombobulated on who was marking whom and where each person was supposed to be. In the 25th minute, Indy found themselves in last ditch defending moment after last ditch defending moment until Cuello was able to put one on target that took a slight deflection off Herbert and trickled over the line out of reach of Dick. 

Despite the absolute numbers advantage in their final third, Indy looked disjointed on defense and San Antonio began to find their rhythm. Indy's defense looked out of sync. Indy's offense looked out of sync. Mesanvi was absolute overpowered by Crognale and Suarez as their positioning on the field negated Mesanvi's speed. With the exception of one opportunity for Indy in San Antonio's box where a shot deflected off the crossbar, San Antonio looked to be the better team in the first half and went into the locker room with a deserved 1-nil lead. 

Kibunguchy started in place of Neidlinger, but he also struggled tracking defenders, and he and Okello had passes where they looked like they had iron feet. Before the 40th minute, Coach McAuley had the substitutes warming up, indicating to everyone that he wasn't happy with the performance on the field. Mesanvi, Omar, and Kibunguchy were all subbed out at halftime in place for Neidlinger, Blake, and Rasheed, respectively. 

It didn't matter as San Antonio put a second on the board in the 48th goal. Lindley and Neidlinger got beat at the end line and three different Indy players were nutmegged as the ball, once again, trickled over the line under Dick. They still had to play almost 45 minutes of game, but the second goal made the game feel like it was finished. The third goal in the 70th minute, Parano's second, made the last twenty minutes a formality. San Antonio were the better team and deserved the win. Indy tacked one on late in stoppage time to prevent the clean sheet and demonstrate that they're going to fight until the end, but Indy looked outclassed, out talented, and out hustled tonight.

Indy extend their losing streak to four games. More concerning than the losses is the fact that Indy have scored just three goals in the last six games, being held scoreless in four of them (and almost five if it hadn't been the stoppage time goal tonight to prevent the clean sheet), while conceding nine. The wheels are starting to fall off on both sides of the ball and there isn't much that McAuley can do about it. Some nights it's appeared that Indy just doesn't have the across the board talent to compete with some teams, but the effort has been there. Tonight, both the talent and the effort looked lacking.

Indy return to action on Sunday, August 9th against Hartford who play against Loudoun tomorrow. If Indy wants any chance to stay above the playoff line as the business end of the season starts, they're going to need to win that game. The game will be McAuley's 100th game, making him the longest tenured coach in team history, so the players should have extra motivation to try and get their coach a win on the game when he joins the Century Club. Indy then play this year's doormat Sporting JAX, who are starting to find their way a bit lately. Indy have winnable games coming up, but they're going to have to fix their play on both sides of the ball, and soon, or the season is going to get away from them.

An upcoming Century Club member

A member of the Indy Eleven will join the Century Club in the very near future. No, I'm not talking about Aodhan Quinn, though he should reach the milestone in the game at home against Louisville City on August 22nd. However, a different person will beat him to the punch to joining the Century Club membership.

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

When Indy Eleven take the field at Carroll Stadium for the Sunday evening game against Hartford Athletic, Sean McAuley will officially become the longest tenured coach in Indy Eleven men's history. The Hartford game will be McAuley's 100th game, while Martin Rennie was officially the man in charge for 99 games (he did have one more in-season unofficial friendly game against Detroit City, but those games don't count to players or fans totals, so they don't count for the coaches either). 

How is that possible you might initially ask? Rennie famously quit in the postgame discussion with Greg Rakestraw while in his 4th season, while McAuley is only midway through his 3rd season? Well, McAuley is helped by a good run in the U.S. Open Cup, but also Rennie's 3rd season was the shortened 2020 COVID year. So McAuley has managed to get there in fewer seasons thanks to the season circumstances and some better results in non-league play. 

Regardless, like a few members of this current version of the Indy Eleven men's team, McAuley will find himself at the top of the pile as it relates to games. So I thought it would be a good time to remind fans (and others) what Coach McAuley has achieved in his tenure.

As of right today, McAuley has a 40W-22D-36L record, good for a 40.8% win rate and a 63.3% positive result (win or draw) rate. Rennie's rates were slightly higher (46.0% and 65.0%, respectively), as weas Hankinson's win/draw rate (70.0%), but both were extremely buoyed by a single season. Hankinson's 2016 season had a positive result rate of 81.1% and Rennie's 2019 season had a rate of 72.5% in large part because they had undefeated home records in those seasons. However, Hankinson's 2017 numbers dropped to 57.6% and Rennie's final two seasons dropped to 56.3% and 50.0%. McAuley, conversely, has hovered just under or over 60% for all of his seasons. On a season-by-season basis, McAuley's teams have achieved positive results 67.5% (2024), 59.5% (2025), and 61.9% (2026) of the time. 

Note: both of Hankinson's and Rennie's top seasons included one of the unofficial friendly matches (Pachuca and Detroit City, respectively) and I have included those in my numbers. 

On a Points Per Match perspective, McAuley ranks second to Rennie (1.57 to 1.45). 
On a Goals For per match, McAuley overtakes Rennie 1.44 to 1.36. 

There's a trend when it comes to Indy Eleven coaches. Hankinson's 2016 has been the fan's torch bearer for Indy Eleven men's successful seasons. An undefeated home season. The team's only hardware. That 2016 season has been how all subsequent teams have been judged. Outside of that one season, though, it has been Rennie and McAuley who have been the most consistently successful coaches in the Indy Eleven team history. Depending on the stat, one of those two coaches is the leader. 

Let that sink in. Despite having the lowest player budget in the league this season and against, arguably better competition than those other coaches (Rennie's teams played against the MLS2 teams and Hankinson coached in the NASL, and today's USL Championship is definitely better from top to bottom than what the other Indy teams competed against), Coach McAuley has been the more consistently winning coach in team history. Of the coaches that have had successful tenures in Indy, he is matching or bettering those other season's statistics, including a positive goal differential. 

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

I don't know what McAuley's or the team's plan is for his future in Indianapolis. I think he wants to be back, but in the world of USL, the owners and other teams and a carrousel of players makes it nearly impossible to know what Indy Eleven will look like from year-to-year. If he returns, Indy will continue to have a coach that knows the value of the supporters and will work, with the constraints of what he is given, to provide a team that works hard to give the fans, particularly at home, a winning result. McAuley, above any other coach for the team, understands the value of the Brickyard Battalion and supporters in general, and their connection to the team, players, and culture. McAuley has done what he can do to get the players to understand what they mean to the community.

When I went back and listened to my recording of McAuley's very first meet-and-great with the fans in January 2024, I was struck by his response to Rakestraw's question about what "drew you to this job at this time in USL Championship":

"To start off, I looked at the opportunity. It is very much a MLS club, in the USL It wants to run like one, it wants to act like one, be like one. It has the supporters that can transition to one. And we're really comfortable being in the USL, the one thing we haven't done is won it. And that was attractive because I want to be the first one to do something where it's going to last a long time in the club's history. The other thing I was immediately attracted to was when I spoke to Greg and Ersal, and their vision of where they want the club to go in the future, that was really attractive to me also because their ambition is really strong and it sort of matched mine. And then the values that they have with the club and the supporters and what we want to achieve together, it sort of matched to be a perfect fit. And I looked at the playing squad. And they're pretty good. The returning players, we're really pleased with and then it was up to the staff, and again the ownership, to try and take us a little bit further, and they've done that in support of the new signings we've made. So we're really pleased where we are at the minute, it's not going to stop, everything that keeps progressing keeps progressing my initial reaction was strong and every day's getting stronger."

I would be curious to know how much of that statement McAuley still believes, but at nearly a century of games under his belt for Indy Eleven, I do know that I have valued every interaction I have had with him. I know he wants to make the team, the club, and the players better, and that he values the role that supporters (and guys like me in the media scrum) provide for building a club. 

McAuley is soon to be a welcome addition to the Century Club.