Indy Eleven vs Memphis 901 FC - 11.02

Summary

- Opponent: Memphis 901 FC
- Location: AutoZone Park
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 2-1 W

- Starting XI: Oettl, O'Brien, J., Chapman-Page, Barbir, Stanley, Gibson (C), Blake, Lindley, Williams, Martinez, Guenzatti

- Substitution: Henderlong 63' (Martinez); King 72' (Chapman-Page); Collier 72' (Guenzatti); O'Brien, E. 90'+2' (Gibson)

- Unused: Sulte, Klein, Molina

- Scoring Summary:
IND -  26' Blake (penalty kick)
IND - Martinez 42' (assist Stanley)
MEM - Cissoko 90'+1' (unassisted)

- Bookings:

IND - Chapman-Page 8' (Yellow)
MEM - Jimenez 15', 45'+1' (Yellow, Yellow, RED)
MEM - Tulu 25' (Yellow)

IND - Barbir 35' (Yellow)
IND - Martinez 57' (Yellow)
IND - O'Brien, E. 90'+3' (Yellow)
MEM - Cissoko 90'+4' (Yellow)
MEM - Ward 90'+7' (RED)

- Referee: Sergii Demianchuk

- Adage goals: One

Thoughts and Opinions

Allow this to be my first, but probably not last, complaint about soccer on a baseball field. Yeah, yeah, I know there are some, including Lowry last year, who have stated that there are actually advantages of playing on that kind of field. I'm not one of them. I'm also writing this before the game even starts because I don't care about the result to know that I don't like watching games on a field intended for baseball. The only advantage of this game from last year's field debacle in Memphis is that the field actually looked playable. 

It's probably going to be Indy's tactic most of the time this year, but early in this game on this field, Indy was playing a lot of Route 1 balls, trying to get the ball up to Martinez, Guenzatti, and Williams. When Indy was awarded a penalty kick in the 25th minute, Indy was at 30% long balls (finished the game at 25%). The ball to Blake required a perfect touch from Blake, which he was able to do, and forced Tulu into making a decision that was a split second late, catching Blake and not the ball. For his effort, Blake stepped up to take the penalty kick and promptly roofed it in a place and at a pace that was impossible for Deric to stop. It might be a different way to play than many of these players used last year, but Blake's penalty kick put Indy up relatively early in the first half. 

As the half closed, the game turned into Indy's to lose. Stanley made a run from his left back position to put the ball into a dangerous location in the box that Deric misjudged and fell to Martinez, who ultimately had to head the ball into the goal from within 3-feet of the goal line. Indy's tactic to concede possession, and get the ball to the midfield and forwards as much as possible, was much more successful in this game than it was last week in Oakland. With a two goal lead, Indy further benefitted when former Louisville City player Oscar Jimenez picked up his second yellow card in the first minute of stoppage time. Down a man and down two goals, Memphis found themselves in a difficult situation going into the halftime locker room. 

At the halftime whistle, Indy trailed in time of possession (37% to 63%) and in shots (8 to 6), but led in shots on target (4 to 0), and most importantly, led in goals (2 to 0) and men on the field (11 to 10). Indy's long ball percentage at halftime was 28%, which would have been unheard of last season, was enough to put them ahead at the break. It's only two games into the 2024, but it's clear that the tactics from McAuley's squad are going to be widely different than those of Lowry. If it remains effective as the season progresses, who am I to judge. 

Oh wait, I can judge. It's kind of what I can do with this site. 

Oettl Distribution

As I did with preseason results, I don't put a ton of stock in early results until I see a much larger sample size, but the game plan seems simple. Concede possession if needed, make strong defensive decisions that could include just blasting the ball back up the field, and get the ball into the opponent's box as much as possible to give the team a chance to make a play. Playing out of the back looks to be a secondary thought. While nearly every player on this roster has the ability to play the ball in tight quarters and keep the ball on the ground, playing out of the back isn't going to be the focus. I'll blame it on the field size, but Oettl's clearances and corner kicks in this game wasn't spectacular, and we know he can play short, so maybe playing long from him isn't always the best plan.

Even with the man advantage, Indy pulled the possession differential back some, but Memphis still finished the game with a 58% to 42% advantage. The man advantage didn't change the tactics. Indy didn't start resorting to keep-away using the touch that we know they have the ability to do. The game still remained with Indy conceding possession, despite having one less defender to deal with from Memphis. Eventually, all that possession and effort allowed Memphis to get a late corner kick. That corner kick forced a scramble in the box that led to a Memphis goal to rob Oettl of a clean sheet. 

Indy managed to see out the last of the 6-minutes of stoppage time, but playing 11v10 for the entirety of the second half, Indy should have put the game further out of reach. Am I nit-picking in a 2-1 win on the road? Maybe, but Indy did not close out this game in a confident fashion. They did not get another shot on target in the second half, finishing the game with the same number of shots they had at halftime. With a man advantage, and this team, that should have happened.  

Indy get the win by getting a couple of timely first half goals, and then hanging on in the end against a undermanned Memphis team that played harder than Indy in the second half. The team returns home next week against Sacramento Republic for Indy's third game against a Western Conference opponent to start the season, as well as Indy's earliest home game in the club's history. 

 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Right now, there's a clear focal point for the team and that is Jack Blake. I thought Williams did some good hold-up play up top, but for a team that needs to midfield to do both offensive and defensive work while often having the ball bypass them, Blake stood out again for me. So for the second game in as many weeks, Blake gets the GBGB.

Indy Eleven vs Memphis 901 FC - 10.26

Summary

- Opponent: Memphis 901 FC
- Location: AutoZone Park
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 0-0 D

- Starting XI: Trilk, Boudadi, Jerome, Chapman-Page, Dambrot, Blake, Lindley, Quinn, Robledo, Martinez, Guenzatti (C)

- Substitution: Pinho 71' (Guenzatti); Reveno 72' (Dambrot); Rebellon 86' (Blake); Vazquez 90'+4' (Martinez)

- Unused: Crawford, Asante, Velasquez

- Scoring Summary:
NONE

- Bookings:

MEM - McFadden 44' (Yellow)
IND - Robledo 44' (RED)
MEM - Vom Steeg 54' (Yellow)
IND - Martinez 67' (Yellow)
IND - Chapman-Page 67' (Yellow)
MEM - Pickering 80' (Yellow)

- Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

A midweek game on a week where my day job included my industry's yearly conference means that I didn't watch the game against Memphis until Friday. That doesn't mean, however, that I didn't see all of the discussion on social media about the garbage field conditions or Robledo's red card or that Indy managed, despite being down a man for 50 minutes (plus the 8 minutes of 2nd half stoppage time), to leave Memphis with a draw.

Memphis should be ashamed of the field conditions. Every single player risked injury to play in this game and Memphis should be fined for thinking that the field was acceptable. I played on some horrible fields in my playing days, but I wasn't a professional thinking that I should be playing on professional pitches. As I watched this game and the regular occurrence of players falling as the turf gave way underneath them or having to take time to do some landscaping work mid game (and by the operation's crew during the hydration break and halftime and...), the thought occurred to me that if I was playing on that surface, I would rather play on the bare baseball infield than the turf that they put down. At least I would know that my footing was solid, even if it meant I had to adjust the way I passed or tackled. 

Turf Monster rising...

Just doing some landscaping work mid game...

What could get lost in mess of a field was that Indy played about as well as they could under the circumstances. After a game last weekend in a hot El Paso, Indy had transportation issues on their way back, then had to jump on a bus just a few days later to make their way to a hot AND humid Memphis. Then they found themselves playing on a grass covered slip-n-slide. Robledo added to the difficulties by making a mistake that young, easily frustrated, players make by kicking out at an opposing player mere yards away from a linesman, making it an easy straight red card. 

Robledo's red card, Indy's fifth on the season but the first for a player not lined up as a defender, allowed Lowry to make tactical adjustments at halftime without having to use any of his substitutions. Martinez's frequent play at right winger this season allowed him to noticeably drop further back on the field to help defend. If Indy was going to have a player get a red card, Robledo's might have been the least detrimental to the team. Rebellon was able to rest through most of the game. Asante didn't have to play at all, and Vazquez saw his first minutes in ten games in mop-up minutes of stoppage time, but was able to break a sweat even if he didn't touch the ball.

This game was one of the proverbial "draw feels like a win" kind of games. Forced to defend for much of the second half due to the man disadvantage, on the turf-covered infield side of the field, Indy's first half possession advantage vanished in a "bend but don't break fight for each other" effort from all the players. The Memphis crowd and commentators were not happy about Indy's end-of-game tactics to take the air out of the game, but Memphis forced Indy to play on one of the worst fields I've ever seen. So let's call it a wash and move on.

Indy return home to play Loudoun in the midst of an actual undefeated streak. Indy need to continue their good run of results, and if I'm being honest, probably want the teams above them to continue to win as many games against the teams below Indy as possible. With what remains of the season, Indy need to create their own successes, but their appearance in the playoffs may depend on the top teams in the league beating the teams in the bottom of the league so as to not catch Indy. Saturday's game against Loudoun checks both those boxes.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

When you have sat the entire season, it's not easy to be thrust into a starting role due to an injury. Trilk has started six of the last seven games in goal. In that span, Indy have gone 4W-1D-2L with Trilk and the team getting a clean sheet in 3 of those games and a 0.83 goals against average. Tim made some key saves in this game despite being mired in the turf monster all around him. That kind of effort deserves the GBGB.

Indy Eleven vs Memphis 901 FC - 10.22

Summary

- Opponent: Memphis 901 FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 13,248
- Final Score: 2-1 L

- Starting XI: Trilk, Boudadi, Diz Pe, Chapman-Page, Lindley (C), Blake, Quinn, Asante, Velasquez, Martinez, Pinho

- Substitution: King 58; (Blake); Dambrot 59' (Boudadi); Pinho 59' (Guenzatti); Robledo 74' (Velasquez); Molina 88' (Chapman-Page)

- Unused: Crawford, Jerome

- Scoring Summary:
MEM - Turci 38' (assist Molloy)
IND - Quinn 57' (assist Asante)
MEM - Ward 81' (assist Kissiedou)

- Bookings:

IND - Boudadi 49' (Yellow)
MEM - Vom Steeg 90' (Yellow)

- Referee: Eric Tattersall

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

I hung out near the BYB tonight and only wrote some basic notes along the way instead of writing a good portion of my article from the press box. Between that and not feeling like writing, this might be brief again. As I stood in the area, the general consensus from everybody around me was a bit of a "blah" feeling. Nobody, and I mean nobody, had a good feeling about this game. Not a single person predicted a win from this game for Indy. Results ranged from a 1-nil loss to a 1-1 draw, to a 2-1 loss (which was correctly predicted as a MEM goal followed by an IND goal followed by a MEM goal - well done Robbie "Nostradamus" Mehling...). 

As the game commenced and the early glimpses of how this game was going to end began to show themselves, glances around me all said the same thing; "who's surprised it's going this way?" 

Twenty-second verse, same as the first!

Indy controls possession. Indy can't score (despite a nearly walk-in chance for Blake that went wide of the post). Indy give up the first goal, forcing them to play from behind. Indy plays well and doesn't get a good result from the game.

How many times have I written some version of that scenario playing out this year?

It has become frustratingly predictable to watch. Which means it's probably also become enjoyably predictable to scout against. Indy will want to hold possession at any point in the field (including deep within their own box with attackers making passes around them difficult), will get the ball into the final third, and will have difficulty shooting the ball. So the opposition's game plan is easy. Let Indy relatively leisurely pass around in their own half or near the half line as much as they want, shift sides as the ball shifts maintaining the defensive shape, and get someone close to a shooting lane because Indy don't like to shoot without a clear opening. Adjust to the new personnel who are going to happen around the 60th minute mark, a couple more in the 75th minute, and a final one/two after the 85th minute. Rinse and repeat until the Indy defense makes a mistake. Then hold on to the win. 

I continue to get asked the question of whether Lowry is on the hot seat. I continue to say no, particularly at this point in the season. If the team misses the playoffs again, then I don't know. My question is, "what then?" Lowry is a proven winner in this league; albeit in a different conference, which I'm going to come back to in a minute. If Indy gets a new coach, they are going to want to rebuild the team with the players that they think can fit their system. Not sure what this year's roster contracts look like, but there have been a lot of 1 and 2-year deals with options for a 2nd or 3rd year, respectively. Assuming the former, much of this roster could be gone and we'll be back to the old "we need time to gel excuse." I believe that this team was hand-picked by Lowry as guys that he wanted to play in his system, and had been watching for awhile. He has said some version of that a number of times on Soccer Saturday, including about Chapman-Page. There is young talent, experienced veterans, and guys with proven track records at other places. Injuries and suspensions have forced a ton of adjustments this year, but this team should be getting better results.

I watched a lot of El Paso's games the past few years when Mares and Lowry were there, as I would work on these game articles. El Paso was possession based, which Lowry has attempted to continue here. El Paso's players were attack-minded, which Lowry wanted to do. As Indy began to leak early goals, Lowry changed his preferred tactics to a back 5 to try and solidify the back so that Indy wasn't always playing from behind. When Lowry was in El Paso, he would like to have attack-minded players coming off the bench to be able to chase a result or put the foot on an opponent's neck. The leaked goals early in the season has led to a defense-minded Lowry, with a bunch of guys who seem hesitant to try and score goals through half-windows. None of it makes sense based on what I saw of Lowry in ELP or with the players that are on this roster.

As I said a couple of games ago, at this point in the season, and they way they are playing, Indy need to be less concerned with the teams above them and more concerned with the results of the teams around and below them. Miami, for example, is on a 4-game undefeated streak (3 wins in a row), and have leap-frogged Indy for the final playoff spot. Indy play Miami next weekend in Miami and a positive RESULT, not just a good performance. 

Before that though, Indy return to The Mike on Wednesday to play Birmingham who are on their own two-game losing streak after beating Tampa Bay and Louisville before their recent skid. Both teams are going to want to get all three points out of the game. At this point, unless Quinn scores, I don't know where Indy gets the goals to do that though, and that's assuming the defense doesn't leak a goal on a mistake.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I have to give it to somebody, right? The surprising team leader in goals scored again, right? How about if I just give Quinn the GBGB and move on with the night?

Quinn, maybe by default, but that's who gets tonight's GBGB

Photographs (Don Thompson Photography)

Indy Eleven vs Memphis 901 FC - 09.20

Summary

- Opponent: Memphis 901 FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 9,020
- Final Score: 1-1 D

- Starting XI: Lewis, Cochran, Jerome, Timmer, Ayoze, Brown, Aguilera, McQueen, Asante, Tejada, Pinho
- Substitution: Arteaga 13' (Pinho - injury); Hackshaw 59' (Aguilera); Rebellon 59' (McQueen)

- Unused: Trilk, Michael, Revolorio, Sanchez

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Asante 9’ (assist McQueen)
MEM – Goodrum 23’ (assist Buckmaster) 

- Bookings:
MEM – Smith 14’ (Yellow)
IND – Aguilera 24’ (Yellow)
MEM – Fernando 43’ (Yellow)
IND – Brown 79’ (Yellow)
IND – Cochran 90’  (Yellow)
IND – Hackshaw 90’+1’ (Yellow)

- Referee: Natalie Simon
- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

In the midst of the club’s worst slump in Indy Eleven's history, changes had to be made. The most notable of those changes came earlier in the week when the team announced that it was involved in a trade with Tampa Bay that brought Juan Tejada to Indy. Unfortunately, as far as I’m concerned, that trade sent Nicky Law to Tampa. I already expressed my appreciation for Nicky Law on Twitter the other day, so I won’t rehash it here, but I’m going to miss seeing his class on the field for Indy.

The rest of the shakeup is that Tejada slotted directly into the starting lineup and Arteaga and Hackshaw started on the bench. Missing from the starting lineup or the bench were Ingram, Fjeldberg, and Briggs. Based on Greg Rakestraw’s Soccer Saturday interview with Coach Lowry today, it sounds like there are more changes on the way. My gut says that one of those additions could be Richie Ryan. He’s out at El Paso, he’s a Lowry guy, and solves one of the problems that Coach sees as an issue. In fact, he stated that the team is missing an experienced player in the spine at either the #6 or #8 positions. Guess what Richie Ryan is really good at doing (particularly within Lowry’s system) and where he plays on the field? It might not happen, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me, and is probably one of the key pieces that could stabilize the midfield. As soon as I heard there were issues with Ryan in El Paso, I hoped he might find his way to Indy. We'll see if he is one of those players in the future.

One of the things that a trade like Indy experienced this week, and the starting lineup tonight, shows that nobody is safe. Everybody has to be accountable for the results when they have gone as badly as they have the last couple of months. Indy's effort tonight was drastically different than it has been, and as much as I dislike seeing Law depart, a good portion of that uptick in effort started with Tejada. Coach Lowry described it as a "determination," and I think that's a good way to look at it. The team were more determined to show they have the talent that we all think they do. 

"We wanted it today. So it wasn't pretty at times and I don't think it will all be pretty with this team necessarily, but there was a determination about the performance to defend when we need to defend. When we attacked, we attacked well. We won second balls. We did those things that allow you to stay in games and not concede goals."

Indy's goal was built from an absolutely stunning long ball from Ayoze to Pinho. Then reinforcements came barreling into the box. Asante, McQueen, and Tejada were all in the area. When it finally fell to Asante, his quick trigger finally ended Indy's goal scoring futility streak at 459-minutes. The thing that separated this goal from much of what we have seen in recent games is that Indy attacked in numbers. There were good portions of this game where Indy looked to be in a 3-4-3 (minimum) in attack with Arteaga, Tejada, and Asante all pushing forward, with Aguilera not far behind. That difference can be directly attributed to Tejada. While Arteaga and Pinho regularly press, Tejada's pace and constant energy was a difference maker in the setup for that first goal in over 5 games.

When MEM put early shots off the crossbar or post, it felt like some of those breaks that Indy hasn't been getting lately might be actually going Indy's way, and might be enough to help Indy get a result. Indy needs wins. However, with the way that things have been going lately, the fact that fans could leave The Mike and say, "they didn't lose," is a step in the right direction. The fact that it happened against one of the top teams in the conference further makes it feel like maybe they can turn a corner towards more positive results. 

For now, let's enjoy the sight of an opposing coach shrouded in smoke coming out of the BYB, something that Indy Eleven fans haven't seen since May 28th against New Mexico United. While Indy needs to do better at limiting their mistakes that lead to opponent's goals, the end of the longest losing streak in club history can be celebrated as a step in the right direction. Given the way that the results have gone the past 6 weeks, and the opponents, I was convinced that a 9-game losing streak was an unfortunate possibility. 

Next week, Indy welcome back Nicky Law and his new Tampa Bay teammates, for Indy's second game in as many weeks against the top portion of the conference table. Indy still has a hill to climb to get back into a playoff position, but tonight's positive result at least slowed down the downward spiral Indy had been on since the Colorado Springs Switchbacks' game.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I'm going to regurgitate my GBGB text from the NYRBII game, with a slight change.

"Sometimes it can be difficult to determine a recipient of the GBGB. Tonight wasn't even close. Lewis receives this game's GBGB, because Memphis had EIGHT shots ON TARGET." Admittedly some of those shots were from distance and weren't that threatening, but for his first start for Indy, he looked pretty good. His distribution was a bit rough at times, but overall, I was happy with his play. 

Additional Photos (@DLTPhotog)

Indy Eleven vs Memphis 901 FC - 09.09

Summary

- Opponent: Memphis 901 FC
- Location: AutoZone Park
- Attendance: 3,515
- Final Score: 2-1 L

- Starting XI: Panicco, Hackshaw (C), Cochran, Timmer, McQueen, Ingram, Aguilera, Law, Powder, Fjeldberg, Arteaga
- Substitution: Ayoze 69' (Powder); Brown 70' (Aguilera); Jerome 76' (Cochran); Briggs 76' (Ingram); Pinho 84' (Fjeldberg) 
- Unused: Trilk, Michael

- Scoring Summary:
MEM - Carroll 34' (assist Seagrist)
MEM - Kissiedou 58' (assist Kelly)
IND - Fjeldberg 66' (assist Arteaga)

- Bookings:
IND - Hackshaw 42' (Yellow) 
MEM - Paul 45' (Yellow)
IND - Ingram 74' (Yellow)
IND - Law 80' (Yellow)

- Referee: Matthew Thompson
- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Let's start with my requisite statement that games in baseball fields are terrible. That being said, AutoZone Park did look slightly better than other baseball fields we've seen, but only marginally. That's not true. One half of the field, while not very wide, looked really nice. The other half looked like Oakland Roots' bicolored field. The infield side of the field was the side Indy was attacking in the first half, but didn't have a lot of possession in that portion of the field in the first half. I thought that would change in the second half when Indy was able to attack the side of the field that didn't have a pitcher's mound, but Indy only managed 3 shots (1 on target) in the second half. 

I'm sure in a detailed review of the video of this game, there were some good things from Indy. However, in general, as a whole, this game felt like a regression back to Indy's losses early in the season. Despite being a well-rested team having not played in two weeks, Indy looked like the more lethargic team at times in this game. Memphis just seemed like they wanted it more for large chunks of the game. 

It also seemed like when Indy made a mistake, they were punished for it. They were lucky that they weren't punished more often, but the two goals that Memphis scored were because MEM were playing harder or smarter. The goal in the 34th minute resulted because Indy was unable to clear a corner as MEM continued to recycle the ball. Indy was fortunate to have not conceded a goal that led to the corner as MEM carved through the defense that required some last ditch defending from Cochran on a Seagrist shot. For the goal in the 57th minute, which was Indy's first corner kick of the game, as Indy tried to do their own recycle of the corner, a poor pass from Cochran was taken by MEM to the other end of the field as if the Indy defense wasn't there and as if Panicco was completely surprised about the shot.  

This is one of those games that could have gone a long way to putting Indy firmly in the top of the table. As it is, Indy slides back down towards the playoff line, with the top 4 teams starting to create some separation. The good news for Indy is that they come back home next weekend to play a struggling to get results team in the New York Red Bulls II. Before that, the women's team will look to maintain their win streak as they play Racing Louisville in Louisville.  

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Somehow, he's only credited with 2 saves, and despite the effort on the second goal, I think the GBGB still needs to go to Panicco. Not sure if he would tell you that he played a good game, but given the chances that MEM was able to create around the Indy goal, he needs to be rewarded for keeping the game to just 2 goals. 

Indy Eleven vs Memphis 901 FC - 08.33

Summary

- Opponent: Memphis 901 FC
- Location: AutoZone Park
- Attendance: 4,015
- Final Score: 3-0 L

- Starting XI: Farr, Buckmaster, Timmer, Adewole, Seagrist, Koffie, Partida, Moon, Ayoze (C), Vassell, Arteaga
- Substitutions: Gutjahr 61' (Sissoko); Moon 61' (Vassell); Liu 76' (Arteaga)
- Unused: Edwards, Doyle, Hackshaw, Ouimette

- Scoring Summary:
MEM - Lamah 2' (assist Salazar)
MEM - Murphy 32' (assist Kissiedou)
MEM - Fortune 56' (assist Kissiedou)

- Bookings:
MEM - Fortune 7' (Yellow)
IND - Vassell 25' (Yellow)
MEM - Reynolds 66' (Yellow)
IND - Moon 80' (Yellow)
MEM - Carroll 82' (Yellow)
IND - Partida 85' (Yellow)

- Referee: Matthew Franz
- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Would you expect anything less from Indy Eleven this year than a 3-0 loss to close out a season that has been underwhelming and disappointing? Last year's team finished like a semi-truck tire that was showing its issues and then explodes violently on the interstate. This year's team was more like a tire with a slow leak. Indy tried to put some more air in the tire with some late season signings, but Indy found themselves on the side of the road in Memphis with a tire that just couldn't go any further.

On paper, this team seemed like it should have been a contender. In results, Indy finishes the season in 6th place in the Central Division, with a 9W-8D-15L record and a different coach than which they started. Haworth played just 4 games. Hackshaw couldn't play the final 7 games. Cochran couldn't play in the final 11 games. Farr missed 8 games in the middle of the season. Law and late season addition Ledesma missed the final 2 games. Wild missed the final 3. Vassell missed 7 games due to international team duty and difficulty getting back into town. Seemingly, if things could go badly, they did.

This game was no different. Even the USL match center was ready for the Indy season to be complete, as it took a break for about 20 minutes of game time and even restarted the clock a few times despite being 60+ minutes into the game.

Memphis got on the board early in the 12th minute as Salazar and Lamah easily worked themselves around the Indy defense; thereby allowing them the ability to sit in and knock the ball around as much as they wanted. Knowing Indy was going to want to press the issue if they wanted the draw/win, Memphis was content to play keep away when they could, bunker when needed, and counter at key opportunities. At no point did Indy look like they were going to win this game after giving up that early goal. A Kyle Murphy goal in the 32nd minute put this game to bed with 58 minutes of game remaining. The 56th minute (offside) goal by Fortune just made the game difficult to watch for Indy fans as the Eleven didn't put a single shot on target in the second half. 

The slow tire leak finally put Indy on the side of the road. 

Also of note was that Ouimette was not in the starting lineup, which means he finishes the season (and maybe his Indy Eleven career?) at one game less than 100 starts for the club, which would have made him the first player to hit that mark. When Karl hit the 99 game start mark with 6 games remaining, I really thought we would see our first Indy player with that milestone, but Ouimette played 18 minutes total in the final 6 games. Not sure why he fell so far out of favor with Rogers, but Ouimette didn't have much say in the final games of the season.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Ayoze. For no other reason that he's about to turn 36, playing like he's found the fountain of youth.