Indy Eleven vs Orange County SC - 12.30

Summary

- Opponent: Orange County SC
- Location: Championship Soccer Stadium
- Attendance: 5,000
- Final Score: 2-1 L

- Starting XI: Sulte, Zalinsky, Ofeimu, Schaefer, Musa, Lindley, Murphy, Quinn (C), Blake, Rendon, Williams, R.

- Substitution: Amoh 67' (Murphy); Kizza 85' (Williams, R.); White 85' (Musa)

- Unused: Pruter, Hogan, O'Brien, J., Soumaoro

- Scoring Summary:
OC - Latinovich 23' (assist Hegardt)
IND - Williams 36' (assist Quinn)
OC - Sylla 90'+1' (assist Kone)

- Bookings:

IND - Williams 45'+3' (Yellow)
IND - Blake 48' (Yellow)
IND - Ofeimu 73' (Yellow)
OC - Latinovic 80' (Yellow)

- Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

- Adage goals: One.

Thoughts and Opinions

Due to a 58th goal by LeFlore in the Detroit versus Tampa Bay game, it had all appearances that by the time Indy and Orange County would kick off, Indy wouldn't be able to do anything to move themselves above the playoff line and would be forced to the role of spectator no matter their result. However, an 81st minute goal by Tampa Bay brought everything back into play for Indy. The draw meant that Tampa Bay's playoff bubble had officially popped, and Detroit still sat in the cat bird seat, with Indy lurking in a position to overtake them. Orange County left it late, but picked up a 2-1 win to send Indy home wondering what they need to do in the offseason to get better to be able to get back to the playoffs next year.

Indy found themselves down a goal earlier than they would have wanted on a recycled corner kick. To their credit, Indy pulled one back 13 minutes later on their own recycled corner kick when Quinn put a ball to the back post that Williams was able to rise above everyone to head it passed Shutler. The two set piece goals were all that either team could get across the line and the first half ended as an relatively even affair. Despite an OC advantage in possession, the game was deservedly a 1-1 draw when the teams went into the halftime locker room. 

In a game where a draw meant nothing for Indy Eleven, the second half turned into a wide open game with the midfield players going box to box. Indy needed every effort to get the ball up top, which created a plethora of opportunities for OC to play the same open way, despite wanting to normally play with more possession. With so much field available to them as Indy pushed forward, OC played to what was given to them. Moments of calm were reserved for the moments when players were injured or preparing for long throw-ins. 

As time wound down, Coach McAuley and the Eleven needed a 2nd goal and began pushing everyone forward, leaving just Ofeimu and Schaefer back to defend with Zalinsky pushed forward and Musa taken off for White. The stretched defenders finally broke in the 90'+1' when second half substitute Sylla was able to get Schaefer to bite on a ball, then pushed the ball away from Ofeimu, before putting a laser to Sulte's left that he was unable to reach. As the ball pushed the netting out, a Championship Soccer Stadium crowd erupted in excitement while simultaneously taking all the air out of the Indy Eleven hope of surviving the last day of a long season.

Indy's absence from this year's playoffs had very little to do with tonight's results. Yes, Detroit left the door open for Indy, and Indy couldn't get over the finish line a couple hours later, but it could be argued this season's chance at the playoffs was derailed much earlier in the season. Indy didn't need to be in the win-or-die situation they found themselves in tonight.

The cards for Indy's inability to make the playoffs for a third consecutive year were greatly affected by their unfortunate trend of conceding late goals to teams; tonight being no different. Not counting the two games in the Jagermeister Cup where Indy conceded late goals that forced the team into penalty kicks (or tonight), Indy had lost 18 points from winning positions, most notably four games when Indy dropped points with just minutes (seconds?) remaining in the game:

• April 5 draw North Carolina (90'+3') - 2 points lost
• May 10 draw vs Sacramento (90'+6') - 2 points lost
• June 21 loss vs Las Vegas (90') - 3 points lost
• Aug 16 loss vs Loudoun (86') - 3 points lost

As mentioned, Indy also made life difficult for themselves in the Jagermeister Cup when they conceded late, the second of which meant that they were eliminated from the competition at home by a League One team.

• June 28 "draw" vs Birmingham (90'+4') - win in PK Jagermeister
• Aug 20 "draw" vs Greenville (90') - loss in PK Jagermeister

The USL Championship season is more of a marathon than a sprint, but the tightness of both the Eastern and Western Conference tables shows that every point counts when you're not Louisville, Charleston, or Tulsa (at least this year...). In the West, 4th through 9th were separated by just 5 points; in the East, 3rd through 9th were separated by 10 points. Indy's inability this year to see games over the finish line is the main cause of why they'll watch the playoffs from their own homes, and likely wondering who will be elsewhere once the roster for next year starts to be announced. I'll have my post-season recap post in the upcoming weeks giving my opinion on who I think might be returning.

Tonight though, I once again let myself start to get hope that maybe Indy could get the win after Tampa Bay did Indy a solid and pulled out a draw against Detroit. Then Indy pulled back their own goal after conceding early. 

Apparently, it IS the hope that kills you.

Well, that and late opposition goals.

Game Beckons Game Ball

Despite the loss, I want to give a final GBGB of the season. Blake seemed to continue to find himself in dangerous positions, but just couldn't get the right touch. Blake is one of those players that I think returns next season, at which point he will likely, and maybe quickly, become the leader in many of the categories in the team's history, including surpassing Zayed as the top goal scorer.