Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Indy Eleven strive to #IndyMLS

Like many (most?) Indy Eleven fans, in the last 24 hours, I found that the team was going to be one of 12 teams submitting bids to become part of the next wave of MLS additions. MLS has indicated that they will be going from 24 teams to 28 teams by 2020 and so a dozen locations have put their name into the collective hat in hopes that their name is selected. I'm probably not the only one who found out from the article last night from Sports Illustrated's Brian Straus that the Eleven would be joining Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville, Phoenix, Raleigh, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego, and Tampa Bay as the 12 hopefuls. The article also indicated that the team had a desire for a stadium that is heavily privately financed, as well as a desired location for the stadium. I'm going to touch on all of the major points of this news.

Let's start with the start. For as long as I can remember, MLS has been in the back of most Indy Eleven fans and staff minds, but it never really seemed to be the major driving force behind any of the decisions. To be in MLS at this time, a soccer-specific stadium is basically a prerequisite and the Eleven barely received any traction from that standpoint until last year. Even then, my impressions of the proceedings seemed like a long-shot. Yet the team has routinely stated, and it's been quoted significantly, that their goal was to be a Division 1 team on a Division 2 budget. Perhaps subtly reminding everyone that they were going to one day strive to actually be Division 1, without ever looking like they were so desperate to get in that they were willing to do anything to do it. The team continues to plug along trying to provide the best on- and off-field entertainment that they can for the City of Indianapolis, all within a reasonable budget. Mr. Ozdemir opened the purse strings a little this year to bring in some more experienced (and by extension, probably more expensive) players, but it never seemed like he would ever go the Cosmos' route of hemorrhaging the budget to chase a Championship. Act like a professional organization and eventually people will take notice. The Eleven have certainly done that to date.

Given that the Eleven, and Ozdemir in particular, seemed to be one of the major driving forces helping keep the NASL alive this off-season, the bid to be part of MLS seems all the more surprising to me. I've questioned a couple times already today about what the NASL think of the Eleven's bid. Some of the other cities in the running have not be secretive about their MLS desires, but the Eleven have looked to be truly committed to the NASL in the near-term. Tampa Bay barely had time for the dust to settle on their departure from the NASL before announcing their desire to be part of MLS. Cincinnati made a huge spectacle out of Commissioner Garber's visit there. The NASL's public relations battle over the off-season is not going to be helped out by the fact that just weeks after getting provisional Division 2 status by merely holding onto some teams, like the Eleven, one of those teams then turns around and expresses their desire to be somewhere else. So the timing by the team confuses me.

Brian Straus' article further indicated:
"the club’s MLS stadium will be a public-private partnership and that Ozdemir and his unnamed partners would be kicking in a “significant amount of private money.”

Ozdemir will remain the majority owner.
We've now found out more about those "unnamed partners" thanks to an article in the Indianapolis Business Journal.
On Tuesday, Eleven officials unveiled the names of its potential investors—a group that includes local auto dealer Andy Mohr; Elwood Staffing President Mark Elwood; Heritage Environmental Services President Jeff Laborsky; and Mickey Maurer, a shareholder in The National Bank of Indianapolis and IBJ Corp., parent company of the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Local partners, but not exactly earth-shattering money partners. Detroit's bid is being pulled together by NBA team owners Tom Gores and Dan Gilbert, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively. The San Antonio bid is from Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Yes, the San Antonio Spurs. These are not rarities in these bids. Several of the others have high profile owner's groups. I'm not saying that Mr. Ozdemir and Andy Mohr don't make a lot of money, but they're on a different level than some of these other groups. I guess it doesn't matter how they get the money or how many investors it ultimately takes, but they apparently think they can get enough money for the MLS entry fee and the "significant amount of private money" for the stadium. I just have to wonder if "who" the money comes from is as important as "how much" money they can bring.

I've talked about the stadium a lot on this site. However, back in December 2014 I had my first attempt at really trying to figure out where a stadium could even be physically located in Indianapolis given some of the comments about what the team desired for a stadium. Using the Chicago Fire's Toyota Park as my basis because of Peter Wilt's involvement with both teams, I scoured the city looking for locations. One of the places that continually came back to me as an extremely viable location was what I called Sand Street because of Google's reference to a street that runs through the site, but which any Indy resident who has ever driven in the area will tell you is not really a street any longer. I think there's still a street sign last time I looked, but there's also a fence blocking both ends of the "street." The other cross streets would have been an easier way to find it, but I always like the alliteration of calling it Sand Street Stadium. From Brian's article, "If built, the new stadium would be located in downtown Indianapolis between the Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium and the White River." Sand Street Stadium fits that description.

Of all the sites I evaluated, it was the one that I continually thought had the most promise of checking all of the desired boxes, particularly since the former GM Stamping Plant site was designated for other uses at the time I evaluated. That site still seems promising, but the Sand Street site has advantages that have likely pushed it to the forefront, including, but not limited to, the fact that the GM Stamping Plant seems to be getting a lot of attention for a lot of other developments and would be more expensive. Another benefit is that Sand Street has multiple public transportation stops within a quarter mile of the location. The ability of spectators to access the stadium through public transportation has always been a factor for Indy Eleven's stadium site, largely because of Peter Wilt's involvement with the Chicago Fire and Toyota Park's lack of access. Peter learned a lesson and brought it to Indy. It's also less than half a mile to both Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Colts play, and Victory Field, where Indy's AAA baseball team plays. As I said in 2014, it helps create a "sports zone" in the southwest section of downtown Indianapolis. The NCAA headquarters are nearby, as well as the Indianapolis Zoo, further creating a "sports and entertainment area" that so many of the other bids are striving to achieve.

I have no idea what "significant" private money implies, but the latest articles are indicating $100M for the stadium. If the team can pull 3/4 of that from private money, I have a feeling that the State and Indianapolis will find a way to help with the other 1/4. Though I'm just basing that on last year's legislative session where it looked like the State was going to give about $25M before everything ran out of time. Though that was also for a State-owned stadium located on IUPUI's campus so they may feel differently for this location and stadium.

Lastly, the team's competition for the MLS spots include Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville, Phoenix, Raleigh, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego, and Tampa Bay as previously noted. Of all those locations, Sacramento seems to be the most logical. They check all the boxes for having a successful club. They are consistently one of the leaders in USL for attendance, averaging over 11,000 last year, well above the league's average of around 3,500. They have a fan-base ready to make the jump and a stadium plan that is ready to go as soon as given the word. I'm not sure how they get kept out.

I don't have enough information to give a truly formed opinion on the viability of most of the other teams, but some of the higher profile owner's groups gives me concern about the Eleven's chances. The two teams that could really throw a wrench into an #IndyMLS bid are Cincinnati and St. Louis. Cincinnati averaged over 17,000 people at their games in their inaugural season and it sounds like ticket sales have been brisk for season two. St. Louis has long been considered a hot-spot of soccer in America and the city recently lost their NFL team to Los Angeles. An MLS team in either of those two towns could severely dampen the Eleven's chances due to a perceived "sufficiency of Midwestern teams."

I don't know if this was a legit bid or more of a we-need-to-do-this-to-stay-in-the-discussion on the chance that the league decides to go past 28 teams. I suspect that the additional partners are all contingent on the team actually winning the MLS bid and if the team isn't selected, all of those partners will no longer be around. So a new stadium for the Eleven in the NASL or the USL goes back to the drawing board and Indy Eleven fans will continue to sit in a stadium designed for track and field events in the 1980s.

As part of the "grassroots" media for the Eleven, I fully expect that despite Ozdemir's assurances, a successful MLS bid will eliminate the press credentials that I enjoy to be able to try and write better content. A blog on the internet isn't really needed to help with exposure when your games are covered by the major networks and discussed by Alexi Lalas, Taylor Twellman, Brian Straus, and Grant Wahl. Regardless, a move to MLS would provide a level of stability for the Eleven that the NASL and USL have not convinced me they can provide, meaning that the Eleven will be around for a long time for me to enjoy.

Like many people, I have objections to the way the business of MLS is run, but a legit stadium in a more stable league allowing me to write about the team and the game that I love for a long time will be well worth the lost press pass if it comes to that. Now we play the waiting game to see if there is a move to MLS and what happens with the NASL & USL's provisional Division 2 status.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

The Soccer Life - Scott Stewart

For the second Indy Eleven Front Office Soccer Life response this week, Scott Stewart fills us in on the basics of his soccer life. Scott has only been with the Indy Eleven as a full-time employee since March of 2016, but as I found out while reading through his weebly page (which I suggest you do as well), he has a long history of being involved with sports. Writing and broadcasting extensively during his time at IU. He's officially the "Web Content & Social Media Coordinator," but now I know how he got the gig doing some of the broadcasting of the Indy Eleven games. Thanks for answering the questions Scott!     


1. Name:
Scott Stewart

2. Role (Player, Parent, Coach, Referee, General Spectator, All of the Above, None of the Above, Other):
- Content & Social Media - Indy Eleven

3. Soccer-specific Nickname (and any story behind it):
- Sniper - I *used* to be able to hit a ball quite well!

4. Age became interested in soccer:
- 15

5. First recollection of the game:
- Playing rec soccer when I was five and absolutely hating it

6. Highest level of play achieved:
- Recreational

7. Honors/Awards
- 3x Off the Wall Indoor Champion ;)

8. Last competitive match – Date (if known) & Level of Play
- Last weekend - W 10-2
Editor's note: it took me awhile to get this written. "Last weekend" was the end of November...

9. Position:
- Centre-back

10. Jersey number:
- #5

11. Coaching experience:
- U8-9

12. Refereeing experience:
- Two years sideline

13. Most memorable moment(s):
- Phil Coutinho's stunner against City to make it 3-2 in 2014


14. Least memorable moment(s):
- Steven Gerrard's error against Chelsea that effectively lost Liverpool the title


15. Favorite World Cup moment(s):
- No question - Landon Donovan's 2010 WC goal v. Algeria to send us through at the top of the group.
Editor's note: Told you there's a trend...


16. Favorite team(s)
- Liverpool FC

17. Favorite Historical player:
- Steven Gerrard/Jamie Carragher

18. Favorite Current Player
- Phil Coutinho

19. Indoor vs Outdoor:
- Outdoor

20. Grass vs Turf:
- Grass

21. Other sports played (and to what level):
- Basketball - club

22. Other Comments:
-

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

The Soccer Life - Andrew Piggush

Awhile back, Indy Eleven's Public Relations Director John Koluder participated in my Soccer Life series and agreed to pass the survey around to others in the Front Office. Today, and another this week, we get a little look at the folks that make our favorite team run. Andrew Piggush was the first to respond to the request and I appreciate him taking the time. 


1. Name:
Andrew Piggush

2. Role (Player, Parent, Coach, Referee, General Spectator, All of the Above, None of the Above, Other):
- Team Operations Manager / Former Equipment Manager at Indy Eleven

3. Soccer-specific Nickname (and any story behind it):
-

4. Age became interested in soccer:
- 5

5. First recollection of the game:
- Playing rec soccer at about 5

6. Highest level of play achieved:
- Freshman High School

7. Honors/Awards
- Worst Player Ever ;)

8. Last competitive match – Date (if known) & Level of Play
- 9th Grade - 2002

9. Position:
- Defensive Midfielder

10. Jersey number:
- #13

11. Coaching experience:
- N/A

12. Refereeing experience:
- N/A

13. Most memorable moment(s):
- 3-0 victory over FC Edmonton in Tim Regan's first home game as interim head coach

14. Least memorable moment(s):
- 7-1 loss in Fort Lauderdale

15. Favorite World Cup moment(s):
- Landon Donovan versus Algeria
Editor's note: I'm starting to notice a trend with this response... :-)

16. Favorite team(s)
- Indy Eleven, Real Salt Lake, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid

17. Favorite Historical player:
- Brian McBride

18. Favorite Current Player
- Aaron Ramsey

19. Indoor vs Outdoor:
- Outdoor

20. Grass vs Turf:
- Grass

21. Other sports played (and to what level):
- Rugby (College), Basketball (Junior High)

22. Other Comments:
-

Monday, January 9, 2017

Two x Division 2

Two days ago, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) made the decision to not get sued by a lower division soccer league and announced that both the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the United Soccer League (USL) would be designated as provisional Division 2 leagues. Like most writers, I had intended to provide my thoughts on this decision yesterday, but a migraine delayed this post. As a result, I'm probably not going to say anything that you haven't read or heard from others, but I still want to write down what I think this decision means.

In the near term, as Greg Rakestraw stated on Soccer Saturday, it means that "the business of soccer can get back to the business of soccer." Players can be signed in earnest, schedules can be created, and fans can rest assured that they are going to have soccer to watch come April. More specifically for Indy Eleven fans, it means that we'll likely get word this week of what players are returning from last year's Championship match squad. Again, per Soccer Saturday, John Koluder indicated that it will be around 10 - 12 players returning. With a season ending roster of 23 (22 with the retirement of Janicki), that's quite a few players who won't be initially returning. Some of those players could find their way back onto the roster, but some of your favorite Indy Eleven players may have found what they are hope are greener pastures. Coach Hankinson has already told us that Mares, Franco, Ring, Keller, and Lacroix were all free agents and that the team hoped to retain all of them, but that some of them have received other offers from teams. "Interesting offers." "Interesting offers" are usually hard to turn down unless a competing "more interesting offer" is provided. Given that it sounds like the league, and by extension, the other owners of the teams may be the temporary owners of the Jacksonville Armada, Mr. Ozdemir isn't likely to get into a bidding war for players this year.

In the interim term, by the end of the year, we will need to have this same conversation. The USSF awarded both the NASL and the USL "provisional" Division 2 status. By its very definition, provisional is something that is "arranged or existing for the present, possibly to be changed later." There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the USSF does not WANT two leagues holding Division 2 status. While it may not seem like it, this was a way to protect soccer in the United States. The more successful soccer organizations there are in the country, the better for all. So the USSF gave both leagues another year to figure out how to move forward.

Which leads me to the long term. Who the hell knows how this is going to play out? Other than to say that there will be a Division 1 league (MLS), a Division 2 league, a Division 3 league, and a Division 4 league(s), I don't have the slightest idea how things will fall. Given that USL has a third of their teams that don't meet Division 2 status and are not independently run from their MLS affiliates (i.e. reserve teams), one would anticipate that they are going to be a major part of whatever decision is made. The reserve teams are likely the main thing that prevented the USL from achieving Division 2 on its own, without the provisional label. Though a league full of reserve teams where their main goal is not about wins or losses, but rather player development, isn't likely to achieve its own Division 3 status. So do any of the independent USL teams move over to NASL? Is there a merger between two leagues that already separated once before?

My guess, and that's all that I can go on because I don't have any #Sources, is that the NASL finds a few more new teams to keep them at Division 2 status, the USL drastically retracts due to their plethora of reserve teams that get (maybe at least temporarily) relegated down to Division 3, and the remaining independent USL teams join the NASL teams to form some new conglomerate. Whether it retains the NASL name or the USL name will be semantics at that point, but there will be some aspect of both when they join. Hopefully that happens more towards October or November of this year, rather than in January of next year. Given how this year has gone, I'm not overly optimistic, but as Peter Wilt stated on Soccer Saturday (this week's was highly informative as usual), maybe this whole fiasco will solidify a direction by both leagues.

This month of guessing is also not going to do any favors for the Indy Eleven's attempt to get state assistance in funding a new stadium. The legislative session is now underway and it would be hard to believe that the legislators aren't aware by now of what's going on with the team's league. Regardless of all of this mess, even legitimate MLS hopefuls, and I no longer consider Indy to be one of those locations, are gaining no traction in public-funded stadiums. We're just not in an economic environment that is conducive to that type of funding mechanism. Indy was going to be a tough nut to crack this year during the best of times, but being in a provisional league during the legislative year is as good a death knell as anything. The best case is that the legislature provides a similar offer as last year and the team and IUPUI has evaluated all possibilities to use that $20M in money to upgrade Carroll Stadium to make it a much more friendly soccer-specific stadium. Or that Ozdemir finds a way to fund it on his own...

The good news is that Indy still has a team and a league in which they will play. I would like to think that they would be the favorites going into the year to make it back to the Championship game. However, with so many teams in flux this off-season, who knows what the rosters of the NASL teams are going to look like come April? Rayo released their roster, the Cosmos released their roster, and both of those teams had players that will definitely find new teams. Teams like Miami and Puerto Rico. Teams like the Indy Eleven. Which is why this week's roster announcements (assuming they come this week) aren't going to include all 22 players from last year's Championship run team. Again, I don't have any #Sources, but don't be surprised if you see a few players from those teams wearing the checkers this year.

Two Division 2 leagues isn't ideal, but at least we still have soccer in Indy. For that I'm grateful. When people ask "who's your club?," I only have one response. Indy Eleven. I don't have a stake in any MLS teams. No stake in Liga MX. No stake in La Liga. No stake in the English Premier League. I started writing for the Indy Eleven three years ago and luckily, thanks to the decision of the USSF on Friday night, I get to continue doing so this year.