Indy Eleven vs Las Vegas Lights - 12.12

Summary

- Opponent: Las Vegas Lights 
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 9,132
- Final Score: 1-0 L

- Starting XI: Sulte, McRobb, Musa, Hogan, Ofeimu, Quinn (C), Murphy, Rendon, Blake, Lindley, Amoh

- Substitution: Collier 67' (Quinn); Foster 67' (Blake); White 67' (Rendon); Kizza 68' (Amoh); O'Brien, J. 80' (McRobb)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Soumaoro

Scoring Summary:
LV - Pickering 90' (assist Stojanovic)

- Bookings:

LV - Nigro 2' (Yellow)

- Referee: JC Griggs

- Adage goals: One.

Thoughts and Opinions

Las Vegas Lights came to town and were greeted by some Las Vegas-like temperatures, with a game time temperature hovering around 90-degrees, but the humidity hovering around 60% made it feel like 100-degrees. Being "used to the heat" is different than being "used to the oppressing feeling that the humidity weighs on you," and I'm not sure anybody ever really gets used to that feeling. Keeping in mind the temperature and the heat index, there seemed to be little chance that this was going to be a high tempo, defensive pressing type of game for the full game. This had all the initial expectations of a "grind-it-out, wait for a mistake from your opponent and capitalize on it" type of game. It took until the 90th minute for that mistake to happen, but when it did happen, it allowed Las Vegas to leave Indianapolis with a 1-nil victory. Las Vegas also managed to do something no other team had been able to do all season and that was keep Indy scoreless. 

Indy came out early with a defensive press, likely looking to get an early goal to force Las Vegas to get an early deflated feeling about their time in Indy, and in essence end the game early. Las Vegas, contrarily, looked disinclined to press at all, or even counterattack in any kind of numbers. However, once the clock crossed over about the 15-minute mark, Indy's press took a noticeable reduction in its intensity. The less intense press by Indy allowed Las Vegas to get a better hold in the game, but they still didn't look inclined to stretch themselves too much out of their defensive shape and only went forward in numbers a couple of times. As the game approached the halftime whistle, Las Vegas began to push the momentum in their favor, but still weren't that effective in getting much out of their increased effort. 

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

After the break, Blake and Quinn switched sides of the field in a tactical adjustment by Coach McAuley, but the game mostly looked the same as it had in the second half. Neither team looked overly dangerous in their offensive third of the field, and the pace remained very measured trying to leave something in the legs in the heat for any kind of late game push. 

Coach McAuley made a line change substitution in the 67th minute, when he put fresh legs up top with Collier, Foster, and Kizza all coming in. Based on the substitutions, it seemed like Coach McAuley was conveying his intent to get a win out of this game. McAuley has regularly stated that the team need to get better results at home to reward the fans for their continued support and voice during the games. Post-game, he even stated that he was always going to go for a win at home. On the road, with the same kind of weather and late game draw scoreline, he might do something different. At home though, the team was going to do for a win.

The 4-3-3 lineup Indy played at the end eventually had a breakdown defensively, and a couple of Las Vegas' substitutes put the visitors ahead 1-nil in the 90th minute. Once the goal was scored, it was just a matter of getting across the finish line. With the weather and the heat, the game always felt like a single goal would be the winner. When the goal happens in the 90th minute, there just isn't much time to try and get something back out of the game. 

The loss brings Indy's home league record to 1W-3D-3L. After a game that was fairly even from a stat perspective, and even from the eyeball test, the result remains the same; Indy close to getting full points only to watch it dissipate to a draw or loss. The up-and-down emotions of the games and their results are leading to an up-and-down trajectory of this team. After two 1-nil victories, there were some signs that maybe Indy was turning the corner and figuring out some of their defensive issues with a more collective defensive effort. Tonight, though, Indy couldn't find their own goal and then conceded late, proving that this team still seems to be a work in progress when it comes to playing a full 90 minutes. Indy's run of having games-in-hand continues to make the table look deceiving, but the loss pushed Indy back below the playoff line. With Indy's inconsistent form this year, it feels like the discussion of the playoff line is more relevant much earlier in the season than in the past. At times, they feel and look like they could go on a run of wins. At times, they look like a team that is struggling. 

Indy head to Tampa Bay for a midweek fixture against another struggling team before returning back to The Mike next weekend to play Birmingham as part of the Jagermeister Cup. Both games seem winnable, but I really no longer know how to guess what kind of result this team is going to get from game to game.  

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

Coach McAuley has said it was partly out of necessity because of minor injuries to other players, but the insurgence of Cam Lindley into the starting lineup has helped. His effort can't be disputed. His ability to hit a 50-yard change of field pass is impressive. Where I think it helps the team most is that it has allowed Quinn to move further up the field to pull the strings, while also providing defensive cover in front of the defenders. What I kept noticing tonight, though, was that it felt like (because the distribution chalkboard from the match center doesn't necessarily agree with my eyeball) Lindley's first preferred thought was to push forward with the ball whereas his holding midfielder counterpart, Murphy, seemed to think about going backwards first before thinking to go forward. In a game like tonight where chances were going to be spread out and difficult to get, thinking of going forward was going to maximize those chances. Particularly when Coach McAuley singled his intent with the three forward substitutions. As I state over and over, many times the GBGB goes to the player who I keep noticing, and noticing doing good things. Tonight, that was Lindley.  

Photos: Don Thompson Photography