Lowry on the hot seat?

Photo: Don Thompson

As the Indy Eleven losses continue to pile up like an interstate accident in winter, I keep getting asked a version of the same question; "Is Lowry on the hot seat?," "Is Lowry in trouble of being fired?," "Is Lowry the right coach?"

The answer I continue to give, and continue to believe, is that Lowry is too good of a coach to yank him this fast. This has been a historically bad stretch for Indy Eleven and that is saying something given the history of the club. However, even Sommer was allowed to go into a second season, even though it felt like very early that Sommer might have been out of his depth. I remember catching Peter Wilt's eye in the press box after a 90'+8' rocket from Kyle Hyland salvaged a draw against Tampa Bay on a night where a +2 hour weather delay forced a near midnight finish and Indy had a man advantage for the final 17 minutes of the game. It was a look of "this isn't good enough." Sommer spent the post-game telling the guys that very same thing and that all their jobs could be on the line. The very next day, Sommer was let go by Wilt. 

Even as much as that first (and second) team struggled, they never had a streak where they went on an 11 game winless streak with 9 losses in that streak. What makes it baffling is that Sommer had never coached a team at this level, and Lowry has been highly successful at this level. To narrow down why this season has gone like it has leads you on a sad trail of infrequent shots, fewer shots on target, and at least one or two major mistakes every game by the defense that opposing teams capitalize upon and win the game. As with all teams, where does the blame start and finish when these are the things that are happening? Is it the coach or is it the players? It's obviously easy to put it on the coach, in that a change there fires one person, whereas if it's the players, multiple firings have to take place. Some of which has occurred and the results have been about the same. In fact, in this last game against Hartford, we watched Hackshaw make a pass that was intended for Vazquez, who was clearly not on the same page and the ball easily went to Barrera. Then Hackshaw, Vazquez, and Dambrot all stood and watched as Barrera dribbled up the field uncontested, took a shot uncontested, and scored a goal uncontested. Two of those three players are new additions to the team. Were they the wrong players (selected by Lowry), were they not in sync with each other yet, or was it something else altogether? For me, in that case, that's a mistake by players and not a mistake by coach. I've never played at a high level and even I know that if nobody stops the ball, bad things can happen.

Photo: Don Thompson

For now, I still have faith in Mark Lowry. From my discussions with him, he is fully aware that the entire squad, from coach to assistant to starters to bench players, are at risk and are responsible when things are going poorly. That includes him and he has said as much to me. He has said exactly what Sommer told that team after the Tampa Bay Rowdies game in 2014. Everybody's job is on the line, including his. I don't see him "pulling a Rennie," and exiting the club during a post-game interview with Rakestraw and Hauter, but I have waited on the field for him to come back from the locker room after enough games recently to know that he is not enjoying this stretch of games any more than we're enjoying watching them. 

Yet, it got me thinking. How does this stretch of games rank in club history? So I did what I do, and I started digging into my stats to find out. Below, I present the data for the worst winless streaks per season and then each coach's record in their first 24 games, which is where Lowry stands right now when you include the Open Cup game. Below that I'll highlight what I find interesting about the data.

Worst Winless Streaks each Season

• 2014 - Sommer
• First nine games - 0W-4D-5L
• 0W-2D-4L streak in Fall Season
• 2015 - Sommer/Regan
• 1W-4D-3L to start Spring Season (Sommer)
• 0W-1D-4L in Fall Season (Regan)
• 0W-2D-3L in Fall Season (Regan)
• 2016 - Hankinson
• 0W-2D-3L stretch in Fall Season
• 2017 - Hankinson
• 0W-7D-4L to start Spring Season
• 0W-1D-4L
• 0W-2D-3L to end season
• 2018 - Rennie
• 0W-1D-3L to end season
• 2019 - Rennie
• 0W-0D-4L (games 28-31)
• 2020 - Rennie
• 1W-1D-5L to end season
• 2021 - Rennie/Rogers
• 0W-1D-3L (Rennie)
• 0W-3D-2L (Rennie/Rogers)
• 0W-2D-4L (Rogers)
• 2022 - Lowry
• 0W-2D-2L to start season
• 0W-2D-9L (including 6 losses in a row and another 3 losses in a row)

Coach Records through First 24 games

• Sommer (includes 2 Open Cup games)
• 4W-7D-13L (win percentage = 16.7%)
• 34 GF; 47 GA = -13 GD
• Regan (in 23 GP; includes a friendly)
• 7W-6D-10L (win percentage = 30.4%)
• 28 GF; 37 GA  = -9 GD
• Hankinson (includes 2 Open Cup games & a friendly)
• 12W-9D-3L (win percentage = 50.0%)
• 37 GF; 22 GA = +15 GD
• Rennie (includes 1 Open Cup game)
• 10W-6D-8L (win percentage = 41.7%)
• 30 GF; 28 GA = +2 GD
• Rogers  
• 6W-7D-11L (win percentage = 25.0%)
• 25 GF; 38 GA = -13 GD
• Lowry (includes an Open Cup game)
• 6W-4D-14L (win percentage = 25.0%)
• 25 GF; 39 GA = -14 GD

Let's start with the winless streaks. Even when it has been bad for Indy Eleven through the years, the longest string of losses has been 4; in the beginning of the 2014 season with Sommer and in the 2019 season with Rennie. The worst number of losses in a winless streak was 5, again with Sommer in 2014. I included a streak of games where the 2020 Rennie-coached season finished the year on a 1W-1D-5L run, which kept them out of the playoffs. Following both of those 5 loss stretches, both coaches made it to game 8 of the next season before being fired/quitting. This year's team's winless streak makes those earlier streaks seem like happy times. That doesn't look well for Lowry.

Photo: Don Thompson

Looking at how Lowry's first 24 games compare to previous Indy Eleven coaches doesn't look well for him either. Obviously. What is interesting though, is that he has nearly identical records and goals for/goals against/goal differential as Indy's two caretaker managers, Regan and Rogers. Those two guys were forced to continue the season with players selected by somebody else, whereas this team, with a few notable exceptions, were guys selected by Lowry. Sommer clearly had the worst start to his tenure of any coach, but Lowry's start most compares to the records of the men that were figuratively thrown into the lead role. That's not a good look.

What if I told you, though, that in Coach Lowry's inaugural season with El Paso in 2019, the team had a 
1W-4D-6L stretch between June 22nd and September 4th? Admittedly, that team didn't dig themselves the early season hole that Indy did this year, but that ELP team still made the playoffs and advanced to the Conference Finals. Or that in Lowry's 1st full season as head coach with Jacksonville Armada in 2017, that team went on a 0W-4D-4L stretch across the end of the Spring Season and start of the Fall Season from July 8th to August 19th? Or that after he was announced as the interim coach in 2016, the team went on a 1W-5D-2L streak to start his tenure from August 17th to September 28th. 

Maybe Coach Lowry just has some summer struggles in his first season? Maybe by that point in the season, he has a better understanding of what the guys are capable of doing, the guys have a better understanding of how Lowry really wants to play, and in trying to enact those tactics, the teams go through some growing pains in the summer? I honestly don't know, but ELP turned into a perennial winner in his time there and that summer bump in the road isn't really mentioned by anybody except the ELP fans. With some insight from Seriously Loco Soccer Pod, a group that provides content for, and by, El Paso supporters, that 2019 stretch was "a combo of things with Jerome Kiesewetter being hurt for a bit, Mechack Jerome suffered a season ending injury at the Gold Cup, and some issues with goal scoring more generally that eventually were sorted out." Sounds familiar, right? Insert Arteaga and Pinho in for Kiesewetter, long-term injuries to Briggs and Meredith (which forced another shuffle with the goalkeepers), and issues with goal scoring. We can only hope that Indy does the same as that ELP squad and gets their goal scoring sorted out too.

As I said before, this stretch of games has been historically bad for the club and there's no way around that. I will also reiterate that I still have faith in Lowry. There are still too many mistakes that are being capitalized on by opponents, and Indy is still struggling with getting enough shots on target, but their summer slump included an entire month away from home and games against some of the best teams in the league. That was always going to be a tough stretch even without the constant changes in the goalkeeper position, the injuries to key contributors, and some unlucky bounces and calls (I'm specifically thinking about the one shot/one goal fiasco in the first Pittsburgh game and the goal that wasn't allowed in the second Pittsburgh game). 

Yet, I've also seen improvement in the play recently, even if the results haven't followed. If Indy can't get a win by the end of the season, Lowry will, unfortunately, be gone. However, against my pessimistic nature, I believe the results will get better even if they don't make the playoffs, and Lowry should be allowed to return next season.

Until, at least, the 8th game...

Indy Eleven and its place in the American Lower Division Soccer Landscape

In the Spring of 2014, Indy Eleven officially began their tenure in the North American soccer landscape, having joined the North American Soccer League (NASL) the previous Spring. Indy kicked off their club history by playing their first game on April 12, 2014 at Michael Carroll Stadium against the Carolina Railhawks in front of 11,048 fans. The game would end as a 1-1 draw, with Michael Ambersley getting Indy's first goal in the 43rd minute, only to give up the game-tying goal in the 50th minute to Shilawski. Indy struggled in their inaugural season, finishing 10th (last) in the Spring Season and 7th in the Fall Season. Indy did not get a single win in the Spring Season, but managed a 2-1 win against Carolina in the first game of the Fall Season. Indy famously did not get their first home win until October 11, 2014 against Minnesota United FC, a 2-0 result that spurred a celebratory storming of the field by the fans and is still considered to be one of the best moments in club history.

Photo Credit: Don Thompson

Indy did not pick up their first piece of hardware until winning the Spring Championship in 2016; a 4-1 win against the Carolina Railhawks, continuing a trend of having important games against Carolina and causing a second celebratory storming of the field by the fans. I have been recently reflecting on Indy Eleven's history since we have just passed the 5 year anniversary of that game, dubbed the "Miracle at the Mike" due to the number of factors that Indy had to overcome to win the title, such as the number of wins and goal differential scenarios with the New York Cosmos. As I have been thinking about Indy's only piece of hardware to date, I began wondering how much the American soccer landscape has changed since Indy joined the NASL and what it means for Indy Eleven and its fans. 

So I decided to find out.

So much background information...

Strap in, there's a lot of background. When Indy officially started playing in the NASL in 2014, there were three distinct levels of professional soccer in the American pyramid at the time. MLS was (is) at the top, holding Div I status, the NASL held Div II status, and USL Pro held Div III status. For simplicity, I'm going to mostly ignore MLS since it has maintained its Div I status, but the other two leagues have dealt with some issues with their status, much of their legal issues with their status is also going to be outside the scope of this article.

Let's first look at the teams in NASL and then in USL Pro during Indy's inaugural 2014 season. In 2014, NASL consisted of 10 teams:

1. Atlanta Silverbacks 
2. Carolina Railhawks
3. FC Edmonton
4. Fort Lauderdale
5. Indy Eleven (1st season in league; Carroll Stadium; 10,465 average attendance; Coach Sommer)
6. Minnesota United
7. New York Cosmos
8. Ottawa Fury (1st season in league)
9. San Antonio Scorpions
10. Tampa Bay Rowdies

Minnesota United and the New York Cosmos finished 1st and 2nd in the Spring Season and San Antonio and Minnesota finished 1st and 2nd in the Fall Season. As a result, Minnesota and San Antonio had automatic bids into the playoffs and then New York and Fort Lauderdale entered based on their combined records between the two seasons. San Antonio and Fort Lauderdale played in the Soccer Bowl, with San Antonio winning 2-1.

Meanwhile, the 2014 USL Pro consisted of 14 teams:

1. Arizona United SC
2. Charleston Battery
3. Charlotte Eagles
4. Dayton Dutch Lions
5. Harrisburg City Islanders
6. LA Galaxy II (1st season in league)
7. Oklahoma City Energy FC (1st season in league)
8. Orange County Blues FC
9. Orlando City
10. Pittsburgh Riverhounds
11. Richmond Kickers
12. Rochester Rhinos
13. Sacramento Republic FC (1st season in league)
14. Wilmington Hammerheads

Harrisburg and Orlando City ultimately competed in the USL Pro Championship game, with Orlando City coming away with the victory. This was also Orlando City's final season in USL as they made the move to MLS the next season. 

When Indy Eleven joined the landscape, there were 24 teams between the Div II and Div III levels. The 2015 season is where things begin to be interesting. Internally, Indy Eleven dismissed Coach Sommer mid-Spring Season and continued with interim Coach Tim Regan for the rest of the year. Externally, NASL added one more team with the Jacksonville Armada. However, USL Pro added 12 more teams, bringing the league to 24 teams after Orlando City's departure to MLS and Dayton Dutch Lions departure to the PDL (additional note, the Charlotte Independence obtained the franchise rights from the Charlotte Eagles). Combined with NASL's 11 teams, the total lower division professional soccer total was dramatically increased to 35 teams. A large part of this expansion was a result of USL Pro adding "2" teams that were directly connected to MLS teams. USL Pro added the following teams that season:

1. Austin Aztex
2. Colorado Springs Switchbacks
3. FC Montreal (MLS II Expansion)
4. Louisville City FC (obtained the USL franchise rights from Orlando City)
5. New York Red Bulls II (MLS II Expansion team)
6. Portland Timbers 2 (MLS II Expansion)
7. Real Monarchs (MLS II Expansion)
8. Saint Louis FC
9. Seattle Sounders 2 (MLS II Expansion)
10. Toronto FC II (MLS II Expansion)
11. Tulsa Roughnecks
12. Vancouver Whitecaps 2 (MLS II Expansion)

The 2016 season continued growth for both leagues as USL Pro added Bethlehem Steel FC, FC Cincinnati, Orlando City B, Rio Grande Valley FC, Swope Park Rangers, and San Antonio FC, but Austin Aztex went on hiatus. NASL growth was much more modest as they added Miami FC, Rayo OKC, & Puerto Rico FC, but lost Atlanta and San Antonio. From an Indy Eleven perspective, they hired Tim Hankinson to be their new manager and drastically adjusted their roster, leading to the above mentioned Spring Season hardware.

The 2017 season is where things get even more interesting. NASL was able to maintain their Div II status, despite having only 8 teams after adding San Francisco Deltas, but losing Minnesota to MLS; Tampa and Ottawa leaving for USL, and Fort Lauderdale and Rayo OKC folding. At the same time, USL was given provisional Div II status, having added Reno FC, Tampa Bay and Ottawa from NASL, but losing FC Montreal. 

So the 2017 American soccer landscape had two separate leagues at the same level in the pyramid that looked to be going in opposite directions. By the time the 2018 season rolled around, NASL were no longer operating, finding themselves in a legal battle arguing against US Soccer's decision to place NASL as a Div III league. Conversely, USL obtained full Div II status, losing the provisional designation, but was not without some team adjustments of its own. Atlanta United 2, Fresno FC, Las Vegas Lights, and Nashville SC were added as expansion teams and Indy Eleven and North Carolina FC moved between the leagues. Orlando City B and Rochester went on hiatus and Vancouver 2 folded.

It's at this point in the Indy Eleven timeline where everything changed. Indy Eleven had joined a new league. They hired their third (non-interim) coach in its history, bringing in Martin Rennie. Home field advantage was shifted from Carroll Stadium to Lucas Oil Stadium. A new roster was created in a very short amount of time, with a large majority of the 2017 roster gone. Indy had some familiar foes as it transitioned into USL, including Louisville City FC, who they had faced regularly while in separate leagues. 

Where are they all now?

With all that extensive (and unnecessary?) background behind us, we can begin the main point of this article. When Indy Eleven began playing, there were 24 teams playing in lower divisions of American professional soccer. Of those 24 teams, there are 6 teams that have ceased operations; 2 are on hiatus; 2 have moved up a tier into MLS, 2 are in USL League One, 1 is in USL League Two, and the final 11 are in USL Championship (3 former NASL; 8 USL Pro). Here's a reminder of those teams and their status:

1. Atlanta Silverbacks - defunct
2. Carolina Railhawks - rebranded, moved leagues to USL, and now playing in Div III USL League One
3. FC Edmonton - defunct
4. Fort Lauderdale - defunct
5. Indy Eleven - moved leagues to USL and playing in Div II USL Championship
6. Minnesota United - moved to MLS
7. New York Cosmos - NISA, but on hiatus
8. Ottawa Fury - defunct
9. San Antonio Scorpions - moved leagues and playing in USL Championship
10. Tampa Bay Rowdies - moved leagues and playing in USL Championship
11. Arizona United SC - rebranded to Phoenix Rising and playing in USL Championship
12. Charleston Battery - playing in USL Championship
13. Charlotte Eagles - rights transferred to Charlotte Independence, playing in USL Championship
14. Dayton Dutch Lions - currently playing in USL League Two
15. Harrisburg City Islanders - rebranded as Penn FC; now defunct
16. LA Galaxy II - playing in USL Championship
17. Oklahoma City Energy FC - playing in USL Championship
18. Orange County Blues FC - playing in USL Championship
19. Orlando City - moved to MLS
20. Pittsburgh Riverhounds - playing in USL Championship
21. Richmond Kickers - playing in USL League One
22. Rochester Rhinos - indicated to be "on hiatus"
23. Sacramento Republic FC - playing in USL Championship
24. Wilmington Hammerheads - disbanded (continues as youth academy)

How do you judge success?

Keeping in mind that list of teams who were around in 2014, but has dramatically changed to date, how do you judge success of a club?

If you judge success as just surviving in lower division soccer in America, then Indy Eleven has navigated the many twists and forks-in-the-road as well as can be expected. They are one of only four NASL teams from that inaugural season that have found a way to stay in at least the second tier of American professional soccer, despite their original league failing. There's something to be said for just surviving and existing that can be commended.

However, if you judge success by winning and championships, then success has been much harder to achieve for Indy Eleven. To be fair, not many in the above list have been able to achieve that level of success either. Of Indy's seven completed seasons, Indy has only made its league's playoffs in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Beyond the 2016 Spring Championship hardware that Indy won with the 3rd tiebreaker with the Cosmos, Indy has made just one Final game (the Soccer Bowl in 2016 in NASL where they lost to New York) and one Conference Final (in 2019 in USL where they lost to Louisville City FC) with 2016 being the only time that Indy has finished in the top two in the table. Comparing that to Louisville City, Indy's now regional rival, during that time, Louisville City FC has been in 6 conference finals and 3 league finals, winning 2 of them. 

If you judge success by stadiums, Indy has continued to lag behind in that area too with Louisville. Indy began talking about the desire/need to have a dedicated soccer specific stadium in 2013 before they had ever kicked a ball. Since that time, they have played at Carroll Stadium from 2014-2017, at Lucas Oil Stadium from 2018-2020, and back to Carroll Stadium for 2021 and the foreseeable future. In 2019, Indy managed to get legislation passed that will facilitate the construction of a new stadium and a multi-purpose development with the expectation that the stadium would be in the range of 20,000 seats as required for entry into MLS, which has been a stated goal in the past from the team and owner Ersal Ozdemir. However, in 2020, CEO Greg Stremlaw indicated that the stadium could actually be built closer to 12,000 seats, with the ability to expand. In 2021, Indy was able to get further legislation passed that extended the deadline needed to build the stadium/development as the 2020 pandemic affected everybody's schedules. To date, no announcement has been made indicating where the stadium

Photo Credit: Louisville City FC

will be located, what it will ultimately look like, how many seats it will hold, nor when it might actually come to fruition. Louisville City's schedule for their soccer specific stadium was much more advanced. After coming into USL in 2015, they announced that they would be constructing a new stadium in April 2017. While they continued playing at Slugger Field, their dedicated soccer specific stadium had its groundbreaking in June 2018. A limited number of fans were able to attend games in the new Lynn Family Stadium in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. The official "Grand Opening" of the stadium recently took place in June 2021. 

If you judge success by expansion of your brand, Indy has also lagged behind in this too. Indy had an NPSL team for a season in 2016 as a way to expand and to develop young players. It lasted a season. It has signed Academy players during Coach Rennie's tenure, but with the exception of Josh Penn, none of the others have ever seen any first-team minutes. The club has talked about a women's team since the beginning, but have continually stated that they will be more receptive to forming a women's team once they have their own stadium, claiming that the financial aspect of having a women's team will make more sense at that time. Indy Eleven do now have an academy connection as part of the USL Academy, where, "Indy Eleven will partner with the acclaimed Indiana Fire Academy (IFA) program in establishing squads that will represent Indiana’s Team in the regional USL Academy League (eligible for U-15 through U-19 players) and the national USL Academy Cup (U-13 and U-17 Teams)." On the flip side, Louisville City has a women's NWSL team that began play in 2021 after being announced in 2019 as an expansion team for the league, plus their own Academy teams. 

What does it all mean (A.K.A. What's my point)?

Is Indy Eleven a successful club? Yes. However, if you compare them to their geographical rival in Louisville City FC and what they have been able to achieve, then I would argue "no." Indy falls behind Louisville in all the above categories and in the record books, which I didn't even mention anywhere above. Maybe that is an unfair comparison since by looking at all the background data above, nearly every team that has existed in the lower divisions of soccer in the past decade has been unable to obtain the success that Louisville has managed to achieve. 

Photo Credit: EM Dash

Indy has always said that their goal is to be a top-level organization, regardless of division and that includes Div I. I suppose there are wide ranges of what constitutes "top-level," and there are a lot of things that Indy does right. I've never seen the inner workings of a "top-level" organization, so I don't have anything to compare Indy against. Make not mistake, Indy is my team. I'm XI til I die (or until they cease operations). However, this photo comes from the most recent game against Louisville City and it looks exactly like how you would expect a team that has not had a ton of recent success against another team would react during a run-of-the-mill regular season game. Though the late game fashion of the win probably played more into it than the history, since only a handful of these guys have seen the rivalry in action before the game. Yet, as I witness Indy's struggles this year, despite their first victory in the LIPAFC (Louisville Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest) in some time, I have been wondering what it will take to get them over the hump from "good" to "great." 

For awhile, I thought it was consistency in coaching since the first few years saw three different coaches, but Indy is now into year 4 with Coach Rennie. For full disclosure, I always thought that Coach Hank was unfairly shown the proverbial door after a rash of injuries to the 2017 roster (that was basically the same as the hardware winning 2016 roster) hampered the team's ability to get results . Yet, Coach Rennie's tenure of 4 seasons has produced a first-round exit from the playoffs in 2018 (again, to Louisville), a Conference Final in 2019 (bounced by a late goal in regulation and collapse in Extra Time...to Louisville), and a missed playoff in 2020 after a string of poor results late in the season. This year's result TBD, particularly now that Rennie and Indy Eleven "mutually parted ways" on the 16th. Will the departure of Rennie create a "lost" season as Indy searches for a new coach and as the players that Rennie selected adapt to a new coach with a likely different style of play? 

For awhile, I thought it was consistency in players, which Louisville has had during their tenure, but is something that Indy has never had for more than 2 seasons. Scorched Earth rebuilds have been a regular occurrence for Indy, with this year being no exception. 

For awhile, I thought it was talent in players. On paper, Indy have had some of the most talented rosters in their leagues (2014 & 2015 notwithstanding, due to a single player hamstringing the majority of the budget in those years). This year seems to be no exception.

Or maybe it's just really damn hard to win. Players, coaches, injuries, and even your opponents' players, coaches, and injuries factor into what a "successful" season is for any given team. Maybe Louisville has just been able to minimize the negative factors while maximizing the positive factors and have seen success on the field. As a result, it's easier to move forward with some of the other things like a second professional team and a stadium, etc. 

However, I can't eliminate the factor of "punching your weight." Maybe Louisville have decided to be the best they can be in their division, hoping that success can lead to a promotion to the next level at some point in the future. Whereas Indy's periodically stated goal of MLS has kept them from realizing that they likely need success in Div II before they will get the attention of MLS. I'm not convinced that Indy have figured this out yet. You don't have to initially build a 20k seat stadium that has to be maintained when you are averaging in the vicinity of 10k in attendance. Don't talk about what you want to do. Talk about what you are doing. Punch your weight until you can punch harder.

I honestly don't know the answer and I'm just a supporter with a modest platform to say what I think. As a Cubs fan, I know that eventually the factors can fall into your favor and a championship is possible. From what I have seen of Indy Eleven this year, I don't see the factors falling into place to get them to that level this year, but a lot can happen before the season ends.

Indianapolis has a team and not every fan base that was around when Indy Eleven starting playing can say the same thing. After the first couple of seasons, Indy have mostly had a good team and not every club can say that. Indy Eleven front office staff keep saying that a stadium is coming and not every club can say that. When (if) it does, a women's professional team might follow afterwards and not every club can say that is a possibility for them.

I have a local team to support and for that I'm grateful, particularly having gone through this exercise of seeing how much the American lower division professional soccer landscape has changed since Indy Eleven first took the field.

Maybe I'm just ready to see them punch harder.

Indy Eleven Drop Tower

Photo Credit: Theme Park Review

The off-season the past couple years in lower division soccer in the United States has been less like a roller coaster and more of drop tower. Emotions going from highs to lows quickly and slow painful waits to get back to the highs.

In 2016, the North American Soccer League (NASL) looked to be shuttering only to get a late reprieve and a provisional 2nd division status. The United Soccer League (USL), in January, was also given a provisional 2nd division status, giving lower division fans two leagues in the 2nd division, but leaving an empty 3rd division. The NASL's lack of teams and deficiency in meeting the time zones requirement being major components of their provisional status. Before the NASL could even reach the end of the 2017 season, word came down that they would not be able to maintain their Division 2 status, and the Drop Tower off-season began.

What followed was a lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), an appeal by the NASL after the lawsuit did not go the way that the league had hoped, North Carolina FC moving to the USL, Edmonton FC ceased operations, and the San Francisco Deltas shut down after just a single season in the league. The positive side of things for the league were that they picked up commitments from California United FC and San Diego's 1904 FC. However, all that change meant that the NASL's 8 team league in 2017 dropped to 5 and then back up to 7 for the 2018 season.

Late Friday night, the Soc Takes crew released a report that the Indy Eleven will be joining NCFC in their move to the USL and will be playing their games at Lucas Oil Stadium with an official announcement from the league/team coming late next week. There hasn't been any indication from the league or the team of the validity of the claim, but given the magnitude of the statement, that's not unsurprising. While many in Indy's fanbase celebrated the move, it could spell disaster for the NASL, even if they do win the lawsuit. A 4 + 2? team league likely doesn't see a 2018 and maybe not another game ever.

I have routinely contacted the team for comment on their plans and were repeated told that the falling domino of the appeal process was their starting point. Given the prolonged appeal process, that there doesn't seem to be a finish line in sight for it, and a fast approaching deadline to be able to play in a spring season, Eleven ownership and front office staff may have decided they were left without a choice. The move surprises me based on what I've inferred from Ersal over the years, but he's a businessman and lower division soccer has a hard time making money in the best of days. Lower division soccer doesn't make any money if there aren't any fans in the seats for a good portion of 2018. Sometimes you have to adjust your business and your business model to succeed.

Another recurring topic of my questions to the team has been about the players. How are they dealing with the delay? What have been their interactions with the team? What players are remaining? The "Standard Operating Procedure" response provided very little information. What I have been told over the last couple months is that the team does have players under contract. In the last week, that has been adjusted to the point where I think I can provide a guess what players might be returning to a USL-bound Eleven. In September, I had some thoughts on a 2018 roster and I think I'm going to change my mind a bit on a few. I do know that before the holidays none of the players had requested release from their contracts, that most were waiting on the court decision and a subsequent decision on the next coach, but that "players always have options to get out of their contract if they can receive a more lucrative contract elsewhere (especially if the acquiring team pays their penalty fee to close out their existing contract)."

We know Torrado and Ubiparipovic are gone. Rumors are that Cardona is trying out at other teams. That doesn't surprise me either if you think Busch is back. Given that we haven't seen an announcement of that, it doesn't take too much to think Cardona is moving on. I'm guessing that Junior and Ables weren't given much more than stop-gap type contracts and were free agents not long after the season finished. So that's 5 players not returning.

I still believe that Franco, Ring, & Keller were under contract for 2018, regardless of what happened. Greg Rakestraw and Soccer Saturday more or less confirmed this about Ring today. I was told on Friday that the team had "optioned on several players, but haven't on several others." Used the word "several" in both.
Optioned (my guesses):
Smart
Zayed
Vukovic
Braun
Falvey
Busch
Speas

Not Optioned (my guesses):
Watson-Siriboe
Henderson
Manning
Thompson
Miller
Goldsmith
Lomeli

If the team has decided to move to USL, expect a decision on a coach soon as well so that the player piece can be finalized. The new coach may see value in the guys that weren't optioned, but we're still a bit out from that point. If those guys have any interest in playing in 2018, they aren't going to want to wait much longer to get those conversations started with other teams.

A couple final comments on the announcement from Soc Takes related to the use of Lucas Oil Stadium. I was told awhile back that the ticket prices for 2018 would remain the same as 2017. I don't see how that can hold true with a move to LOS. I don't know how much the tickets will change, and hopefully there will continue to be the low-end entry point, but ticket prices are going to have to change if the new home of the Eleven is LOS and not Carroll Stadium. Additionally, I believe that a season in LOS will drastically affect the team's hopes of a P3-funded soccer specific stadium. The argument will be that if they can make it work for a year, why can't they make it work long-term? It will become increasingly more difficult to make the argument that it's not feasible if they are able to do it for a year.

The announcement is a big one. Official words will come eventually. I'm still trying to temper my enthusiasm until I know the rest of the details. Just waiting for the rest of the Drop Tower ride.

Indy Eleven vs NCFC - 04.32

- Opponent: North Carolina FC
- Location: Indianapolis
- Attendance: 8,813
- Final Score: 2-2 D
- Starting XI: Busch, Franco, Falvey, Miller, Vukovic, Torrado, Smart, Thompson, Speas, Goldsmith, Zayed
- Substitutions: Ubiparipovic 58' (Speas); Junior 75' (Thompson)
- Unused: Cardona, Watson-Siriboe, Lomeli, Ables
- Goals: Zayed 20' (assist Speas); Miller 65' (assist Vukovic)
- Bookings: Goldsmith 88' (Yellow)
- Adage goals: Two

Going into this game, the Indy Eleven had been eliminated from post-season play and North Carolina FC had already solidified their place in the post-season. All that remained to be decided was NCFC's seeding. Win or draw and they would be the 3rd seed and avoid a semi-final matchup with Miami FC, the first team in NASL 2.0 to ever win the double, having won both the Spring Season and the Fall Season by clinching on Saturday night against Edmonton FC. San Francisco, the 2nd seed in the Championship, has looked strong lately, going 7W-7D-2L in the Fall Season, but given their preference, nobody is eager to face Miami.

With a mindset of get points, but definitely don't lose, NCFC came out of the gates and scored in the 4th minute on a goal by Schuler. Schuler was reasonably well defended by Miller, who was a late addition to the starting lineup due to a pre-game injury to Keller. However, Schuler put his shot under Miller's legs and Busch's outstretched arms into the side netting. Exactly how the road team looking to avoid a matchup with Miami needed to start. Put the struggling Indy Eleven team down and watch the fight drain out of them.

NASL/Opta Stats Goal Replay

However, the starting lineup for the Indy Eleven included David Goldsmith and Tanner Thompson, and their youthful exuberance, and potentially their desire to one last time show their abilities to try and make a roster next year (here or elsewhere) put themselves into dangerous attacking positions. Coupled with a final game from Torrado and an inspired effort by Franco and the Eleven gave themselves a number of chances to even the score, which they did in the 20th minute. Interestingly to me was that the play that scored the goal for the Eleven was basically duplicated seconds beforehand.

NASL telecast screen capture - Goldsmith assist to the assist

For the first attempt, Torrado received the ball at 18:50 in the first half, near the center circle, dribbled a couple paces and then sent a ball to Goldsmith. Goldy took a couple dribbles and then sent a gorgeous ball through the backline that Speas was able to run onto, but his cross was blocked by Moses. A poor clearance by Moses to Franco and Torrado found himself with the ball again at the 19:16 mark. One dribble and he put the ball back to Goldsmith in nearly the same location. With his head on a swivel and surrounded by NCFC players, Goldsmith again found Speas out wide, who two-touched his cross to the six-yard box where Zayed slammed it home. It was pretty soccer, preceded by pretty soccer.

This team, even with its limited budget compared to the New York and Miamis of the world, has ability and it reared its beautiful head periodically at times this year. The team underachieved all season, but have found a good stretch of play in the final game of the year in a game that meant nothing to them except for pride. The Eleven even found a 2nd goal in the 65th minute by Cory Miller, surprisingly not with his head. After Thompson was taken down not far from the 18-yard line, Vukovic put a ball over everybody that Miller ran onto and powered past Robinson, who had come into the game in the 32nd minute for an injured Sylvestre.

Yet, like much of this season, for as much good play that was displayed by the Eleven, it all ended with a thud in the 89th minute. Moments away from being able to finish the season on a positive note, the Eleven gave up a set-piece goal and gave NCFC the draw and the 3rd seed.

That's just the way this season went. The balls and plays that went their way in 2016 were nowhere to be found this season, injuries were rampant, and moments of brilliance were undone by unnecessary mistakes. With so many questions standing before them this off-season, from most of the players not being under contract, a coach who's not under contract, questions about the status of the league, no further progress of a more appropriate stadium, to General Manager duties being performed by Coach Hankinson and President Belskus (who is not a "soccer guy"), every single player sat down at a table in the West End and signed autographs for fans after the game. On a night where the end of the game temperatures were in the 30s and the guys had just lost a win in the closing minutes, they stayed and signed. That speaks volumes to me of their character.

Coach indicated afterwards that there are a lot of decisions to be made and they all start with a domino of the league's lawsuit. Once that domino falls, decisions about his future will be made. Decisions about player's futures will be made. In back-to-back games, he has indicated that much like when he first arrived, the roster is going to get an overhaul. Many of the guys we watched this year will not be back next year. Those that will return will be greeted by a strong, dedicated fan base, already itching to get back to cheering for their club.

In the words of sports fans for ages, "there's always next year."

The Game Beckons Game Ball:

Been a bit since I've given this out, but I think there was a player actually deserving this week. David Goldsmith. He may be listed as a forward, but he has great playmaking abilities and he showed them off from time-to-time this year, but particularly during this game. Dylan Mares made a jump from his first year to his second year and I'm willing to bet that Goldsmith does the same next year. Maybe that will be with Indy, maybe that will be with an opponent, but I saw enough out of him this year to make me think he's going to be a good player sooner rather than later.

Highlights:

Indy Eleven vs Puerto Rico FC - 04.31

- Opponent: Puerto Rico FC
- Location: Indianapolis (officially an "Away" match)
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 2-1 L
- Starting XI: Cardona, Franco, Falvey, Miller, Keller, Ring, Smart, Junior, Speas, Vukovic, Zayed
- Substitutions: Goldsmith 46' (Junior); Ubiparipovic 46' (Miller); Thompson 60' (Smart)
- Unused: Busch, Watson-Siriboe, Lomeli, Ables
- Goals: Goldsmith 82' (assist Thompson)
- Bookings: Miller 30' (Yellow); Ubiparipovic 65' (Yellow); Keller 70' (Yellow); Falvey 86' (Yellow)
- Adage goals: Two

Much like the team, I've run out of ideas. The injury bug was a thing this year, but the team is mostly healthy, with the obvious exception of Braun. Yet, there were only periodic moments from this team today where they looked to be on the same page and played cohesively. Puerto Rico FC got on the board early in the 5th minute on a goal by Rivera after a botched clearance by Ring and that helped them ride their way to a victory, something they haven't done since mid-August. If you weren't in attendance, the PRFC players celebrated at the end of the game like they have been living out of their suitcases and had lost 7 of their last 8 games, which is exactly where they find themselves and the run-of-form they've had recently. A goal in the 43rd minute by Welshman, again a result of a poor clearance, and the PRFC had their game winner, enough to withstand a late push by the Eleven and an 82nd minute goal by Goldsmith.

On a day where Don Smart reached 100 official appearances for the Indy Eleven, one has to wonder how many of the current team will be around next year. Listening to Coach Hankinson and the players talk, nobody knows how to turn around this year's results with the current roster. Guys aren't playing to their potential, aren't hustling to the same extent as last year, and look completely disjointed. At one point in today's game, a ball was played over the top to Ubiparipovic to run onto. The team had no answer for how to break down PRFC's defense, but balls over the top to Ubi, not one of the team's faster players, seems like a last ditch effort. When passes and plays didn't progress as expected, players dropped their head or raised their arms. Everybody looks exasperated and confused as to why things aren't working. One of the last things said to me as I was leaving the stadium was that it was a dark place and it had nothing to do with the lighting. Coach, players, staff, and fans walked out with a concrete feeling that the highs of last year were fleeting and have been replaced by the lows that were the norm in the first two years.

Ever wonder what I write during the game to remind myself of what to write later in these posts? You probably don't, but most of what I write down never makes it into a post. However, I'm tired of trying to find new ways to describe these games, just like the guys seem tired of finding new ways to let games slip away from them. So here goes, in roughly chronological order...

The BYB had some orange smoke during pregame in support of Puerto Rico, which I tweeted about and received the normal likes/retweets and the required "looks cool, but the BYB is weak" response. Which I can no longer find, for some reason... Before I move on from this though, the comment was from an Armada fan. A squad that looks like they have a sell-out for tomorrow's game against the Cosmos, but had an official attendance of 780 people in a mid-week game against the same PRFC. Why can't people just appreciate a good gesture without throwing stones in glass houses?

Falvey got his GK involved early (1st min) with a nervy pass back to Cardona.

Missed clearance by Ring 5th minute caused goal. Nothing Cardona could do.

Cardona making Franco work early. Strong throw and pass.

20th minute - Vuko moved to LB, Keller moved to holding mid.

SHOOT THE BALL!

Long run by Franco in 45th minute wasted by Zayed.

Took all the way to 56th minute for Zayed to get called offside. Moral victory?

70th minute - moments of good soccer. Just few and far between.

BYB has some unique chants this game.

1. Theme from M.A.S.H. played during a PRFC injury time in 28th minute.
2. "Buy her a beer!" after BYB member was hit in the face/beer by a shot.
3. "Leave her alone!" after a second shot went in her direction just a few moments after she was hit.

79th minute - long balls for Ubi to chase is not a good strategy.

82nd minute - Goldsmith goal created by Thompson taking on defender and going to goal. 

84th minute - Goldsmith off the woodwork.

So that's it. That's what a blog writer, or at least this blog writer, jots down while trying to enjoy a soccer game. Seems like it would detract from the enjoyment of the game a bit, doesn't it? 

At times...

Highlights:

The Business of Soccer

I originally set out with this site to write about soccer. All soccer. National Teams. MLS teams. NASL teams. USL teams. NWSL teams.College teams. However, it has taken a much more Indy Eleven-centric turn to it, mostly because I only have so many hours in the day and this is nowhere close to being the thing where I need to put my main time and focus. Yet if you're a fan of soccer in America, this past week has been filled with, seemingly, a lot more lows than highs and so I thought I would write down some of my thoughts.

 A week ago, the United States Men's National Team went down to Trinidad and Tobago and needed to get a win to advance to next year's World Cup, but would have likely moved on with a draw. No game is a given and the USMNT isn't exactly a top 10 world team (sitting at 28 at the time of the game), but there's no reason they couldn't get a positive result against the 99th ranked team in the world, playing some of their young guys with the team having already been eliminated from the World Cup. My thoughts on the game were summarized perfectly by Landon Donovan in an interview on the Dan Patrick Show:

"The most disturbing part for me was the lack of urgency displayed," Donovan said. "We all know sports anything can happen, you can lose games, that's all part of it, but the lack of urgency to really understand what was at stake was really disheartening for me, and, candidly, it was really hard to watch."

Unfortunately for me, that's a similar reaction I've had to the Indy Eleven this year. What I saw from the USMNT hit too close to home. The team is full of guys with a significant number of caps, including a starting XI with an average of 56.6 caps. Those are guys that know, or should know, what was at stake and how to approach a game of that magnitude. Not qualifying because of some of the other results in the HEX can be understood, but not qualifying because you don't get a positive result against Trinidad and Tobago is inexcusable.

Which leads us to Bruce Arena. Arena was brought on to get the team qualified for the World Cup after the U.S. lost Mexico in Colombus (we'll get to that topic in a minute) and then Costa Rica by a combined 6-1 score. He didn't get it done and I'm only moderately surprised he didn't stay on as head coach through the year until a permanent replacement was found. Let's get something straight though. This failure should put a tiny chink in his legacy, but Bruce Arena is still a legend in the United States. His teams have won 5 MLS Cups, 3 Supporter's Shields, an Open Cup, and he was MLS Coach of the Year three times. His teams, MLS & USMNT, achieved positive results 71% of the time. For me, the loss to T&T isn't on Arena. It's on the guys who didn't play with any urgency when they needed it most.

As long as I'm talking about U.S. Soccer, how many more lawsuits can it handle? The U.S. Women's National Team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation to be able to get equitable pay. That should never have had to happen. One team has won three World Cups and four Olympic gold medals. Regardless of what you think about men's versus women's soccer and how much more advanced the U.S. is in regards to women's soccer compared to other countries, success should be rewarded and the discrepancy in pay and benefits was embarrassing. It shouldn't have taken a lawsuit to resolve that issue.

Now we have the North American Soccer League suing for, well, I'm still a little unsure on that one. Monopoly practices I guess. Personally, I think the lawsuit is a Hail Mary from the NASL to try and save a failing league. To be honest, I appreciate the business model of the NASL over the MLS/USL, but at some point, you have to realize that it's not a successful business. Teams come and go routinely and the stability of the league is continually in question. At some point, regardless of how much fans love their clubs, a failed business venture is a failed business venture. That doesn't mean, however, that some of the teams in the league are failures. Though, based on attendance numbers, even some of the "successful" teams can't possibly be profitable businesses. All of that turmoil has led the league to its current place in the U.S. soccer landscape; a hot mess. A hot mess that I don't expect to be part of the U.S. soccer landscape next year. Though that's just based on my gut feeling and no inside knowledge of anything.

That's not to say that U.S. soccer's top-tier league hasn't had its own issues this past week. Today's announcement from the owner of the Columbus Crew, in essence, said that without a new stadium the team would likely be relocated to Austin, Texas, a city with which he has been in discussion. U.S. soccer fans, naturally, have been in a tizzy all day about this and in a general uproar against Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt. Soccer fans have always felt like they play second or third fiddle to the other major sports in the country; NFL, MLB, & NBA. MLS can't compete with the attendance nor salaries of those leagues. The USMNT has averaged in the low- to mid-30,000 attendance since 2007 and the USWNT has only broken the 20,000 mark twice since 1994 (both World Cup winning years). The soccer-specific stadiums around the country are routinely sized for the 20,000 to 25,000 range. Most Division 1 university football stadiums are twice that size. The Indy Eleven have averaged 8,000 people in a mess of a stadium in a mess of a league based only on the fervor of its fanbase, but I'm convinced that better stadium amenities could raise the attendance level. Regardless of the fact that Mapfre Stadium was the first soccer-specific stadium in the country, the success of the national teams in the stadium through the years, and it's general place in the history of soccer in this country, it's still just an aging stadium that can't compete with the other soccer stadiums throughout the country and Precourt knows this. Precourt may or may not be all the things that people have called him today, but he's also a businessman, the Columbus Crew is a business, and his tactic is not unprecedented.

This type of strong-arm tactics aren't going to help U.S. soccer fan's inferior complex and general attitude of not being respected. I say, welcome to the big leagues. The only way that an owner can make this kind of threat is if an owner thinks there's a chance. I know others will, and probably have, argued that Precourt is moving the team regardless. That may be true, but if he did, he would join a long line of major professional teams that have relocated (below is just a small sample).

• The Cubs recently played the Washington Nationals in Major League Baseball's National League Divisional Series. The Nationals used to be the Montreal Expos until 2005. 
• In my lifetime, in the National Basketball Association, the Buffalo Braves moved to San Diego and became the San Diego Clippers, which you now know as the Los Angeles Clippers. The Vancouver Grizzles are now the Memphis Grizzles. The Seattle Supersonics are now Oklahoma Thunder. 
• The National Football League is full of teams that used to be somewhere else. The Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles in 1946, then moved to St. Louis in 1995, and are now back in Los Angeles. The Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles in 1982, then back to Oakland in 1995, and are now headed to Las Vegas. The Baltimore Colts became the Indianapolis Colts in the dead of night.
• In the National Hockey League, the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993. What you know as the Colorado Avalanche used to be Quebec Nordiques prior to 1995 and the Phoenix Coyotes used to be the Winnipeg Jets.
• Pro soccer isn't immune either. The Houston Dynamo? Used to be the San Jose Earthquakes. This year's National Women's Soccer League's North Carolina Courage were known as the Western New York Flash as recently as last year.

If there's one thing I've learned writing about soccer in America, it's that there is a very distinct difference between the love of the sport and the business of the sport. At its core, professional soccer, like other professional sports, is a business with hundreds of thousands of people employed directly or indirectly by it. However, there are 22 MLS teams, 30 USL teams, 8 NASL teams, and 10 NWSL teams with owners that desire to make a profit from their business and have the ultimate say in what they do with their teams. 

Is that always in the best interest of the fans? No. 

Is that always in the best interest of growing the sport in the country? No.

Is that their prerogative? Yes.

That's the business of soccer.

Indy Eleven vs Miami FC - 04.30

- Opponent: Miami FC
- Location: Indianapolis
- Attendance: 8,925
- Final Score: 3-0 L
- Starting XI: Busch, Franco, Falvey, Miller, Keller, Torrado, Henderson, Junior, Speas, Vukovic, Zayed
- Substitutions: Goldsmith 53' (Junior); Ubiparipovic 63' (Henderson); Thompson 67' (Speas)
- Unused: Cardona, Watson-Siriboe, Lomeli, Ables
- Goals: None
- Bookings: Torrado 41' (Yellow - 8th of the Fall Season - will miss next game due to card accumulation for the second time this Fall Season)
- Adage goals: Two

Over the years in my different blog iterations, I've made reference to a phrase, "Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics." If somebody told you that a team had a 23 to 9 shot advantage (6 to 3 on target, respectively), had a nearly 60/40 advantage in duels won & aerials won, had a 5 to 2 corner advantage, had an 18 to 6 cross advantage, required only 4 clearances to 30 for the other team, and that the first team's goalkeeper wasn't credited with a single save while the second team's goalkeeper had 6 saves, you would likely assume that the first team was the winning team. In this case, you would be completely wrong. Statistically, the Eleven dominated nearly every category except for possession and most importantly, the scoreboard.

Miami was credited with 3 shots on goal and all three went for goals. All coming in the first half. Indy started the game pressing Miami's backline, knowing that it needed to get ahead of Miami, but it was Miami that struck first, thereby forcing Indy to chase the game. The second half substitutions for the Eleven, in essence, created a 3 back lineup to provide more offensive going forward trying to find a goal to give them some kind of hope of getting back into the game. This change is what precipitated the stats above, but even under that "pressure," Miami always looked like the better team during this game. Miami didn't put nearly the same pressure on Indy in the second half as they did in the first, otherwise this could have been a 6 - 0 scoreline. It's nice to watch beautiful one- and two-touch soccer, with movement that forces the team to chase shadows. Unfortunately for Indy Eleven fans, that team was the opposition and not their home squad, who continued to have poor communication (see a sequence of one of those times in the photos below) and unforced errors.

NASL/Opta Stats - Passing setup for Mares goal

The Eleven needed a win today to keep any glimmer of hope of making the playoffs, but by halftime, the possibility of getting extra games this Fall Season were extinguished. Miami's Stefano Pinho had a brace, scoring in the 4th and 34th minutes, and former Indy Eleven player Dylan Mares capped the scoring a few minutes later in the 38th minute. Miami FC held a 61.5% to 38.5% possession advantage because they were content, and able, to pass the ball around, looking for their opportunities to go forward. How they didn't have more shots is a mystery to me.

How the Eleven generated as many as they did is also a mystery to me. At one point in the game, I wrote down in my notes (which has been said before here and elsewhere), "you don't score 100% of the shots you don't take." One of the Eleven's major faults this year has been a slow trigger on taking shots. What should be a one touch shot ends up being two and defended away. What should be two touches, ends up being five and defended away. With Braun out, this team lacks his motor and hold-up play, and nobody on the roster seems to be able to generate their own shots. The first 20 minutes or so of the game, Paulo Junior and Torrado did the best at trying to generate movement going forward, but were not able to sustain that for 90 minutes.

Many times during games, I write something in my notes that turns out to not be accurate once I've looked at the stats or re-watched the game. That was not the case today. As I watched, it looked like both teams had a very compact grouping around the center of the field, with only about 40 yards separating both defensive lines. Looking at the average position graph from NASL/Opta Stats, my assessment was accurate. My observation occurred in the second half when Miami had, in essence, parked the bus and were trying to prevent the balls over the top by Indy and Indy was trying to push forward to get something positive on offense.

With the loss, the Indy Eleven are officially, mathematically, eliminated from post-season play. As poor as the results have been lately, I'm not sure how they will get motivated to play the final two games, other than to not finish last. I've touched on it recently, but it's officially time for #Minutes4Lomeli as he is the only player on the roster to not see time this year. Even if it's just a half worth of action at some point. Other than pride and future roster spots (likely on other teams for many/most of these guys), there's no reason not to give him a chance at playing.

This has been a difficult season for the Eleven and their fans and there's a level of gratitude for it all to be officially over now that the math can't work in their favor any longer. With today's result, the fans can stop being concerned with this year's results and can focus on whether there will be a team at all for next year.

Wait, that's not much better...

Photos (courtesy of Don Thompson Photography)

Highlights: