- Opponent: Louisville City FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 10,230
- Final Score: 3-1 L
- Starting XI: Charles-Cook, Ofeimu, O'Brien, J., Musa, Rendon, Lindley, Murphy, Quinn (C), Blake, Foster, Williams, R.
- Substitution: Amoh 54' (O'Brien, J.); Kizza 76' (Williams, R.); Collier 76' (Murphy); Bryneus 85' (Foster)
- Unused: Sulte, McRobb, Soumaoro
Scoring Summary:
IND - Williams, R. 2' (assist Quinn)
LOU - McFadden 45' (assist Wilson)
LOU - Lambert 49' (assist McCabe)
LOU - Totsch 56' (assist Jones)
- Bookings:
LOU - Lambert 65' (Yellow)
IND - Foster 74' (Yellow)
IND - Foster 74' (Yellow)
- Referee: Greg Dopka
- Adage goals: Two (and a half).
Thoughts and Opinions
Whenever Coach McAuley was asked in the days leading up to tonight's game about the Indy and Louisville rivalry, he always said something to the fact that the games, the rivalry, is important to the fans, so the team has to make it important to show well for the fans. There's some subtlety in that response that wasn't overlooked by me. In sports, but particularly in a league like the USL Championship where players often come and go on a yearly basis and coaches often have just a short of tenures, the rivalry between the players, many of whom may have been former teammates, needs to be cultivated season to season. Coach McAuley understands supporter culture.
To their credit, Indy came out of the gates swinging with a 2nd minute goal through good interplay between Blake, Quinn, and Romario. Williams received the ball in the box from Quinn and his first touch pushed the ball away and around his defender. Then it was just a matter of pushing the ball around Fernandez. With less than 1:30 on the clock, Indy was leading the top team in the league. Indy's offense was on a different level in the first 10 minutes than fans have seen much of this season and Danny Cruz started getting his bench warming in the 12th minute to send a message to the Louisville players on the field that being behind, and losing, to Indy was not acceptable. It was half-hearted warming up, but their presence was to make his team aware that he was not afraid to make an early change if necessary.
In a classic example of possession does not necessarily translate to being the dominant team, Louisville dominated the possession in the first half (63 to 37%), but Indy was making the most of their limited possession with the more dangerous opportunities on goal. By the 30th minute, Indy had 5 shots, 4 of which were on target to Louisville's 1 shot, which wasn't on target. At half, that statistic was 6/4 for Indy to Louisville's 9/1.
The issue for Indy all season has continued to be their inability to consistently put away their chances and then, by extension, putting the game out of reach for their opponents. Despite the shot on target advantage for Indy, Louisville put their one single shot they had on target into the goal to send the teams into the halftime locker room knotted at one goal a piece. Despite a 67% shots on target statistic for Indy versus an 11% shots on target stat for Louisville, the two teams were even. Prior to McFadden's goal in the 45th minute, Rendon had been trying to funnel McFadden away from McFadden's right foot, allowing left-footed crosses. On the goal, McFadden finally got Rendon to bite and pushed the ball away from Rendon towards the center of the field and put a perfect shot to the far upper ninety. Indy actually looked the better team through much of the first half and still found themselves with very little to show for it.
Within 5 minutes of the teams returning back to the field, Louisville found a goal on just their second shot on target in the game from a header from Lambert. Indy came out of the locker room a little flat compared to their first half effort and Louisville immediately made them pay for it.
Indy going to Indy. Louisville going to Louisville.
Minutes after the goal, Coach McAuley once again showed his intentions for games at home in front of the Brickyard Battalion. He pulled O'Brien from the backline and inserted Amoh. Indy was going to look to score goals. If the team was going to go down, they were going to try and do it by hoping they could outscore Louisville. At which point Louisville said, "try us." In the 56th minute, Louisville converted a long throw in to a slip header from Totsch that floated over Charles-Cook to the far post that was left open as he pinched towards the near post. After an early goal from Indy, Louisville put three goals on the board in 11 minutes of game action. Whatever ideas of upset Indy had in mind after their early goal, Louisville wiped it away to show they still own this "rivalry."
In what will be one of Indy's toughest stretch of the season, Indy have no time to think about the loss. Wednesday, they head to Hartford who have 9 positive results out of their last 10 games, including a 7 game undefeated streak after former Indy Eleven player Adrian Diz Pe headed home a 90'+3' tonight against North Carolina to get a win. After that it's a trip to Charleston next Saturday to face the 2nd place team in the Conference.
Seriously? Other than maybe Birmingham, what are the odds Indy would be considered a favorite in any of the other 8 games?
The Game Beckons Game Ball
Earlier this year I gave the GBGB to the entire midfield (and wingbacks) for their 2nd half effort against Rhode Island. Tonight, the entire midfield (and wingbacks) get it again for their 1st half effort against Louisville. They were very much in sync with each other, switching locations and switching the side of the attack with enough fluidity, pace, and soccer IQ that it had Louisville's Cruz get his bench out of their seats to start warming up within a quarter-hour of the start of the game. It's the play that I think we all know is possible with this midfield, and they were doing it against the best team in the league. The 2nd half was more of a challenge defending set pieces, but the first half midfield (and wingbacks) looked great. In a 3-1 loss, a great half effort is enough to get tonight's GBGB.
Photos: Don Thompson Photography
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