Indy Eleven Season 9 Preseason vs Chicago Fire

Summary
- Opponent: Chicago Fire FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: Closed Door
- Final Score: 2-1 W

- Starting XI: Trilk, Timmer, Jerome, Guest DF #1, McQueen, Aguilera, Hackshaw, Ingram, Rebellon, Briggs, Guest FW #1
- Substitutions: Ault 45' (Guest DF #1); Guest FW #2 72' (Ault); Brown 72' (Guest FW #1)
- Unused: Everybody else

- Scoring Summary:
CHI - 13' (unassisted)
IND - Briggs 51' (assist Ault)
IND - Guest FW #2 84' (assist Briggs)

- Bookings:
IND - Hackshaw 22' (Yellow)

- Referee: ??
- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

I managed to make it to two of the Indy Eleven's preseason games. The first was against the University of Indianapolis and the other was this game against the Chicago Fire. However, the average age of the two opponents was probably similar as this was not the Chicago Fire first team, but rather some version of its Academy. Admittedly, I don't know what level the Chicago players fall within the Fire system, but they were a talented group of players. They pressed hard at all levels and consistently put Indy into difficult decision-making positions, often coming out the better of the challenge than their older professional counterparts in Indy. Nicky Law has seen a lot of players over his career, and I overheard him saying, "this guys are good. They were good last year too." While Indy came out ahead with a couple of second half goals that negated the 13th minute Chicago Fire goal, the result of this game, like most preseason games, was not the main focus.

As can be seen from the substitution list, this game was about getting guys 90 minutes of game action to make sure that everybody is match fit. A game the next day in Columbus likely saw the same kind of arrangement with limited substitutions. It also meant that the lineup I saw against the Fire was not the starting lineup that I expect to see this coming Saturday against Loudoun United. 

So how much can I take from this game? Maybe minimal, but there are some key things I noticed.

• As I mentioned on Twitter, Trilk's voice CARRIED throughout Carroll Stadium. There weren't any fans to drown out his voice, but from where I was sitting 25 rows up and at midfield, I could hear every command he was giving his backline (and Hackshaw...more on that in a second). Trilk is really vocal and was constantly in communication with the defense. Maybe a little worrisome was that they didn't always listen to him, but hopefully, that was just some preseason "I'm going to try and do this against these kids" mentality. If there are breakdowns on defense this year, it won't be because Trilk wasn't offering advice. 
• I like Hackshaw in the defensive midfielder role. It gives Indy all the things we like about Hackshaw (defensive prowess, his ability to go forward, his ability on set piece headers), but allows him to go forward more without his worrying as much about his defensive responsibilities, while also serving as a protector ahead of the centerbacks. Hackshaw received an emphatic warning from the referee, and then proceeded to get the game's only yellow card 15 seconds later on a hard (but probably legal) challenge. If he had waited 10 minutes, he probably wouldn't have received the card for the same challenge. It was funny to watch though, and you knew the card was coming out of the pocket as soon as Hackshaw did the challenge.
• The offense that I saw in this game is not what I would expect from a Lowry coached team, but I think the tactics by the Fire players dictated that to some degree. As I said, the Fire players pressed hard at all levels and with a lot of pace. So there were more "long balls" from Indy than I expected or saw during the UIndy game, but they were often necessary as Indy tried to break the wave of Fire players coming at the ball. 
• 
  With that, Briggs fits the mold of a good target forward. At 6'-4", he towered over most of the Fire players and was able to receive the ball with his back to goal and distribute. So balls over the top weren't necessarily lost. 
• I'm calling it now that Palmer Ault and Justin Ingram will quickly become fan favorites due to their ability and their energy.
• The goal from Chicago was the kind of goal that fans hate to see. It was just good individual effort, but Indy should have had it covered. 
• My only substantial concern was that the forwards and midfielders seem to be a bit too unselfish during this game. I know it was just in my head, but I could imagine the chant, "shoot the ball!" reverberating around the stadium. It's one thing in a preseason game, but I hope these guys don't translate their unselfishness to the regular season games when they are within the box like they were in this game. We can expect Arteaga to take shots, but I hope the rest of these guys do as well.

Other than being a bit colder than I expected it to be, I think this was a good outing for Indy. It checked some boxes as far as fitness, seeing how some guys play together, and maybe more importantly, was a good test against a team that was fast and pressed hard. 

I don't know how Indy did in the game on Saturday against the Columbus Crew's academy team, but the next game counts as they play Loudoun United on Saturday at 6:00 at Segra Field.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I'll give this one to Briggs for his goal and assist. 

Additional Photos (Courtesy of Don Thompson Photography)

Indy Eleven vs Butler

The offseason came to a close tonight as the Indy Eleven took on Butler University at Grand Park. Much like them easing into the regular season, my recap of the evening is going to be similar as I ease back into writing recaps as well.

"Mr. Indy" in the house!

Grand Park's indoor facility is absolutely massive and is a reasonable place to play games when the outdoor temperatures are in the teens. The game was played on the east field, while the center field was inhabited by a home show, which was unfortunate as the center field has more, and better, seating designed for watching a game in the venue. As a result, the large contingent of season ticket holders that took advantage of attending the game exceeded the amount of available seats. That, in and of itself, isn't necessarily a problem, but seeing the entire field of play isn't the easiest during the best of conditions. Add in a couple rows of people standing on the rail and it became nearly impossible to see some of the action.
One of those on the rail? None other than "Mr. Indy" himself, Don Smart, who was on his way to Madison to join Peter Wilt and Forward Madison FC, but stopped to cheer on fellow Jamaican Dane Kelly. One more item not specifically related to the play on the field, I was introduced to new CEO Greg Stremlaw and he seems like a good guy. We'll have to see if that translates to his CEO (and GM) duties, but he was personable and was engaged in the game.

With that out of the way, the team looked about what you would expect for the first preseason game only a couple weeks after players arrived in town. In fact, not all of the signings are in town yet as recent additions Thomas Enevoldsen and Lucas Farias have not yet joined the team. Additionally, goalkeeper Evan Newton and Tyler Gibson were the only signed players to not see any minutes tonight as last year's returnee, Jordan Farr, held down the shot stopper role for all 90 minutes. There were only two players that played more than a half worth of minutes, Farr and Trialist #5. Turns out Trialist #5 is the only player to make it out of the team's open try-out and it looks like Coach Rennie is going to give him plenty of live minutes to determine if he will be added to the team. Given what I saw out of Trialist #5, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a late spot to the roster.

Trialists received plenty of playing opportunities tonight as 5 of them were in the starting lineup and 5 (I think) were shuffled in and out during the 2nd half. The most notable to me was Trialist #3, who started in the defensive mid role in the 1st half and who I was able to determine from conversations may have been Bennett Kim, who played for Butler University. I also feel like I saw him playing for the Indy Eleven NPSL team, but I could definitely be mistaken on that. I could just remember him from the times the Eleven have played Butler over the years.

Related to that, despite not having been together for very long, the Eleven were much more effective against Butler than I remember them being in the past. Butler has a very good soccer program and some very big and talented guys, but the Eleven controlled the game and spent most of the time in the offensive half of the field. The Eleven were setup in what looked like a 4-4-2 to start, but seemed to quickly morph into a 3-5-2 when the team went forward. In the 2nd half, the team pushed even further forward and it transitioned to a 2-5-3 for portions as Butler struggled to produce much offense. With the exception of a chance early in the 2nd half that Farr had to save off the line after a ricochet off the post, Butler never really threatened the Eleven. I would expect Tuesday's upcoming friendly against FC Cincinnati will provide a much better test of the Eleven's defense. It was notable that Farr seemed to be more vocal during the 1st half than in the 2nd half when Paddy Barrett took over the center back role.

While the teams finished in a 0-0 draw, the Eleven had multiple opportunities on goal, many of them just barely missing. Much like Butler's chance in the early stage of the 2nd half, the Eleven did manage to put the ball into back of the net from a recirculation of a corner kick, but the referee ruled there was a push and Butler was awarded the ball. The other notable chance that I remember was from Dane Kelley in the 2nd half when he rifled a half-volley at Butler's keeper that created such a resounding thud on his gloves that I fully expected him to need to shake out his wrists. It's the kind of shot that despite being right at the keeper, created a rebound opportunity for other players.

Overall, it was a bit choppy, with some unforced errors and guys not being on the same page yet, but it was a good start and showed some glimpses of how the team might play when the season starts.

1st Half Lineup
Farr
Trialist #1
Ouimette
Trialist #2
Trialist #3
Ayoze
Walker
Trialist #4
Starikov - Yellow Card (20-ish minute)
Ilic
Trialist #5

2nd Half Lineup
Farr
Trialist
King
Barrett
Trialist
Pasher
Trialist
Matern
Watson
Trialist
Kelly

Indy Eleven subs:
62'
IN - Hackshaw/Trialist
OUT - Trialist/Trialist

90+1'
IN - Trialist
OUT - King

Full-time Score
0 - 0

Photos: