Indy Eleven vs Ottawa Fury - 06.31

- Opponent: Ottawa Fury
- Location: Ottawa
- Attendance: 3,145
- Final Score: 1-0 L
- Starting XI: Newton, Hackshaw, Osmond, Ouimette, Gibson, Walker, Conner, Watson (C), Pasher, Diakhate, Starikov
- Substitutions: Perea 78' (Walker); Kelly 78' (Starikov); Farr 82' (Newton - injury)
- Unused: Barrett, Ilic, Novoa, Rodrigues
- Goals: None
- Bookings: Watson 60' (RED); Ouimette 60' (Yellow)
- Referee: Serge Topalian
- Adage goals: None

Three RED CARDS in four games. Four LOSSES in four games. Outscored 7 to 1 in four games. Indy has only had one other time when they lost 4 straight games (in league play) in the team's history. I'll give you one guess what season.

Did you guess the start of 2014? That's how bad this streak ranks in the club's history. When it is being compared to that first season, which has never been held up as a beacon of success, things have reached historic lows.

Indy managed just one shot on target and that didn't happen until stoppage time of the second half. Regardless of the opinions of the red card on Watson in the 60th minute, which I feel was incorrect and too harsh, particularly when Watson was dragged down by Gagnon-Lapare like they were playing in the Canadian Football League like the other games that are also played on the field, Indy was never on the front foot of this game. Indy, again, held the possession advantage, but Ottawa was much more effective with their possession.

Nothing is working for this team right now and it wouldn't surprise me to see Memphis come into Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday and eek out a win in a place that has been a fortress for Indy this year. They look gassed right now, with both the offense and the defense struggling to find a consistent 90 minutes. Newton made a less than typical mistake on the game-winning free kick, but seemed to not trust his wall to do their part of the job and was caught leaning the wrong way, allowing Haworth's shot to go right where Newton should have been protecting.

Everything is a struggle right now.

Last year's squad finished the season in much the same way that Indy is finishing this season. With a string of losses and limping into the playoffs at a time when fans want to see them peaking. Indy secured a playoff spot with 5 weeks remaining in the season and have looked ineffective since they achieved that goal. A top four finish may still be possible, but it's starting to look less likely with their current run of results. Given Indy's struggles on the road this season (6W-9L-1D), a playoff road trip seems daunting right now.

Indy has lost all of their "games in hand" on the teams around them and are now staring at a potential playoff road game. A win on Saturday against Memphis might put some much needed confidence back into the squad before getting a much needed full-week's rest and heading to Tampa Bay. If Indy struggles against Memphis, fans may be once again looking at a short playoff run.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I think Farr deserves this one even for his limited time on the field. It's never easy to be thrown into a game as a keeper, with no preparation, no warm-up (in fact, he might have been cooling-down at that point in the game), down a man, chasing a goal opening themselves up to counter-attacks and still do a good job. Farr did exactly what he needed to do in a tough situation.

Indy Eleven vs Ottawa Fury - 06.26

- Opponent: Ottawa Fury
- Location: Indianapolis
- Attendance: 9,047
- Final Score: 2-0 W
- Starting XI: Newton, Hackshaw, Barrett (C), Ouimette, Gibson, Conner, Ayoze, King, Ilic, Pasher, Novoa
- Substitutions: Watson 65' (Novoa); Starikov 74' (Ilic), Kelly 87' (Pasher)
- Unused: Farr, Rodrigues, Perea, Osmond
- Goals: Ayoze 6' (assist Ilic); Ayoze 55' (assist Conner)
- Bookings: None
- Referee: Ismir Pekmic
- Adage goals: None

Indy and Ottawa have been competing against each other since 2014 when they both entered into the North American Soccer League. In that time, Ottawa has had the better of the results, with Indy getting 2 wins, 6 losses, and 3 draws and having been outscored 11 to 19 in those games. This was the teams' first meeting of 2019, but Ottawa came into Lucas Oil Stadium as the last team to get a win in the building, having secured a 1-nil win last July 4th. Ottawa has recently developed a tendency to play Indy on key national days now that they're both in the USL Championship. Last year the two teams played on Independence Day, while this year it was Patriot's Day. Unlike last year, Ottawa was unable to spoil the day as Indy scored twice and secured another clean sheet.

The stagnant offense that affected Indy versus Charleston was remedied with the reinsertion of Pasher and Conner back into the starting lineup. In the early moments, the game was a bit sloppy but tilted towards Indy's offensive end due to those two players, Ilic and Novoa. The pressure paid off when Ayoze took a 25 yard shot that deflected into the goal in the 6th minute, scoring his first goal of two goals on the night and his first goals not taken from the penalty spot.

Football lines affected the Ottawa goalkeeper when he caught the ball 19 yards from the end line. Yes, that's a foul and a yellow card for the Ottawa net minder. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad when it comes to playing in Lucas Oil Stadium. Indy looked like they pulled something from the training ground with a touch from Ilic to Ayoze underneath Ilic to a left-footed shot from Pasher. It looked like it had a chance, but was deflected wide. "We worked on that one quite a long time ago so I'm surprised they remembered it. I'm glad they did and it worked good. Ultimately, you give players ideas and opportunities, but they have to be the decision makers on the field and they have the quality to do what they want to do and it was really unlucky not to score."

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

Novoa and Pasher routinely switched sides of the field and making similar runs against the Ottawa backline. Novoa doesn't quite have Pasher speed, but his pace troubled Ottawa defenders, particularly with them needing to be cognizant of where and when Pasher was making his runs. This pairing could be something dangerous moving forward as Novoa further settles in and gets more familiar with the rest of the team. The skill level is there, but Novoa just needs a little more time with the team to get on the same page. Coach Rennie agreed when I asked in the post-game press conference stating, "I thought, at times, they made a couple movements where they got into each other's space a little bit, but I think that's something that we can quickly rectify." Novoa looked fresh, even as he was being subbed out in the 65th minute, but Coach is continuing to manage minutes this month.

Ayoze. What more can you say about the guy that hasn't been said before? His first touch is impeccable. He places balls where they need to be placed. His effort is unquestionable. Tonight was no different. He was really hugging the touchline, creating width and allowing the trio of Pasher, Ilic, and Novoa to have space in the middle as he sent in crosses. He finished the game with 7 crosses and 6 chances created.

While the teams went into the locker room at halftime with a 1-nil score, the first half was dominated by the Eleven, holding a 60% - 40% possession advantage even though the game was predominantly in Indy's half of the field. Ottawa had five shots on goal to Indy's six in the first half, but none of Ottawa's shots really troubled Newton, who had 2 saves in the half. Indy were rewarded early with the deflection goal, but their effort outpaced Ottawa and their technical ability was higher as even Indy's defenders were able to move the ball around Ottawa players. Indy were more accurate with their passes at an 83% rate, whereas Ottawa was less than 72%.

The visitors from Canada came out in the 2nd half with more energy, but the 56th minute goal from Ayoze seemed to suck most of the rest of the life out of them, while Indy continued to press. Pasher nearly scored a goal seemingly seconds after the ball was placed back into play. Surprisingly, even with a two goal lead, Indy never settled into the Rennie Bunker (TM), continuing to push forward until late in the game, including a header from Ilic that bounced off the post in the 72nd minute and a chance from Ouimette in the 84th minute.

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

Ottawa did seem to get a 2nd life close to the 80th minute, getting two really good opportunities on goal, that went just wide and high, respectively. They also managed to keep Indy off the board for a third goal in the 84th minute on a goal line clearance that Ouimette could have done better with his effort and should have scored. Somehow, Ottawa finished with the same number of shots as Indy, but that seems like a deceiving statistic for this game.

It keeps being said, but with so many games in such a short time, managing player usage is important and the minutes Novoa received tonight will be beneficial moving forward. It's also important to get points where possible and continuing to get points at home is vital.

Indy finish the night tied on points with league leader New York Red Bulls II, still with a game in hand, but are officially in 2nd place due to goal differential. Indy will look to continue the good vibes on Saturday when they take on Bethlehem Steel and try to continue the home undefeated run.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

I have to give the Game Beckons Game Ball to Ayoze. I feel bad giving it to him in back-to-back games, but when you're deserving, you get the awards. I'm a bit surprised that the first goal wasn't changed to an own goal for Ottawa, but it was a great strike and may have had a chance even without the deflection. It would be nice to see him get on the scoreboard more too as the season winds down, thereby creating one more option in the Eleven's toolbox of scorers.

Photos

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

Photo: Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Ottawa Fury FC - 05.23

- Opponent: Ottawa Fury FC
- Location: Ottawa
- Attendance: 5,393
- Final Score: 0-0 D
- Starting XI: Fon Williams, Ouimette, Mitchell, Ferreira, Ayoze, Ring, Moses, Steinberger, Guerra, Saad, Collier
- Substitutions: Watson 75' (Guerra); Speas 75' (Steinberger); McInerney 81' (Collier)
- Unused: Lundgaard, Rusin, Lewis, Matern
- Goals: None
- Bookings: Ayoze 85' (Yellow)
- Adage goals: None

Today's game against Ottawa Fury FC was the second of 7 games for the Indy Eleven, taking place in a stretch of just 22 days. Ottawa came into the game in a similar situation, with the game being their 6th game in an 8 game stretch in 28 days. As a result, both teams made changes from their Wednesday games' lineup. The Eleven changes were significant, as only Fon Williams, Mitchell, Ferreira, Ayoze, and Guerra remained in the starting XI, with newcomer Elliot Collier getting his first start for the Eleven. Given that this was just the Eleven's second game in their run of games, I was surprised by the mass changes, but maybe Coach Rennie was banking on Ottawa having tired legs from their run of games and wanted to counter with a fresh lineup.

I think that there's some significant irony that the Indy Eleven played Ottawa just three days after playing their first game on the new turf at Lucas Oil Stadium. A new Lucas Oil Stadium turf that was covered in brand new and bright line after football line. The irony is that Ottawa Fury play at TD Place, a stadium they share with the Ottawa Redblacks, who play in the Canadian Football League. As you can see from the screen capture at kick-off, Ottawa Fury's turf is void of any distracting and extraneous lines despite sharing it with another professional team. So it can be done.

Wednesday's game against North Carolina FC had 29 shots between the two teams, 12 of them On Target. Ottawa and Indy managed 15 shots and just 5 of them On Target. This game was played in the middle of the park with each team occasionally finding their way into the final third for chances, but the Heat Map confirmed that Ottawa's 3-5-2 alignment sufficiently clogged the midfield. The Eleven had moderate success getting through it, with fewer long passes than I would have expected, but only managed two shots on goal. Though Saad also put two more shots off the woodwork and Moses put a scare into Crepeau on another.

Collier, the newest member of the Eleven, looked decent in his first significant minutes with the team. He managed to create two chances on goal, looked good on the ball, had some nifty footwork a couple times, but also had a couple instances where he looked indecisive on his decisions with his new teammates. Coach Rennie has repeatedly said all season that the team needed time to gel and then has thrown Collier into the lineup almost immediately after being signed. I've disagreed with that mentality in the past and I'm not sure I understand it here in mid-August. Though I'm hearing he's looked really well in practice and is actually getting along with the rest of the team already so maybe it will work out with what looks to be a long-term injury with Braun.

Two games into the 7 and the Eleven have 4 points out of a possible 6 with bottom of the table Toronto FC II coming into town on Wednesday. Obviously not perfect, but positive results in both games is a good starting point towards solidifying the team's position in the playoffs.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

For his point blank reaction save in the 35th minute that was one of Ottawa's best chances on goal, Fon Williams gets this game's Game Beckons Game Ball.

Highlights

Indy Eleven vs Ottawa Fury FC - 05.16

- Opponent: Ottawa Fury FC
- Location: Indianapolis
- Attendance: 11,025
- Final Score: 0-1 L
- Starting XI: Fon Williams, Venegas, Rusin, Mitchell, Ayoze, Matern, Starikov, Guerra, Watson, McInerney, Speas
- Substitutions: Saad 59' (Watson); Pasher 73' (Starikov); Braun 73' (Speas)
- Unused: Farr, Ring, Steinberger, Moses
- Goals: None
- Bookings: Guerra 26' (Yellow)
- Adage goals: None

June was a good month for Indy Eleven and a rough one for Ottawa. The Eleven were undefeated in the month of June, while Ottawa won only once during the month and lost three times (in league play; they did get a couple victories in the Canadian Championship). The script was flipped for the teams as July gets underway with Ottawa taking a 1-nil victory in Lucas Oil Stadium. Even though Ottawa's results haven't been what they wanted in June, the team has had good success against the Eleven, dating back to their days together in the NASL. Overall, Ottawa now has a 6W-2D-2L record against Indy, with a +7 goal differential.

The stat line nobody wants to see. The dreaded red ball next to a players name indicating that they were credited with scoring in the goal they were supposed to defend. In the 28th minute, from a free kick just outside the right side of the 18-yard box, Ottawa's Oliveira placed the ball into the 6-yard box where the closest teammate, Colin Falvey, was easily 5-yards away. While we all love Falvey, he's not exactly the biggest goal scoring threat. The ball landed near Mitchell, he stumbled, and the ball went into the goal like he planned for it to go there. Mitchell's mistake and own goal remained the only time the ball found the back of the net the entire game, but it should not take away from how well Mitchell played (and is playing) for the Eleven. Mitchell has been a rock in an ever changing back line and often stops attacks before they get underway.

His mistake is made worse because the rest of the team couldn't place the ball into Ottawa's goal, despite having an advantage in every single statistical category. Indy dominated in possession (62% to 38%), shots (14 to 6), shots on goal (4 to 2), crosses (23 to 3), duels success rate (60% to 40%), aerial duels success rate (65% to 35%). After the own goal, the Eleven became a lot more direct, but not always with good results. I even included in my match notes, "Who to?" because I realized I had said it at least a few times by the time I wrote it.

The game against Ottawa is the second game in a 4 game stretch in a week in a half so I understand the need to rotate some players, but I question Speas up top as the lone striker. He can't give you the same kind of target Braun can provide or the physical presence that McInerney has been providing. Once Coach Rennie used his complement of subs by bringing in Saad, Pasher, & Braun for Watson, Starikov, & Speas, respectively, the offense looked much more effective. Granted, part of that was that the Eleven were chasing the game and Ottawa was content to hang on and get out of town with a win, but Braun is much better at hold-up play and Pasher's return to the lineup is a welcome sight as the one player who is unafraid of trying to take on players and go to goal.

As the Eleven chased the game, they proceeded to have one of the most baffling plays of the game. In the 80th minute, the Eleven were awarded a free kick near the corner of the 18-yard box. At that point in the game, Ayoze, McInerney, and Saad were all on the field. All players that we've seen score spectacular free kick goals this year. Waiting in the box for the cross were 6'2" Mitchell, 6'3" Braun, & 6'4" Rusin with Ottawa not fielding a single player taller than 6'0" at the time. However, with all of those advantages, Ayoze placed a ball on the ground towards the center of the box that was summarily blasted back towards midfield. "Who to?"

The Eleven continued to push for the goal, but it never materialized and the Eleven's recent undefeated streak came to a hot and humid end. Which brings me to a point that others have verbalized in other places. The Indy Eleven started playing in Lucas Oil Stadium for a variety of reasons, but one that was mentioned was "always perfect weather." Yet to save a few bucks (okay, tens of thousands of bucks), the Eleven have chosne to open the roof on days where the temperatures have reached the lower 90s. In Wednesday's case, the game time temperature was 93-degrees with over 50% humidity. There should be no reason that a team that plays in a world-class air conditioned facility should need to have hydration breaks during the game. The teams looked gassed, fans were miserable, and I honestly believe that having the roof open actually prevented the crowd from being larger. While the announced attendance topped 11,000, I think it could have been higher given the number of people that were in the downtown area due to the July 4th festivities. I understand the need to not spend money unnecessarily, but the optics and subsequent poor PR of fans complaining about the heat inside the stadium are not going to endure the team to a potential MLS bid. Assuming that is still their goal, and I'm not convinced that it should or needs to be, continuing to play games in that type of environment is likely to not work out as well as the team would hope.

Despite the protestations from fans on social media about the heat, I fully expect the roof to again be open on Saturday when the Eleven take on Eamon Zayed and the Charlotte Independence. If it's as hot and uncomfortable as it was against Ottawa, I'm going to use this platform to complain again. I was never sold on the move to Lucas Oil Stadium and unnecessarily sitting in my own sweat isn't converting me.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Ayoze has become my favorite new player this year. His first touch is impeccable, he never looks rattled on the ball, and he's also a threat from free kicks and penalty kicks. With the exception of the above mentioned questionable decision to play a free kick on the ground late in the game, I think Ayoze played a solid game including a run at the Ottawa goal early in the first half that could have changed the dynamic of the game had it not been for a point blank save by Ottawa's goalkeeper Crepeau.

Photos

Highlights

Indy Eleven vs Fury - 03.21

- Opponent: Ottawa Fury
- Location: Ottawa
- Attendance: 6,139
- Final Score: 1-1 D
- Starting XI: Busch, Palmer, Falvey, Janicki, Vukovic, Smart, Ring, Paterson, Mares, Gordon, Zayed
- Substitutions: Torrado 64' (Mares), Youla 67' (Paterson), Lacroix 77' (Gordon)
- Unused: Cardona, Ubiparipovic, Keller, Miller
- Goals: Ring 64' (assist Zayed)
- Bookings: Smart (Yellow)
- Adage goals: Two

Fear has officially set in for me for the Championship. There are still 11 games remaining (5 home, 6 away), but as it stands right now, the Championship doesn't go through Indy. That means an away win is required to bring home the Soccer Bowl trophy and that has not been a strength of this team. Win at home? Check. 9W-2D-0L. Win on the road? No check. 1W-6D-3L. I wish I could point to the silver bullet that will fix the road win struggles, but the best I can do is say that they seem "off."

There were struggles with defending, with first touches, and with dribbles. As the Ottawa commentators stated during the game, there were stretches by both teams where nothing seemed to happen. Some of that was a result of the above said struggles by the team. The stats show that this was an even game, but the eye test again showed that the Eleven were not the better team for long stretches of the game. That's disappointing considering that the Fury list 9 different players as injured and were coming into the game on a four-game winless streak (LLLD).

The Fury were out-of-sync themselves as pass after pass was missed, overshot, or poorly communicated. The Fury had a perfect look at the goal in the 37th minute off a set piece that would have given them an earlier lead if it hadn't been for a poorly played first time shot by Rosebloom and a last ditch recovering defensive effort by Palmer to send the ball wide. Even after multiple viewings of the Fury's 59th goal by Stewart, I'm still not sure how Busch misplayed the set piece kick from Williams.

There's just something about the road games that causes this team to not be as successful as they are at home and despite continuing to get points on the road, at some point, they are going to have to win when they aren't at Carroll Stadium. I, personally, would feel better about it if they figured it out prior to The Championship starting. A mid-week game at New York would be a good way to start, but I'm not sure that I see a win coming until the end of the week when Tampa comes to town.

Update:

Highlights:

Indy Eleven vs Fury - 03.18

- Opponent: Ottawa Fury
- Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Attendance: 7,760
- Final Score: 1-0 W
- Starting XI: Busch, Franco, Falvey, Miller, Vukovic, Smart, Ring, Torrado, Paterson, Youla, Zayed
- Substitutions: Gordon 64' (Youla), Mares 64' (Paterson), Palmer 76' (Franco)
- Unused: Cardona, Lacroix, Keller, Reinoso
- Goals: Smart 90'+2' (assist Mares)
- Bookings: Falvey 36' (Yellow), Youla 57' (Yellow), Smart 85' (Yellow)
- Adage goals: None

One of these days, the Eleven are going to not pull out the heroics at Carroll Stadium, but it wasn't Saturday night. A second half stoppage time cross from second half substitute Dylan Mares found the foot of Don Smart (my bet for this week's entry into the NASL Team of the Week) who put it on frame with enough pace that Peiser couldn't clear it and the Eleven grabbed another victory at home. There were opportunities for both teams throughout the game, most notably the 23rd minute attempt from Eamon Zayed that managed to bounce over the goal from 4 yards out. Uncharacteristic of Zayed and a goal there would have likely drastically changed the complexion of the game, but while there weren't a lot of chances for both teams, the ones that they did have were really good chances.

The game didn't have the same offensive explosion as the game on Wednesday, but it might have been a more beautiful game if you're a long-time fan of the Eleven. Don Smart got the winning goal on a cross from Dylan Mares, with Brad Ring involved in the build-up to the goal, all players from the original roster. Instead of losing at the end of the game like teams in the past have done, the team continues their trend of winning at the end of the game.

Maybe as encouraging as anything was that for the seventh time in the eighth game of the Fall Season, the Eleven controlled possession. While that might not immediately seem like a big deal, it wasn't just possession for the sake of possession. It was build-up possession. Probing possession. Possession intended to look for the way to break down Ottawa's 3-5-2 defensive lineup. There was a moment where I couldn't recall how many successful passes were completed between the team as they looked to get the ball into good offensive positions, but it was easily over 20. Ultimately, it didn't amount to an actual shot, but it is a promising change from the Spring Season where possession was very rarely won. Teams of the past often had a few passes in a row and then a long-distance pass over the top. Vukovic still has some of those from 40 yards out, but given his normal placement with those long distance crosses, I'm okay with a few of those.

This game may be remembered for Don Smart's finish at the end of the game, but it's one more step towards making this a formidable favorite to win all games. A "never stop playing" attitude with improved finishing and now a routine possession victory means that they are never out of a game, but can increasingly keep other teams out of it. All that with players like Braun, Ubiparipovic, and Lacroix not playing. That kind of depth should scare a lot of teams as they look towards making runs to get into The Championship. It's a good time to be an Eleven fan.

Highlights: