Indy Eleven vs Rhode Island - 12.24

Summary

- Opponent: Rhode Island FC
- Location: Centreville Bank Stadium
- Attendance: 8,498
- Final Score: 1-0 L

- Starting XI: Pruter, Zalinsky, Ofeimu, Schaefer, Musa, Rendon, Lindley (C), Blake, Murphy, Foster, Williams, R.

- Substitution: Amoh 78' (Williams, R.); Kizza 79' (Murphy); Collier 85' (Zalinsky)

- Unused: Hunsucker, McRobb, O'Brien, J., Soumaoro

- Scoring Summary:
RI - Own Goal 64' (Musa)

- Bookings:

IND - Ofeimu 19' (Yellow)

RI - Herivauz 23' (Yellow)
IND - Musa 45'+2' (Yellow)
RI - Fuson 54' (Yellow)
RI - Mabika 88' (RED)
IND - Amoh 90'+2' (RED)

- Referee: Rodrigo Albuquerque

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

Based on nearly every single statistic of the game shown on the Match Center, this game should have finished in a nil-nil draw. Possession was nearly equal. Passing accuracy, passing in opponents' half, crosses, were all nearly equal. Shots, shots on target, blocked shots, and shooting accuracy were all exactly equal. 

Yet, one mistake, rather one mishit ball from Musa that found the back of Indy's own goal became the deciding moment in the game. Two teams who have bounced back and forth with each other from one side of the playoff line to the next found themselves in a physical midfield battle for control of the tiebreaker between the two teams should it come to that late in the season. As it stands after tonight's 1-nil victory by Rhode Island, both teams are even on Head-to-Head (1W-1L), even on Goal Differential in head-to-head (1-nil, nil-1 results), Wins in Regular Season (7), and Goal Differential in Regular Season (-7). The difference, that pushes Indy back on the wrong side of the playoff line is that Rhode Island has one more draw than Indy to give them one more Total Points. 

With all three of Indy's new signings in the starting lineup, Indy's defensive effort was admirable, with the obvious notable exception of the goal scoring counterattack. Coach McAuley likes to talk about the performance not matching the result and I think this game was a prime example of this. Indy deserved a point on the road tonight. Indy's final six games are a daunting stretch with two games against the Conference leaders (Louisville and Tulsa), a game against a third-place team (Loudoun), and a game against a playoff team (Pittsburgh), with only two of the six games against [current] non-playoff team. However, even Indy's final opponent in Orange County is just barely out of the Western Conference playoff race. It's going to take a spectacular stretch run from Indy to make this year's playoffs. 

Indy return to action at home next Sunday to face Birmingham, another one of the teams currently below them on the table. It's absolutely vital that Indy pick up three points from the game or they may find themselves out of the playoff race even before they face the tougher opponents.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

With three new faces in the back line and goalkeeper, Indy needed to a solid effort in the midfield to provide cover in front of the new players. In what became a defensive battle, the trio of Blake, Lindley, and Murphy once again proved their worth even in the loss. Their leadership and effort deserved to be rewarded with a draw, but they'll have to make due with getting the GBGB again. 

Indy Eleven vs Rhode Island - 12.15

Summary

- Opponent: Rhode Island FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium 
- Attendance: 9,039
- Final Score: 1-0 W

- Starting XI: Sulte, White, O'Brien, J., Musa, Quinn (C), Rendon, Lindley, Murphy, Blake, Williams, R., Amoh

- Substitution: Neidlinger 64' (Rendon); Kizza 70' (Amoh); Collier 71' (Williams, R.); McRobb 86' (Blake); Hogan 87' (White)

- Unused: Charles-Cook, Bryneus

Scoring Summary:
IND - Williams, R. 55' (assist Quinn)

- Bookings:

RI - Shapiro-Thompson 24' (Yellow)
RI - Yao 51' (Yellow)
IND - White 75' (Yellow) - though it looked during the game to be given to Lindley
IND - Collier 88' (Yellow)
IND - Sulte 90'+5' (Yellow)

- Referee: Mark Verso

- Adage goals: None.

Thoughts and Opinions

The last time these two teams met, Rhode Island was set to embark on their historic run through the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league by beating Indy, then Charleston, then Louisville in route to the league Final. The teams scored a combined 5 goals, with Quinn being involved in both of Indy's goals. All three of Rhode Island's goals were scored by JJ Williams, who came off the bench tonight as he recovers from an injury. The playoff meeting was the third time the two teams met last season with a 1W-1D-1L record and 6 GF and 6 GA. That's about as even as you can get for a season series. 

With tonight's 1-nil win, Indy put last year's disappointment behind them a little bit, while also bringing their record at the midpoint of the season to 5W-5D-5L. 

The first 45 minutes of the game was a midfield battle. Rhode Island had the bulk of the possession in that area, but neither team seemed to be able to put a substantial stamp on the game in their favor. The two teams combined for four shots in the half, but none of those were on target. Indy's 5-2-1-2 formation in defense with Murphy, Lindley, and Blake taking turns individually or collectively in front of Indy's three centerbacks proved difficult for Rhode Island to unlock. Similarly, Indy couldn't figure out a way through Rhode Island's defenders. The World Series of Poker is currently underway in Las Vegas, and both teams looked like they were playing low on chips, trying to make it through the bubble to get into the money. Just grinding it out looking for their chances when the cards presented themselves. As the first half came to a close, neither team found enough good cards to play and a nil-nil draw was an accurate assessment of the way that first half proceeded. Indy managed a 0.22 xG, while Rhode Island finished even worse with a paltry 0.05xG. Opta indicated there were just 3 touches in the opponent's 18-yard box. Three touches. Neither team could figure a way to do anything in a dangerous position. Maybe the most activity was when a burst of rain midway through the half sent fans scattering for some cover, but the rain didn't seem to affect the game in any way other than the players' footing both on and off the turf.

In the 55th minute, Indy had a true team goal that was super efficient in the touches between the players. Amoh is the beneficiary of an errant pass out of the back from Rhode Island, but his heavy touch forces yet another difficult decision from a 2nd Rhode Island defender who clears it towards the midfield circle. As the ball came to Lindley, he already knew what he wanted to do with it and one-timed a screeching pass along the carpet to Blake. Blake took two touches; a settling touch before sending a pass wide outside to his left to Quinn, who had come sprinting up from his wingback position. Following Lindley's lead, Quinn sent a screeching centered pass/cross towards the 6-yard box where Amoh had dragged defenders towards the front post, while Williams came from outside the far post to get to the ball and pass it first time to the left side of the goal as Lee and all the Rhode Island's defenders were shuffling to their right. The goal moved at lightning pace, preventing the Rhode Island defenders from being able to react quickly enough. The final shot wasn't fancy enough to probably warrant a goal of the week nomination, but it was as clinical of a goal of the week as you'll find. The game winner was the result of pretty soccer.

Second Half Heatmap

Once the game found a goal, the game became a lot more wide open. Indy continued to press their foot to the gas wanting to get a second goal, while Rhode Island attempted to get an equalizer. Indy tilted the field to their advantage in the second half, but shots were still at a premium. Indy finished with 6 shots (2 on target), while Rhode Island finished with 7 shots, none on target. Both teams did help their xG effort, with Indy increasing theirs to 0.77; Rhode Island managed to get theirs to 0.32 despite not getting any of the shots on target. Indy's first rounds of substitutes indicated Coach McAuley's desire to try and get a second goal when he replaced Rendon with Neidlinger, and Amoh and Williams with Kizza and Collier; respectively, and all like-for-like attacking players. With ~20 minutes remaining, he wasn't ready to bunker to preserve a win with a 1-nil lead. Win at home and win big to give the fans something to cheer about. That's been his mantra lately. His second round of substitutes showed that in the dying minutes of the game, he was ready to concede a bit of the attack to maintain a clean sheet victory. 

The game had 2 shots on target between the two teams (both by Indy) and just the 1 goal. The goalkeepers didn't have a ton of work to do, but Indy came away with a victory, their fourth win in the past 6 games, with all the victories including a clean sheet for Sulte. Indy leaked goals early but their attention to defensive detail late in the games have allowed them to get more positive results. There are a lot of things that I like about Coach McAuley, but his use of Lindley in the early portion of this season was not one of them. Whether forced into it because of other player availability or because he has come around to the quality that Cam provides, and it could obviously just be coincidence, but since Lindley has entered the starting lineup in the midfield, the team has a 4W-0D-2L record and 4 shutouts. Obviously, the addition of one player hasn't been a magic tonic that has righted the ship. A better effort from all the players for 90 minutes has certainly helped, but I do find it interesting that Lindley's presence alongside Murphy seems to have gone a long way to help stabilize the leaking late goals they were conceding early on. 

Indy head on the road for the first time in 5 weekends to play North Carolina. Indy's win tonight pushed them to 5th in the table (until Pittsburgh's win on Sunday dropped Indy back down to 6th) and with another win in Cary, North Carolina, Indy could officially be knocking on the "hosting a playoff game" door again as they turn the corner from the first half of the season to the second half.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I have to give it to the Indy midfield. And more specifically, the 2nd Half Indy midfield...and I'll throw in the duo of Rendon and Quinn into the mix. I don't know what was said at halftime by Coach McAuley, but the Indy midfield and wingbacks came out of the halftime locker room and exerted their will against the Rhode Island midfield. Their play is what set up the first goal and is what demonstrated the concept of making a team adjust to what you want to do versus you dealing with how they want to play. The midfielders (and wingbacks) get tonight's GBGB for taking control of the midfield, allowing Indy's line of confrontation to be further within their offensive half of the field.   

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Rhode Island - 11.35 - USL Playoffs (Conference Quarterfinals)

Summary

- Opponent: Rhode Island FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium Stadium
- Attendance: 7,623
- Final Score: 3-2 L

- Starting XI: Sulte, Musa, Ofeimu, Stanley, Neidlinger, Soumaoro, Blake, Quinn (C), Martinez, Williams, A., Foster

- Substitution: Williams, R. 54' (Williams, A.); White 55' (Soumaoro); Diz Pe 75' (Stanley); Collier 75' (Neidlinger)

- Unused: Oettl, Guenzatti, Wootton

Scoring Summary:
RI - Williams 19' (Penalty Kick)
IND - Quinn 35' (unassisted)
RI - Williams 38' (unassisted)
RI - Williams 52' (assist Kwizera)
IND - Martinez 76' (assist Quinn)

- Bookings:

IND - Martinez 45'+2' (Yellow)
IND - Foster 58' (Yellow)
IND - Musa 69' (Yellow)
RI - Herivaux 81' (Yellow)
IND - Ofeimu 90'+2' (Yellow)

- Referee: Joshua Encarnacion

- Adage goals: One

Thoughts and Opinions

The playoffs of any sport are just different. Teams work hard all year to put themselves into a position to have the best chance at success in the "win-or-go-home" scenario that the playoffs create. Indy used an 9-game undefeated run in the middle of the year and a 4W-4D-2L run to close out the season to give themselves an opening round home playoff game. Notably, Indy picked up a late stoppage time draw against Pittsburgh get a draw, which allowed them to finish even on points with Rhode Island. The August win against Rhode Island was the determining factor in giving Indy the head-to-head tiebreaker, thereby allowing Indy to host today's conference quarterfinal game. Rhode Island made the playoffs in their inaugural season in the USL Championship, in part, thanks to a league single-season record setting number of draws (15). Rhode Island's talented roster kept themselves in most games and rode that consistency to the playoffs. They also went to Louisville and came away with a 5-2 victory, so this was a team that proved they can compete with everybody in the league.

With Taylor Swift looming large (literally and figuratively) as she closes out her United States tour in Indianapolis this weekend, the game received an early afternoon start time. The Swift Era took precedence over the McAuley Era for Indy's evening entertainment, but the earlier start time still allowed Indy Eleven to get over 7,000 people into the stadium, including a couple dozen Rhode Island fans. It was the Williams (this time J.J. and not Augi nor Romario) Era that stole the show for the game as he notched the first hat-trick from an Indy opponent this season in the 3-2 Rhode Island win that sent Indy to an early departure from the playoffs.

Rhode Island likes to play out of the back and utilize the new trend of having one of the defenders do the restart by passing the ball along the six-yard box to the goalkeeper, who makes the decision on whether to continue to pass around the back or blast the ball up the the field. Indy, contrarily, have no interest in playing out of the back, but would rather get the ball out of their half of the field with a Sulte boot. With that style of play, it's important for Indy to get the first, or second, ball off those kicks. Indy had a 39% to 61% disadvantage on aerial duels. It wasn't the only factor, but after some early effort from Indy, Rhode Island began to control the game and winning those balls, forcing Indy to defend for large amounts of time. Eventually, all the possession and corner kicks led to an inadvertent handball in the Indy box. That handball led to a successful penalty kick by Williams, which led to an early lead for Rhode Island on the road.

The goal from the visitors allowed the tactics to change for awhile in the game. Rhode Island knows that Indy's attack frequently relies on long passes over the top to the forwards. With the 1-nil lead, Rhode Island could sit their back five defenders deeper to make it nearly impossible for Indy to do much with the ball in the final third of the field. Midway through the half, Indy drew a foul outside of the box that Blake put around the wall low, which Vegas was able to push wide for an Indy corner kick. In the subsequent corner, the ball was headed out of the box by Holstad, but directly into the general area of where Quinn was positioned. Quinn patiently let the ball drop and emphatically plucked it out of the air towards goal. The ball took a slight deflection off Nodarse, but Vegas couldn't get to the ball bringing the game level, and giving Quinn his first goal of the 2024 season.

With a potential momentum change in Indy's direction, Indy proceeded to immediately concede a second goal. Some efficient passing through the Indy defense and then a ton of effort from J.J. Williams to toe-poke the ball beyond Sulte's reach immediately put the visitors back on top. To be honest, Rhode Island were the better of the two sides to that point, but Indy's regularly effective team defending was atrocious in that moment. Some fireworks in the closing seconds of the half as Indy nearly equalized going into the halftime locker, but for the first home playoff game for Indy in 5 years, the home squad found themselves staring at a deficient that they were going to need to overcome in the second half.

Post 58th Minute - Shots & Crosses

Minutes into the second half, Rhode Island made a run up the left side of the field where Kwizera put a ball into the box that J.J. Williams, again with more effort than what Indy could match, found the ball with his head, and Rhode Island gave themselves a two-goal cushion on Williams' third goal of the game. Coach McAuley quickly made changes to the lineup, bringing on White and Romario Williams for Soumaoro and Augi, respectively. Those two substitutes made an immediate impact on the game with a cross from White that Romario redirected into the Rhode Island goal. However, the goal was correctly disallowed as Williams never got back on side as the ball recycled. Indy adamantly protested but all that they received for their protestations was a Foster yellow card and a bump in their energy as they tried to channel their frustration with the call into a successful goal. With a 3-1 lead, Rhode Island was content to defend. After Foster's goal, the field was drastically tilted in Indy's direction. Eventually, the pressure resulted in a Martinez goal in the 76th minute when Quinn put a ball into the box where Martinez could get his head to the ball and redirect it passed Vegas.

Post 76th Minute - Shots & Crosses

After the goal to bring Indy back to within one, the difference in offensive attempts was even more stark. Indy were fighting for their playoff lives, while Rhode Island were looking to hold onto their lead, knowing they were getting closer and closer to a matchup with Louisville next weekend. The game ultimately went included 10-minutes of stoppage time before a Quinn shot that was well wide signaled the end of action. 

Rhode Island and Indy played three times on the season and ended the year with a 0 Goal Differential, with both teams scoring 6 goals apiece between the three games. The game looked exactly like a matchup between two teams that finished the season with the exact same number of points and were the 4/5 matchup in the playoff bracket. Surprisingly, it also looked like two teams that had a dozen-year rivalry instead of two teams that were meeting for just the third time as the game was chippy, nearly from the start.

With the win, Rhode Island continue their successful first season in the league, but get rewarded for that success by having to play next week in Louisville. Indy, however, have to watch the remainder of the season from their homes and try to figure out a way to come back next year and do something the men's side has never done before; make the playoffs in three consecutive years. When asked after the game how he wants to be able to take the "winning culture" he has tried to build this year with a top 4 finish and a run in the Open Cup, he responded:

"In football, if you stay the same, you're probably getting worse. So we need to improve next year and improve again and just keep improving. And that's where we have to make decisions on the players. ... But we'll fight and we'll scrap to keep this momentum and identity going that we want to be recognized for what we do. And what we do is never give in. We gotta make decisions about players. I've already got a picture in my mind what it looks like so that's going to be easy for me to make them decisions. What I will say, and recognize is the landscape of the USL has changed. Gone are the days where you just return 6 players and we'll see if we can put a squad of 15 together. If you look at everybody's roster now, everybody's deep with probably 20 to 25 players, at least, who all play. So we gotta recognize the fact that there will be some squad building...I can see us making decisions on players but also keeping quite a few back because we've had, like we've said, a really successful season."

Soon, I'll provide my end-of-year recap and 2025 outlook to discuss my thoughts on who might be returning. 

I don't know how many other people saw it, but when the BYB set off their first round of smoke bombs just before the kickoff, it started a, relatively, small fire of one of the banners. If you're looking for bad omens before a playoff game, that might have been one. While we're talking about it. Why the hell doesn't the BYB have a fire extinguisher nearby instead of trying to put out the fire with water bottles? 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

As I stood near the sideline in second half stoppage time waiting for access to the post-game press conference, the ball came into the Rhode Island offensive corner and Quinn made a run over to the corner to defend. His body and face said that he was nearly gassed, but he knew he had to make the play and dug deep to get to the ball. He seemed to be the catalyst for all the offense going forward at the end of the game, distributing the ball from left to right and back again. All that was after he had Indy's first goal and then the assist on the second goal. Quinn has been a true professional this season as he continued to deal with he ongoing injury rehab from last season's injury. For his quality and effort tonight, Quinn gets the final GBGB of the season.

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Rhode Island FC - 11.22

Summary

- Opponent: Rhode Island FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 8,091
- Final Score: 1-0 W

- Starting XI: Sulte, Ofeimu, Chapman-Page, Diz Pe, Lindley, Stanley, Neidlinger, Quinn (C), Martinez, Williams, A., Guenzatti

- Substitution: Wootton 15' (Lindley - injury); Williams, R. 66' (Martinez - injury); Blake 86' (Guenzatti); Gibson 90'+4' (Williams, A.)

- Unused: Oettl, Mines, O'Brien, J.

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Guenzatti 34' (assist Wootton)

- Bookings:

IND - Martinez 37' (Yellow)
RI - Stoneman 44' (Yellow)

IND - Guenzatti 50' (Yellow)
IND - Diz Pe 90'+5' (Yellow)

- Referee: Ricardo Fierro

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Let's start with the good news. Quinn was back in the starting lineup for the first time in nearly 11 months and Blake was available off the bench. That still leaves King and Collier officially on the Injury Report (no word on Musa), but getting Quinn and Blake back are positive steps in the right direction. Collier was warming up before the game so he might be back soon too. 

Onto the bad news. In the 15th minute, Lindley went out with his own injury. Midway through the second half, Martinez went out with an injury after pressing the Rhode Island keeper. So 2 steps forward, maybe 2 steps back when it comes to the injury front for Indy. Additionally, Indy came into this game after a 5-nil thumping from Charleston, marking the second time this season that they have conceded 5 goals. Indy hadn't won a league game since San Antonio in mid-June. Thank goodness for a Cup run. Rhode Island, on the other hand, came into the game on an 8-game undefeated streak including a 3-3 draw against Indy and a 5-2 drubbing of league leaders Louisville...IN Louisville. To say that the teams came in trending differently is understating it.

Indy came out of the gates swinging, getting their first corner kick within the first 45 seconds thanks to Rhode Island clearance header. Indy pressed hard and high up the field forcing all the early action into the Indy offensive third of the field. However, around the 7-minute mark, a counterattack from Rhode Island forced Diz Pe into a foul that gave the visitors a free kick attempt from just outside the 18-yard box. The wall did its job, but Rhode Island's ability to get goal scoring opportunities was in full display. Rhode Island had a stretch in this undefeated run where they scored at least 3 goals in 5 consecutive games. 

Half - Shots and Crosses

I've talked recently about Indy getting away from what created the Indy undefeated streak earlier this year. The early part of this game was a return to those streaking days. Within the first 25 minutes, Indy had 15 crosses. That is completely in line with the McAuley "you don't score goals if you don't create chances" mentality. Indy turned their high press into turnovers, and immediately tried to turn those into crosses, shots, or goals. Indy was struggling to get those crosses on target, but it felt like some good shots were coming. 

In the 34th minute, those opportunities finally came to fruition from a quick throw-in deep in Rhode Island's half to Wootton, who immediately put the ball into the box. The ball found Guenzatti, who promptly side volleyed the ball out of the air, beyond Rhode Island goalkeeper Lee, and into the goal to start the scoring. This was Guenzatti's first goal in ten games and the team's first in four games. The goal finally got Indy off the snide, but the game became very disjointed after the goal with two yellow cards and several fouls. The teams went into the halftime locker even in yellow cards, but Indy up on the scoreboard thanks to Guenzatti's strike. 

The fouls and the effort from Indy continued into the early part of the second half, as the game continued to be played in Rhode Island's half of the field. After the first 15 minutes of the second half, Rhode Island began to tilt the field slightly in their favor, but the fouls began to take the toll on the continuity of the game. The final totals had Indy with 24 fouls to Rhode Island's 13. You can say I'm not being impartial, but there is no way that Indy were that much more physical than Rhode Island, but the whistle seemed to go one way more than the other. Indy had at least one, but probably two, legit arguments for penalty kicks that weren't given late in the game. 

The second half was disjointed due to the injuries (Diz Pe and Nodarse came together just before the 80th minute that sent Nodarse to the bench under apparent concussion protocol, but took several minutes for the trainers to access both players), as well as the constant whistle from the referee. In a game that felt like one of those proverbial "six-point games" as the Eastern Conference has started to take on the look that generally begins to show itself around this time of year; a few clear cut leaders, a few (or in this case this year, one) clear cut not going to make the playoff teams, and a crowded middle. Before tonight's result, 4th place to 10th place was separated by just 6 points. While Indy needed the win for the confidence boost, to stay firmly in 4th place, and to keep the leaders within arms reach, it was also important to try and put some distance between the teams below them in the table. 

Coach McAuley was pleased with the effort and the result, but wasn't overly thrilled with the number of wasted chances and/or poor finishes from the players. A little bit more clinical finishes and Indy could have walked away with this game without having to fight until the 90'+8' to secure the clean sheet. 

Indy return to action on Sunday against New Mexico United who are coming off two home losses to Las Vegas Lights and Louisville City. New Mexico are going to want to rectify that trend so that they can keep their position at the top of the Western Conference. 

 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

There were some good games by several guys, much different than how the Charleston game finished. Quinn looked really good in his first start and full-game minutes since his injury last season. Neidlinger continues to look like he is getting more and more comfortable at this level. He still had some moments where you can tell he misjudged the speed of the game, but overall, he doesn't look flustered very often. 

However, Guenzatti gets tonight's GBGB for his goal tonight, which by itself in a vacuum was spectacular, but I also want to reward Seba for his season-long effort. With the adjustments that have been required in the roster due to injuries, Guenzatti has dropped back further into the midfield than where a goal scorer like he is would prefer to be, but you can't fault his effort, leadership, and ability to move the ball between the lines. So yeah, he scored the game winner, but it's just the cherry on the top of his play for the entirety of the season.

Photos - Don Thompson Photography