Much like Wednesday's Soccer Life entry, Brandon Cockrum, today's participant is also part the Indy Eleven blogging community. However, James is not just a writer in the Bloody Shambles stable, but the founder of the group after spending some time contributing to other blogging and podcasting groups. James has also been a periodic contributor to your gameday poster collection, having provided the design for the RailHawks game in the Fall Season of 2014, the Open Cup game against Louisville FC in 2015, and the Jacksonville game in the Fall Season of 2015. Oh, and that tat on the left is believed to be the first of its kind, inked shortly after the team announced their official name and crest? That's Cormack's. Those are some of the details I knew of him beforehand. Now let James give you his responses to my general Soccer Life questions. Thanks for participating James!
Photo: Doug McSchooler/ The Star
1. Name:
- James Cormack
2. Role (Player, Parent, Coach, Referee, General Spectator, All of the Above, None of the Above, Other):
- Football blogger/podcast
3. Soccer-specific Nickname (and any story behind it):
- None.
4. Age became interested in soccer:
- 5
5. First recollection of the game:
- Listening to BBC Scotland on Saturday afternoons to get updates from all the games as none were broadcast live back then.
6. Highest level of play achieved:
- County Level League and Highland Amateur Cup, Scotland
7. Honors/Awards
- Got my name in national newspapers after my team got beat 15-1.
8. Last competitive match – Date (if known) & Level of Play
- Fall 2016 CIASA Over 45 league.
9. Position:
- Right back
10. Jersey number:
- #3
11. Coaching experience:
- Player/Coach Men's Team, County Divisions Scotland. Scottish Football Association First lvl coaching certificate. (mentor Ross Jack)
12. Refereeing experience:
- If I ever become a referee, I will probably be the most hated.
13. Most memorable moment(s):
- May 5 1998, Celtic defeating St Johnstone 2-0 and stopping Rangers FC from winning ten straight league championships.
14. Least memorable moment(s):
- 2003 Celtic defeat in the UEFA Cup Final against Porto in Seville.
15. Favorite World Cup moment(s):
- 1978 World Cup Final, and the whole competition itself, it was my first one and it pretty much changed the rest of my life. The final and the atmosphere was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen.
16. Favorite team(s)
- Celtic FC, Indy Eleven
17. Favorite Historical player:
- Henrik Larsson
18. Favorite Current Player
- Scott Sinclair
19. Indoor vs Outdoor:
- Outdoor
20. Grass vs Turf:
- Grass
21. Other sports played (and to what level):
- Rugby, High School
22. Other Comments:
- If you have ever worried that football may have taken over your life, it probably already has.
It's time, once again, to ask some folks the basic questions about their Soccer Life and this week's responses come from some of my fellow Indy Eleven bloggers from Bloody Shambles. First up is Brandon Cockrum, also known as the former writer of Brew Wallace. Like some of the other Soccer Life participants (I'm looking at you Brad Hauter), soccer isn't the only thing in Brandon's life that is interesting. Turns out that Brandon helped generate the Bringin' Home the Bacon scratch-off ticket for the Indiana Lottery, which "was chosen as a nominee for the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries' 2015 Scratch-Off Game of the Year." It never ceases to amaze me on the things that people do when they're not watching or playing soccer.
Thanks for participating Brandon!
1. Name:
- Brandon Cockrum
2. Role (Player, Parent, Coach, Referee, General Spectator, All of the Above, None of the Above, Other):
- Player, Parent, Coach, Spectator
3. Soccer-specific Nickname (and any story behind it):
- Cock. First part of last name. One of my coaches called me that because it gave him an excuse to yell an obscenity.
4. Age became interested in soccer:
- 6
5. First recollection of the game:
- Playing in neighborhood with friends
6. Highest level of play achieved:
- High School
7. Honors/Awards
- IU Soccer Camp All-Star (x2). Lol
8. Last competitive match – Date (if known) & Level of Play
- Indy City Futbol Canal Derby on May 24, 2017 Editor's note: in what has become a bad trend for me, it has taken me two months to post Brandon's responses. I'm sure he's played a game since May...
9. Position:
- Right Mid or anywhere needed
10. Jersey number:
- #8
11. Coaching experience:
- High school and U6
12. Refereeing experience:
- 1 season, terrible
13. Most memorable moment(s):
- Run to IHSAA state finals; Scoring 2 goals in final 5 minutes of club tournament game to get win; Scoring 4 goals in a soggy club tournament game
14. Least memorable moment(s):
- Skying first ever PK shootout attempt; quitting competitive soccer in teens
15. Favorite World Cup moment(s):
- Watching Spain vs Bolivia at Soldier Field, US late goals in 2012, Germany stomping Brazil 7-0
After this week's 2-nil win at home against the Armada, the Eleven are an 86th minute Ledesma flop from finishing the Spring Season on a five game win streak, rather than just a five game undefeated streak. An undefeated streak that started in the game that followed a 4-1 loss, at home, to this same Armada team. To say that the team's results have taken a dramatic upswing in the final third of the Spring Season is a bit of an understatement. The team has come together despite the external questions of their performance and are finally getting, and remaining, healthy. Only Plumhoff and Miller were unavailable for selection due to health issues. Ubiparipovic wasn't around due to the fact he was getting married. So for the first time in five games, the Eleven had a new starting lineup that wasn't forced on them because of injury. Torrado was healthy again and Ubi was getting hitched.
NASL/Opta Stats - Indy Average Position
Whether by who's available or by who he trusts, Coach Hankinson has settled into a starting lineup, as well as a substitution pattern. The backline has solidified with Franco, Vukovic, Falvey, and as I've been saying, the second centerback spot next to Falvey is, and should be, Keller's until he proves incapable. Speas and Smart are going to be on the wings. Ring is going to be the defensive mid. Ubi (or Torrado) are going to either play in front of Ring or somewhat beside him. Braun and Zayed up top. Ubi (or Torrado) are going to play around 60 to 65 minutes and be replaced by Henderson. Zayed is going to get 80 minutes and be replaced by Goldsmith. Palmer will come on at some point late in the game for someone depending on how Coach is trying to close out the game and player's energy levels. Much like last year, the team has settled in and it's not a surprise at what they are going to do, but they're getting it done anyway.
After missing the previous six games, it was obvious that Torrado wasn't going to play the entire game, but he also looked rusty and not up to his normal performance. He only won a third of his tackles, a quarter of his duels, conceded 4 fouls and won zero, and only completed about 75% of his passes. Not Torrado standards, but it's good to see him healthy again as it gives the team options for lineups and matchups against other teams.
Zayed needs a goal in the worst way. For a guy who has historically averaged a goal every two games throughout his career, a goal every six games must feel like he can't get the ball in the goal at all. Last season, the only time Zayed went more than three games in a row without scoring was the stretch were Braun was injured. This season, Zayed went seven goalless games before scoring his second and is currently on a five game goalless stretch. He was credited with the assist on Henderson's 68th minute goal, but Zayed seems like he's unsure of himself right now. I can think of at least two times off the top of my head where Zayed of the past would have attempted a one-touch shot on goal, but chose rather to try and settle the ball for a better attempt only to have the defense close on him and prevent that attempt. So instead of getting a half chance on goal, it turned into no chance on goal. I don't know how he's looking in practice, but he just looks like he's indecisive on how to best strike the ball to be able to watch it go in the goal. A goal (or two) could fix that.
The good news for the Eleven is that despite Zayed's struggles right now, other guys are finding their own way to score goals. Vuko's goal in the 48th minute was a thing of beauty. From my seat in the standards, I was perfectly place to watch how much the ball curved from his shooting location into the goal. He resembled so many of his set piece attempts, but it happened in the run of play. A run of play that occurred because of a perfectly weighted, field switching cross from Ring. Surprisingly, that is Ring's first assist as a member of the Eleven. It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that the team's recent string of success comes as Henderson, Vuko, Smart, & Speas have scored goals. Teams had been able to focus on Braun as the team's primary goalscorer. Now that other guys are finding success, this will only help everybody.
Speaking of Braun. There is a Justin Braun that plays in the NHL for the San Jose Sharks. NHL Justin would be proud of the physical stamina of NASL Braun. He is absolutely taking a beating by teams at this point. Every single touch of the ball is met with a physical challenge by opposing defenses. I'm not sure how he maintains his level of effort while taking a beating, particularly given that he has recently been dropping back further into the defense to get the ball.
Statistically, this doesn't look like a win from the Eleven, but they seemed to be the one in control of the game through the majority of the game. Jacksonville had some chances, but the defense or Busch always stepped up and made the play. Vuko hustling back in the 39th minute to thwart what looked like a sure goal when Banks made a well timed run to break the offside trap. Busch's stoppage time save in the 2nd half that kept Jacksonville off the board and maintained the clean sheet, again thwarting Banks' header from just outside the 6-yard box. It's these kinds of plays that have helped propel the Eleven to their current undefeated streak and what has pushed them into the 2nd tier of the league. As I've mentioned last year and this year, the league seems to separate into three distinct tiers of teams. The favorites, the underdogs, and a cluttered middle. Miami have started to create a top tier of 1 and the Eleven looked like they were going to reside in that bottom tier of teams waiting until next year, but their recent run of form have made them the only team to move between tiers. Only time, and a Fall Season, will show whether they can maintain their momentum and turn it into an appearance into the Championship.
The Game Beckons Game Ball:
I think a few guys could get the Game Beckons Game Ball, but I think Henderson deserves it for coming in an making an immediate impact.
For only the 2nd time in the history of the Eleven, I was not in attendance for a home game. I will also likely not be able to watch the game before next week's Spring Season finale against Jacksonville. So instead of trying to write something that pretends like I know how the game truly went, I'm going to point out a couple things that surprised me while looking at the statistics without having any preconceived notion of what the statistics would/could tell me.
The Eleven reduced their number of offside calls, which is something I've been critical about lately. Fewer offside calls means more opportunities.
The Eleven are being credited with 117 passes, which jumped off the screen at me. That is way beyond their normal average of just over 300 passes per game. Having not seen the game, I had to wonder about the accuracy of the stat or if they really did have that few passes.
Similarly, for a guy that has made 20 saves over the preceding three games, Busch wasn't credited with a single save. Given that I can see in the game highlights that he parried away a free kick, it further makes me question the NASL/Opta Stats.
Lastly, the stats show the Eleven had 3 tackles and the Cosmos had 1 tackle. Not buying it... not in this series.
So I'm not sure that I can trust any stats from this game except for the score. Given that the Eleven need wins to get some momentum going into the Fall Season, that's really the only one that matters right now.
- Opponent: New York Cosmos
- Location: Brooklyn, New York
- Attendance: 6,734
- Final Score: 1-1 D
- Starting XI: Busch, Franco, Falvey, Keller, Vukovic, Ring, Smart, Speas, Ubiparipovic, Braun, Zayed
- Substitutions: Henderson 67' (Ubiparipovic), Goldsmith 73' (Zayed), Palmer 84' (Franco)
- Unused: Cardona, Thompson, Ables
- Goals: Speas 33' (assist Franco)
- Bookings: Goldsmith 72' (Yellow), Palmer 83' (Yellow), Falvey 90' (Yellow)
- Adage goals: One
A draw ripped from the jaws of victory, the Eleven went into MCU Park, a stone's throw away from Coney Island where Joey Chestnut once again won the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest earlier in the day, and led for 53 minutes before giving up a penalty kick in the dying minutes of the game. The good news is that the team went on the road, on a holiday, with a crowd 2,000 people larger than normal for NYC, and came away with a point thanks to a world-class cross from Franco that Speas pushed around Ochieng, forcing him to slip, and then 5-holed Maurer.
The bad news... Well, let's get into that a little. Speas' goal was a bit fortunate in that he was even in position to take the shot on goal because he had a poor first touch that Ochieng should have been able to clear if he hadn't slipped. The Eleven were out-shot 3 to 1, with the Cosmos having more shots on goal than the Eleven had in total. Busch had 9 saves. NINE. That gives him 22 saves in the past three games. There seems to be a definite bend but don't break mentality to the team at the moment, which is odd given that they finally have their offensive weapons back again and were able to field the same starting lineup for the third week in a row.
The Cosmos were short-handed. They have four players away, participating in the Gold Cup with their respective national teams. Andres Flores, Richard Menjivar, and Irvin Herrera are with El Salvador and Dejan Jakovic is with Canada. The Cosmos bench included seven players. One player, Danilo Radjen, doesn't even show up in the team's statistics, three of them still haven't played a single minute this season, one NOW has 10 minutes, another had 20 minutes coming into the game, and Starikov was averaging less than 45-minutes per game. Safe to say, the bench didn't include a lot of depth. It would be easy to say that the Eleven were playing the Cosmos' B squad, but that's overly simplistic. A more accurate assessment was that the Eleven were playing the Cosmos' A- squad.
NASL/New York Cosmos Individual Stats (Through 07/05/2017)
NASL/Opta Stats - Ring 2nd Half Heat Map
There were good moments from the Eleven. Speas' goal. Zayed's near-goal right before the end of the first half. Busch.
Yet, at some point early on, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time the ball went to Ubiparipovic or Ring. Ring finished the game with 24 touches; Ubi finished with 32 touches. For a couple guys who should be moving the offense forward, it seemed like they were non-existent for stretches of the game. Ring, as seen in his 2nd half heat map, touched the ball once outside of the defensive third. Ubi touched the ball 5 times in the second half. Yes, you read that correctly. Ubi, who has been dropping deeper into the defensive half of the field to get the ball in better positions to move the offense, touched the ball 5 times in the 22 minutes he was on the field in the 2nd half.
And now for the PK that shouldn't have been...
"It looks like Ledesma definitely exaggerates the contact there. Knows exactly what he's doing. Draws the ref in on this one..."
The penalty kick call was a bad one, but I think most of us can chalk that up to typical NASL refs and a flop that happens more often in soccer than we care to admit, particularly to our non-soccer sports fans who look at these kinds of things as their sole reason to not watch soccer. If you're reading this blog (hi Jeff and Aaron), you've chosen to look past the flopping and are interested in the finer aspects of the beautiful game.
Choosing to look past the ridiculous penalty call, a concerning thing happened during the penalty kick. This is the 5th penalty kick that opposing teams have taken against the Eleven in just 14 games. Three of those kicks have been scored directly off the kick. The other two were scored off the rebound because the ball fortuitously bounced back to the opposing team's player who was able to score over a sprawled Busch. It did not go unnoticed to the Cosmos that the Eleven have not been the quickest players to the rebound and they played the penalty kick accordingly. While Falvey didn't move at all, Smart and Keller ran towards goal to parry the ball away if Busch once again made the initial save. However, none of them would have reached the ball first because Richter and Calvillo took a running start to the kick and would have, once again, been in a position to score off the rebound in front of the Eleven. See the below video. If the Eleven are going to continue to give up penalty kick attempts, this is something that needs to be addressed.
So the Eleven had a positive result against a team not named NCFC, but they're still looking at a dramatic uphill battle to get themselves into a playoff position. A win at home against the very same Cosmos team on Saturday would go a long way toward shifting the team's momentum heading into the Fall Season.
The Game Beckons Game Ball
Busch. 9 saves. Not all of them as spectacular as he's been called to do recently, but he consistently put himself in the right position for saves. Nine of them.
