Indy Eleven vs Hartford Athletic - 12.09

Summary

- Opponent: Hartford Athletic
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 9,056
- Final Score: 4-4 D

- Starting XI: Charles-Cook, McRobb, Musa, Ofeimu, White, Blake, Murphy, Quinn (C), Rendon, Amoh, Foster

- Substitution: Williams, R. 31' (White); Collier 62' (Amoh); Lindley 62' (Quinn); Kizza 79' (Blake); O'Brien, J. 79' (McRobb)

- Unused: Sulte, Hogan

Scoring Summary:
IND - Ofeimu14' (unassisted)
HFD - Edwards 26' (Penalty Kick)
HFD - Edwards 32' (assist Dieng)
HDF - Scarlett 43' (assist Farrell)
IND - Williams, R. 45' + 2' (assist Quinn)
IND - Blake 46' (assist Foster)
HFD - Dieng 46' (assist Anderson)
IND - Williams, R. 90'+4' (assist Collier)

- Bookings:

IND - McRobb 35' (Yellow)
IND - Ofeium 90'+7' (Yellow)

- Referee: Joshua Encarnación

- Adage goals: One.

Thoughts and Opinions

Indy and Hartford came into the game having played two to three games fewer than the rest of the table so they both had/have games in hand, but were both desperately trying to get themselves back above the playoff line while also trying to stay out of the basement that, who would have thought this statement would be said, Tampa Bay currently holds. Both teams came in with just a single win in league play, with mixed results in their cup competitions. It's not an understatement to say that both teams needed, not just wanted, a win tonight. Unfortunately for both sets of fans, neither team finished with the win as a second half stoppage time goal by Indy meant that the spoils were shared in a 4-4 offensive output. Tonight's 8 goals ties the club record for most goals in a game, but this was the first one where Indy took any points out of the game. The other three 8-goal games were:

• 08/29/2015 - a 7-1 loss on the road to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers
• 08/08/2021 - a 6-2 loss on the road to Atlanta United 2 
• 04/06/2024 - a 5-3 loss on the road to Louisville City

Some fun symmetry there... The opponents score has gone down by one each game while Indy's score has gone up by one each game. 7-6-5-4 1-2-3-4. Next 8-goal game should be a 5-3 win for Indy, right?

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

In the early stages of this game, knocking the ball around with short passes was neither team's plan. At one point, Indy had 11 long passes out of 36. Get the ball in Hartford's half as quickly as possible and try to do something positive with it. In the 14th minute, Musa put a header on frame that Siaha parried to the side only the ball to get recycled a couple times in a scramble feet away from the goal line. In all the confusion, Ofeimu managed to get his foot to it and push it passed the throng of bodies hovering over the ball like a U4 beehive mentality. After the goal, there appeared to be multiple goals to be had in the game as both teams frenetically looked to attack their respective goals. [Editor's note: I wrote that line in real time during the game, expecting a 3-1 type score line. Knew there were more goals in the game, just didn't expect 7 more of them.] Indy looked desperate to get a second to put Hartford on the ropes, while Hartford looked desperate to equalize as quickly as possible. 

White's defending of Beckford early on was not up to his normal defensive standards as Beckford's pace and, specifically, his change of pace, forced White to take poor angles to the ball. Eventually, Beckford got around White and into the Indy box. Once he felt White on his hip, he crumbled like a house of cards in a hurricane, giving Hartford their lifeline from the penalty spot. Edwards stepped up and promptly sent Charles-Cook the wrong way. Not long after the penalty kick, White was subbed out of the game, so maybe his less than stellar normal defending was because he had tweaked something. Regardless, energized by their equalizer, Hartford continued their pressure on the Indy backline until they doubled their lead with a second goal as the Indianapolis weather once again provided rain for a match. Then Hartford scored a third right before the end of regulation. Hartford had gone from down a goal to up two in less than 30-minutes of game time.

Indy then clawed their own goal back in first half stoppage time with a goal from Williams to go into the locker room down just a goal. Given the onslaught of goals they conceded in rapid succession, being within striking range felt fortunate, even if Coach McAuley was completely disappointed in the performance. Both teams could go into the locker room glad that they were able to find some goals, but both had to be more than disappointed at how their defense had played. For the fourth time this season, in 9 league games, Indy had conceded at least 3 goals. The difference tonight was that they achieved that dubious distinction in the first half.

That's one way to defend. Honestly, who do you 
whistle for the foul? (Photo: Don Thompson Photography)

If you like all-out offense, this was the game to watch. At full time, the two teams had combined for a total of 36 shots (18 each), 13 on target (6 for Indy, 7 for Hartford), and both teams had an Expected Goal rate higher than 2.5 (2.61xG for Indy, 2.56xG for Hartford). If you like defense, this game was not for you. This was a defensive shit-show with goals aplenty. Within the first minute of the second half, BOTH. TEAMS. SCORED. Indy drew even within the first 19 seconds of the second half starting whistle as Foster crossed a ball that Blake blasted passed Siaha to get the game back to level. Just before the clock turned from the 46th minute to the 47th minute, officially 38 seconds after Blake's goal, Dieng put a shot over Charles-Cook to regain their goal advantage. 

With that start to the half as the backdrop, the second half turned into a track meet, seemingly to find out who was going to have the endurance at the end of the game to do anything. End-to-end action created opportunities for both teams until around the 70th minute when Hartford's endurance started to waiver (or time wasting tactics started) and players began to cramp. 

Somehow Williams found a second goal, this time further into stoppage time than his first half stoppage time goal, bringing the game to level. Hartford had to feel like it was one of those games where a draw feels like a loss, and Indy felt like it was a win given that Indy was down by two goals, then one, then equal, then down again. Yet, Coach McAuley also admitted after the game that a team shouldn't have to score 5 goals at home to get a win, which is what it would have taken tonight. All the post-game interviews (Coach McAuley, Blake, and Williams) stated in one fashion or the other that the team needs to do a better job of team defending and being fully focused for the full ninety. Indy keep getting caught and penalized for their mistakes.

The draw doesn't help either team move up the table, and Indy's weekend off doesn't really do anything for the table since the rest of the league is involved in their Jagermeister Cup games that Indy did last weekend. Indy head on the road to Birmingham for another midweek fixture next week, before spending nearly the entirety of June and July at home. While the rest of the teams are taking part in the Cup games, Indy will look to figure out their defending issues. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Timely goals from Romario kept the game within reach going into halftime and then allowed the team to get a positive result from the game thanks to his second stoppage time goal. They don't happen often in Indy's history so Williams gets rewarded for his brace with tonight's GBGB.

Photos - Don Thompson Photography