Indy Eleven vs Fort Wayne FC - 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup

Summary

- Opponent: Fort Wayne FC
- Location: Ruoff Mortgate Stadium
- Attendance: 3,794
- Final Score: 2-2 D (Indy get the extra point for the 3-1 shootout win)

- Starting XI: Dick, Quinn (C), Herbert, Craig, Neidlinger, Blake, Lindley, O'Brien, J., Mesanvi, Rendon, Kizza

- Substitution: Okello 74' (Kizza); Rasheed 78' (Neidlinger); Williams 90'+2' (Mesanvi); Sing 90'+2' (Rendon)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Barry, Mitrano

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Quinn 26' (unassisted)
FW - Healy 33' (unassisted)
IND - Rendon 64' (assist Blake)
FW - Thomas 90'+1' (assist Gafar)

- Shootout:
FW - Ricol (Scored)
IND - Blake (Scored)
FW - Healy (Miss)
IND - Quinn (Scored)
FW - Nieto (Saved)
IND - O'Brien (Scored)
FW - Thomas (Miss)
Indy win 3-1

- Bookings:

IND - Blake 15' (Yellow)
IND - Neidlinger 39' (Yellow)
FW - Abbey 44' (Yellow)
FW - Garay 45'+1' (Yellow)
IND - Craig 68' (Yellow)
FW - Thomas 79' (Yellow)
FW - Dias 83' (Yellow)

- Referee: Muhammad Hassan

- Adage goals: One.
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 8

Thoughts and Opinions

The advantage to my new outlook to the way I'm going to handle this year's games is that I don't have to get carried away writing detailed articles for certain games when I have other things going on. Today I had other things going on, but still kept an eye on the game just to get a feel for how it was going. And how it went was the same issue that this team, and last year's team, has continued to have. They literally cannot see a game over the line. Indy conceded a 90'+1' stoppage time goal to take their win to a draw in the second game of the Prinx Tires USL Cup group play. Indy have played two games in group play against two of the USL League One teams in their group and have come away with just 2 points (all of them obtained tonight thanks to the 3-1 shootout win). 

It's become more and more evident as the season has progressed that Indy is likely an average to maybe below average USL Championship team this year, at least based on results. However, through three games this year with USL League competition (twice with Union Omaha and once against Fort Wayne, who are in their first season as a professional team), Indy has lost twice and drawn once, indicating that this year's Indy Eleven team might be an average to below average League One team. Particularly when you factor in that two of those three games utilized what could be considered Indy's "A" team. The average age more closely resembles that of a League One team and it turns out that the overall talent level may reflect that too. 

I'm not saying anything any fan that has watched all season couldn't tell you. There are deficiencies in this team; the play of Quinn, Blake, Lindley, and Rendon not included in that statement. Those are the only players on this team that I feel are playing at a high level. Even Dick, who was brought into the team to be a solidifying force in the back, has looked shaky. The team has had just a single clean sheet this season and that was Charles-Cook's effort in the U.S. Open Cup against the amateur squad from Des Moines. The first goal for Fort Wayne was Dick spilling the ball instead of holding onto it and his defenders all standing around while Healy wanted it more. The second ball was straight at Dick at head height and it went through his hands. 

Based on Indy's previous loss and their competitors in the group (Louisville, Detroit, Lexington, etc.), it was unlikely that Indy was going to make it out of the group play. Tonight's win turned to draw would seem to nearly solidify that fact even though the top teams in the group still haven't played their second game. I just can't see a way for Indy to advance.

While the game doesn't count against Indy's league standings, and there will almost certainly not be any extra USL Cup games after the group play, the "bumps along the way" that I foresaw earlier in the season are turning out to be massive trenches of disappointment and are happening much more regularly than I anticipated. Yes, the team has a 4W-4D-4L record in all competitions at this point, meaning they are getting positive results from the games 67% of the time, but this does not feel like a winning team. 

Indy return to action next Saturday at The Mike against another struggling team when Lexington SC come to town.