Indy Eleven vs Loudoun United - 13.27

Summary

- Opponent: Loudoun United FC
- Location: Segra Field
- Attendance: 2,479
- Final Score: 1-1 D

- Starting XI: Dick, Mitrano, Kibunguchy, Herbert, Rasheed, Lindley, O'Brien, J., Quinn, Hafferty, Mesanvi, Rendon

- Substitution: Omar 45' (Quinn); Henry-Scott 64' (O'Brien, J.); Kizza 77' (Rendon); Craig 77' (Lindley); Barry 90'+2' (Mesanvi)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Sing

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Rendon 44' (assist O'Brien, J.)
LDN - Farr 90'+5' (assist Lomtadze)

- Bookings:

LDN - Davis 16' (Yellow)
IND - Rendon 39' (Yellow)
IND - Mesanvi 58' (Yellow)
IND - Omar 75' (Yellow)
LDN - Butts 84' (Yellow)
LDN - Santos 90'+1' (Yellow)

- Referee: Gerald Flores

- Adage goals: One!
- Points Lost from Winning Position (Year To Date): 12

Thoughts and Opinions

Back to back games are going to have minimal discussions from me. Instead of watching the game live, I went to the Johnny Blues Skies & the Dark Clouds concert at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Not my favorite venue for a concert, but I've been a fan of Sturgill/Johnny for a long time so it was time for me to actually see him in concert. With the concert starting right at 8 and the Indy Eleven game starting at 6, I figured I would roughly know the result from my notifications by the time the concert got underway. As Sturgill took to the stage, Indy was winning and I thought it was going to be a good night. Minutes into Sturgill's set, I get a notification that I assumed was the end-of-game notification, only to check it to see that Loudoun had scored a game-tying goal in the 90'+5' by former Indy Eleven goalkeeper Jordan Farr. Seems like I picked the right way to spend my evening.  

By the way, how Indy is it of Indy to lose absolutely vital points in the second half stoppage time to a former player?

I chose to not watch a replay of the game, but here are some quick random thoughts.

Indy has 7 league draws on the season. In 5 of those, they've had the lead and lost it late. If you count the draw against Fort Wayne FC in the Prinx Tires USL Cup, it's 6 games in 9 where they've had a win squandered by late goals by the opponents. Which is how a team finds itself now sitting outside of a playoff position with just three daunting games remaining. Despite Indy's game in hand on Miami, I do not trust Indy's run-of-form (or injury-ridden lineup) to improve enough to overtake Miami, who looked like an absolute long-shot to make the playoffs just two weeks ago. Blake missed the game, Quinn was pulled at halftime (and was doubtful going into it), Craig has been nursing an injury, O'Brien has been nursing an injury, Coach indicated Lindley is at 75% with his calf injury, Rendon and Sing missed the Miami and Rhode Island games with injuries. Indy's midfield and spine have all the appearances of a network television medical drama. Not an excuse, but it is a reality in the final push in the closing weeks of the regular season. A reality that will likely keep Indy out of the playoffs.

When I looked at the stats, I've stopped caring about the possession stat for this team, but the 30 to 8 shot difference immediately caught my attention. Having not watched the game, I wondered if many of those 30 shots for Loudoun were coming late in the second half as Loudoun was trying to get an equalizer or after Indy had pulled a bunch of their injured starters. Looking at the Shots Chalkboard on the Match Center, that was not the case. Those 30 shots were spread out over the entire game, many of them coming in the first half. Continuing to look at the chart, though, Indy didn't have a single shot in the 2nd half, and neither team registered a shot between the 70th and 90'+2' mark. Loudoun's last gasp effort that resulted in Farr's 90'+5' game-tying header seems to be the lone solid effort on goal by either team. Watching the header in the highlight video, Farr outjumped everybody, and Dick made a terrible effort at the punch. Three points dropped to shared points. Points that weren't enough to keep Loudoun from officially being eliminated from the playoffs, but are likely enough to keep Indy mathematically in range of the playoffs for a little bit longer even if not realistically in range.

At this point in the season, with Indy's laundry list of injuries, their upcoming opponents, and their current run-of-form, I see no way Indy make the playoffs. I just don't. The loss to Miami was a major hit to it, but last night's loss to Loudoun coupled with Miami's win over Tampa Bay has likely put the postseason out of reach for Indy. Indy has to get wins and their next opponents are at home against a Tampa Bay team that will be pissed off that they lost to Miami for the first time in forever, and away to Louisville and Charleston. Indy's away results have been atrocious with a 1W-5D-9L record. 

It's all too much. Indy's post-season death rattle has commenced.