Indy Eleven vs Hartford Athletic - 13.03

Summary

- Opponent: Hartford Athletic
- Location: Trinity Health Stadium
- Attendance: 2,400
- Final Score: 2-2 D

- Starting XI: Dick, Quinn (C), Craig, Herbert, White, Lindley, Sing, Okello, O'Brien, Mesanvi, Rendon

- Substitution: Mitrano 45' (Sing); Thomas 71' (Mesanvi); Kizza 84' (Okello)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Gavilanes, Rasheed, Williams

- Scoring Summary:
HFD - Anaku 33' (assist Diz Pe)
IND - Okello 48' (assist Lindley)
IND - Rendon 72' (assist Thomas)
HFD - Own Goal 89' (O'Brien)

- Bookings:

IND - Herbert 31' (Yellow)
IND - Mesanvi 66' (Yellow)
HFD - Makangila 82' (Yellow)
HFD - Diz Pe 90'+3' (Yellow)

- Referee: Elton Garcia

- Adage goals: One.
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 2 

Thoughts and Opinions

Hartford Athletic have three players on the roster that are former Indy players (Siaha, Diz Pe, & Augi Williams). All three made the starting lineup today in a cold and windy Trinity Health Stadium for Hartford's home opener. 

I said it after the Detroit game, Indy is going to have some bumps this year. Against Detroit, Indy found enough goals and held on defensively to get a win. Tonight, however...

Indy scored three goals. Unfortunately, one of those was an Own Goal by O'Brien late in the second half to send the visiting team back to Indianapolis with two less points than it looked like they were going to do. A minute before the goal, Herbert saved a shot off the line from Augi Williams to keep Indy in the lead. The corner kick that followed would see Indy's issue from last year of conceding goals from winning positions reared its head again and the ball found its way to the back of Indy's goal. 

The good news is that Indy came back from a goal down in the first half to take the lead. The fight continues to be there. There are really good moments. Lindley's quick restart, Thomas' cross, and Rendon's finish on Indy's goal was top class from all three players. 

Indy's issue of not playing a full 90-minutes is going to be something that the team is going to continue to figure out how to solve because it looks like it's still going to be an issue this year.

Indy Eleven vs Detroit City FC - 13.02

Summary

- Opponent: Detroit City FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 9,357
- Final Score: 2-1 W

- Starting XI: Dick, Quinn (C), Craig, Rasheed, White, O'Brien, Okello, Lindley, Rendon, Sing, Sharp

- Substitution: Mesanvi 61' (Sing); Mitrano 61' (Okello); Kizza 82' (Sharp); Williams 86' (Rendon)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Herbert, Thomas

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Sing 43' (assist Rendon)
DET - Smith 56' (assist Hernandez-Foster)
IND - Rendon 62' (assist O'Brien)

- Bookings:

IND - Mitrano 77' (Yellow)

- Referee: Matthew Corrigan

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

I'm going to write this statement before the game happens and will leave it regardless of what happens tonight. Bringing Mesanvi in off the bench is a genius move by McAuley. Based only on what I saw from Mesanvi on Tuesday night, he might make his way more fully into the starting lineup. However, until he is fully integrated into the team after getting here late in preseason, at this point in the season, his speed late in a game is going to be a nightmare for opposing defenses. As the defenders start to wear down at the end, trying to keep up with him will be difficult. I fully expect him to be able to get behind the defense. If he can be clinical with his finishing, Indy may steal some goals late.

Back to the regularly scheduled article...

Both Indy and Detroit came into this game having played just a single league game in the first two weeks of the season, but tonight's came constituted the third game for each team, as each played an amateur team earlier this week in the U.S. Open Cup. Interestingly though, both teams' league opponent was Brooklyn FC. Indy finished that game with a 1-nil loss and then Detroit turned around the next weekend and beat Brooklyn 3-nil. It's difficult to take much from that when one team played BKN on the road (IND) and the other played in their own stadium (DET). It does give both teams a chance to review the game footage in preparation for each other using the exact same opponent. 

Based on tonight's 2-1 win for Indy, it seems like they were the ones who might have been able to get more from the BKN video than the other. Or maybe they were just better able to execute their game plan, were a bit more clinical in goal, or had the better goalkeeper.

In the early feeling out process of the game, Detroit had the field tilted in their favor, but it was a Charlie Sharp shot in the 14th minute that made its way around Herrera but bounced after the far post and ricocheted across the goal mouth, but none of the Indy players following the play could get a boot to the ball to redirect it over the line. Despite the shot and the subsequent cheer and grown from the Indy fans, the score remained even, and Detroit remained the team with the dominant possession (around 70/30 at that time). Sharp had another shot towards target just passed the 20th minute mark that went wide left. Felt like he was narrowing in on the goal. One right. One left. 

After about the 25th minute, Indy turned the defensive screws and began to tilt the field into their possession. However, as the shots for Indy increased, they struggled to put the shots on target. It's early in the season so hopefully the young guys find their rhythm, but Indy's historical issue of finding absolutely clinical finishers still seems to be an issue at this point. Indy had 17 shots on target in BKN, but just 4 on target. Tonight's first half had a similar issue until the 43rd minute when Rendon tracked down a ball just before it went over the endline and put it towards the 6-yard line. Attacking that 6-yard box was the 6'-3" Sing who clobbered a header into the goal passed Herrera to give the home team a lead heading into the locker room in their home opener. Detroit dominated the possession, but it was the home team that was making the most of their limited possession and chances. 

The start of the second half looked exactly like the first half. A ton of Detroit possession followed by Indy counterattacks. Then Detroit pulled an "Indy" out of their bag of tricks and put a long-ball over the top that Smith perfectly chested down in stride, putting him in on goal 1 v 1 against Dick. Using his left foot, Smith put his ball to Dick's right and under his leg to even the score. The goal sparked a flurry of shots from Detroit for the next few minutes, but couldn't find a second goal

After Indy survived the flurry of activity from Detroit, McAuley injected Mesanvi and Mitrano, which changed Indy's shape. The entrance of Mitrano allowed Quinn to push forward into a more midfielder role. Indy then found their own second goal by keeping the ball alive in Detroit's box. O'Brien headed the ball down to Rendon who put his left foot into it and blasted it passed Herrera. 

Shots - Final 20 Minutes

With the lead, but not having much possession, Indy fans' squeaky-bum time went into full effect as memories of last season's inability to close out games came immediately to mind. A season ago, Indy conceded 20 points from winning positions. A couple weeks removed from a loss on the road to the newcomers in Brooklyn, expectations were not high for Indy to hang onto the lead. Indy's final, real, shot happened around the 70th minute. After that, it was the visitors who were peppering the Indy goal with shots trying to salvage a result from their performance. 

Coach McAuley is a very performance-based coach, often stating that the results of a match don't always match the performance of his team. Often those statements came after one of Indy's late losses last season. Tonight, though, Indy played the way that Indy wanted to play, defended like a team at the end, and went home with a victory. 

After last season, McAuley has stated he wanted the team to be younger and hungrier this year. Definitely took care of the "younger" part. Indy's effort at the end of the game showed they were hungry to hold onto the win in front of the home fans. A win is a win (and a home opener win has been a rare event for this team...only 2019 and 2020 before tonight) and the team showed some promise, but it's good though to get some points banked because I think there are going to be some bumps along the way this year. 

Indy return to action next Saturday in Hartford... Who played Brooklyn this weekend. More video available from a common opponent.

Game Beckons Game Ball

It looks like he's going to be a focus of Indy's attack with his speed up the right until Indy figures out some other attacking options or teams completely take him away, but we will talk about Bruno. Rendon finished the game with 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots on target, plus 1 blocked shot, 1 shot off target, 1 successful cross, 2 unsuccessful crosses, and 2 chances created. Through in a clearance and a blocked shot and that's a pretty good night. Rendon gets the game's GBGB. 

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Des Moines Menace - 2026 U.S. Open Cup

Summary

- Opponent: Des Moines Menace 
- Location: Community Health Network Events Center at the Droplight Grand Park Sports Complex (that's the only time I writing that this year... CHNECatDGPSC... nope, that might actually be worse)

- Attendance: 3,703
- Final Score: 3-0 W

- Starting XI: Charles-Cook, Barry, Herbert, Mitrano, Neidlinger, Gavilanes, O'Brien, Lindley, Williams, Kizza, Mesanvi

- Substitution: Quinn 45' (Lindley); Okello 45' (O'Brien); Sharp 72' (Kizza); Sing 72' (Williams); Thomas 81' (Mesanvi)

- Unused: Dick, Rasheed

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Mesanvi 31' (unassisted)
IND - Okello 61' (assist Mitrano)
IND - Sharp 72' (unassisted)

- Bookings:

IND - Herbert 42' (Yellow)
IND - Williams 70' (Yellow)
IND - Barry 79' (Yellow)

- Referee: Alex Beehler

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

This has been a weird start to the Indy Eleven season. Indy went on the road to start the season, which is typical, but Indy did it against an inaugural team and looked like the lesser of the two teams for portions of that game. Then they already had a bye weekend in just the second week of the season. Before the team could play their second league game of the season, the U.S. Open Cup made its way to Indy and the Grand Park Events Center (I told you I'm not writing the full name all year) as Indy welcomed the Des Moines Menace in first round action of the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. Last season's star-studded "pre-professionals" that were part of Des Moines' team last year (Sacha Kljestan, Benny Feilhaber, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Dax McCarty, and Matt Hedges, among others) weren't part of the team that Indy faced tonight. In contrast to last year's team, Des Moines fielded a team of early twenty-somethings with just Leroy Enzugusi being born in the last century.

Despite the days between this game and the last, having the second league game this coming Saturday, Coach McAuley changed 9 starters from the roster against Brooklyn, with only Lindley and O'Brien as the holdovers, with Lindley wearing the captain's armband in Quinn's absence from the starting lineup. 

Indy started in a 4-4-2 and were completely unafraid, not surprisingly, is play the ball long from the back trying to get behind the DMM defense early and often. As Indy should against a "pre-professional" team, Indy were the dominant, and physical team early. It was DMM that had the first shot on target, but it was O'Brien's attempt within the first 11minutes that was the most pressing. Then in a flurry of activity in the 17th minute with a ghost from Gavilanes and a header from Kizza, the scoring was nearly opened. Two minutes later, Kizza had another crack at it from close range, but DMM's Barry made himself big enough to stop Kizza's point blank range shot. It looked like a matter of time befoer Indy was going to take the lead.

It took a little longer than it initially appeared it was going to take, but a very long clearance of a DMM corner kick, Mesanvi tracked down a poorly played ball from the DMM goalkeeper and proceeded to chip the defender that had tried to track back to protect the goal. The goal had been coming and it came from a long ball from the defense. The former Minnesota United player finally got Indy off the skid and into the scoring column. Despite a few more good chances, Mesanvi's goal took the teams to the halftime locker room with a 1-nil difference. 

It took a minute, but Indy doubled the scoring in the 61st minute on a Mitrano cross that Okello headed passed Barry. While Barry looked shaky for most of the game, he had enough good moments to keep Indy off the board until Okello's header. 

Indy's cohesiveness and level of effort dropped a bit as the scoreline increased and the subs began to make their way onto the field, but given Indy's less-than-perfect history in the U.S. Open Cup against amateur teams (*ahem Michigan Bucks & Mississippi Brilla), fans will take a 3-0 victory and the chance to move on in the tournament. The talent level should go up in the next round, but Indy will have a couple more weeks of training under their belts when that game takes place.

Indy now turn their attention back to the league on Saturday when Detroit City make the trip to Carroll Stadium.

Game Beckons Game Ball

He had the game-winning goal, but he was also the most dangerous player on the field for much of the game. Mesanvi isn't the most imposing figure at 5'-8" and a buck 30 pounds, but his pace and quick trigger is going to make opposing defenses lose track of him to find some unexpected goals. 

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Brooklyn FC - 13.01

Summary

- Opponent: Brooklyn FC
- Location: Maimonides Park
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 1-0 L

- Starting XI: Dick, White, Rasheed, Craig, O'Brien, J., Lindley, Quinn, Okello, Rendon, Sharp, Sing

- Substitution: Misanvi 72' (Sing), Mitrano 72' (Okello), Barry 72' (Craig); Kizza 78' (Sharp); Williams 90' (Rendon)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Gavilanes

- Scoring Summary:
BKN - Obregon 26' (Penalty Kick)

- Bookings:

BKN - Okiyoshi 63' (Yellow)
BKN - McLaughlin 65' (Yellow)
IND - Quinn 70' (Yellow)
BKN - Alves 90' (Yellow)
IND - Williams 90'+4' (Yellow)

- Referee: Jeremy Scheer

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

With a new season comes a new level of hope. Nothing has been written. Nobody is in or out of the playoffs. Everything and everybody's goals are still in front of them and achievable. That excitement gets ramped up when the opponent is playing their first game in the league. They, literally, have no history behind them jading fans who have a dozen years of ups-and-downs like the Indy fanbase. 

It didn't take long for me this season to bring out my regular frustration of watching games on a baseball field. First game of the season and I already get to complain about it. I understand that real estate is at a premium in the New York City boroughs, but the postage stamp field squeezed into Maimonides Park should barely qualify as being acceptable. It's visually interesting to see Coney Island in the background, but having the camera seemingly as far away from the field as possible, through the foul ball netting and the seam between the netting panels is definitely a choice. 

The players have agreed that since the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has lapsed, a potential strike could be forthcoming. Opening weekend proceeded with all games, but each game started with a 1-minute moment of stillness from all the players in solidarity. The league telecasts, including in this game, didn't show the players, but instead directed cameras to the stands. For the fans who side with the players, turning your proverbial back (camera) on the players could speak volumes.

Indy have a new look with different, younger players but there are still remnants of last year. In the early parts of the game, Indy looked overwhelmed by the pace and forward play from Brooklyn FC. Indy's defend first and counterattack tactics remain forefront with the new players. Brooklyn held a 65/35% possession advantage for the first half. The playing out of the back that I saw in the one preseason game I was able to attend were nowhere to be found, as balls were blasted up field at every opportunity. 

The defense succumbed to the constant pressure from BKN when Craig lunged at a ball, catching Mangione in his heel in the penalty box, giving BKN a chance to get their inaugural goal via the penalty spot. Obregon stepped up and blasted his attempt straight over the 6'5" Dick who looked like he thought the ball was going to go over the goal. Instead the ball went under the bar, directly over Dick's head, and Indy found themselves chasing the game early.

After the goal, Indy seemed to settle into the offense, but still didn't look clinical. Indy held a halftime shot advantage, but only one of their 7 shots were on target. Sharp's shot that went wide after Rendon perfectly laid the ball off to him in a perfect spot was the most egregious, but Sing and Rendon weren't without their own poor efforts/decisions. 

Indy started the second half in a much more forward state of mind, but the finishing touches in the final third continued to remain out of reach as Indy's shot total continued to creep up, but their shots on target remained negligible. After the initial pressure by Indy, it started to look like Indy was going to start another season with a loss as their pressure in front of BKN's box with an unsure-handed goalkeeper was continually met with clearances and poor shots.

In the end, it was a single poor challenge in their own box and poor shooting in the opponents box that manifested itself into a loss to an inaugural club on the opening day of the season. As they say, you don't win the league in the first game, but Indy's season last year showed that every point matters. Indy dropped three points tonight in Brooklyn forcing the team, once again (but not as vitally important yet), to have to look up towards the playoff line. 

If my memory and records are correct, this is the second time that Indy have played a team in their inaugural game. The first time occurred July 2, 2016 when Indy had a 1-1 draw to NASL newcomers Puerto Rico FC. In that game, Indy went down a goal, but clawed one back in stoppage time through Souleymane Youla to salvage a result. Indy was not able to do the same today, but Indy may want to stop scheduling teams who are in their inaugural game in the league.

Game Beckons Game Ball

In my new outlook to this site and how I want to spend the season, the GBGB may not be given every game. Today is one of those games.