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: Okello 61' (Mesanvi); Mitrano 61' (Sing); 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