Indy Eleven vs Swope Park Rangers - 06.34

- Opponent: Swope Park Rangers
- Location: Indianapolis
- Attendance: 10,251
- Final Score: 2-1 W
- Starting XI: Farr, Osmond, Barrett (C), Ouimette, Gibson, Walker, Conner, Ayoze, Pasher, Novoa, Kelly
- Substitutions: Hackshaw 46' (Osmond), Ilic 62' (Novoa); Perea 83' (Kelly)
- Unused: Brown, Starikov, Rodrigues, Watson
- Goals: Kelly 56' (assist Ayoze); Kelly 67' (assist Walker)
- Bookings: Osmond 23' (Yellow); Conner 40' (Yellow); Hackshaw 61' (Yellow)
- Referee: Chris Ruska
- Adage goals: One

Swope Park came into Lucas Oil Stadium looking to cleanse their palate after losing to Louisville City FC by a score of 8-3 after being ahead 3-nil. With that mentality, SPR hung around in the first half, but Indy had the bulk of the chances and possession. Regardless, SPR's ability to stick around in the first half forced Indy to work harder than they would have preferred given that a draw in this game was enough to secure a home playoff game for the club. The first half was physical with the referee showing 5 yellow cards between the two teams; Indy with 2 and SPR with 3.

Coach Rennie made no changes to his lineup from the game against Tampa Bay, with the exception of starting Pasher again in place of Ilic. This consistency provided one of the most interchanging between the midfielders and forwards than I can remember this season as players routinely switched sides and lines throughout the game. However, it also meant that guys are going to have to use the break between this game and the, now official, home playoff game on the 26th to get any kind of rest. While Indy fans had to adjust their schedules because of the Colts booting the Eleven from playing on the 19th, Indy became the first team to complete their season and as a result, have a few extra days rest.

Even Hackshaw, who had been on international duty and only flew back into town earlier in the day (from my understanding), saw time thanks to one of those first half yellows going to Osmond who received numerous warnings from the referee. Not wanting to take the chance of playing yet another game down a man, the coaching staff subbed Osmond out at halftime. Personally, I would have preferred to see Rennie bring on Watson or Starikov, adjusted the forward and midfield lines, and slid Ayoze back as the left back, a position he routinely played last year. Hackshaw played well given his travel and lack of rest, but he could have used a full ninety minutes off right before the playoffs after his international duties.

Indy pressed everything in the first half, looking to force the SPR back line and goalkeeper into a poor touch and finished the half as much in SPR's defensive half as they were in their own half versus Tampa Bay. A striking difference between playing one of the conference leaders at their house and the bottom of the conference at your house and the tactics that Coach Rennie employs under those two scenarios.

Indy's effort and possession led to a slight advantage in shots at half, but Indy's final touch around goal was all they were missing. Doing everything correct up to that point, but couldn't get their shots on target. I would like to have seen Indy attempt more shots from around 25 yards straight out from the goal as SPR was consistently slow at closing down the ball in that location. Though when Indy received the ball in that area, it was generally Gibson and Walker, who are unlikely to shoot, so maybe that was why SPR was slow to close down the player.

SPR spent a lot of time chasing and defending, which meant that if Indy didn't get a goal in the first half, SPR was going to wear down in the 2nd half, potentially leading to multiple late goals. Indy managed to get two goals in the 2nd half, but the affect of wearing down SPR was seen more in their production rather than Indy's production. SPR managed just two shots in the 2nd half, one of which was the goal in the 57th minute. The goal that happened one minute after Indy put themselves ahead in the 56th minute on a goal by Kelly.

One minute later. Seriously?

Seriously. That takes Doug Starne's adage goal theory to the extreme.

Kelly going airborne during his 2nd goal
Photo Credit: @DLTPhotog

Luckily, Indy wasn't content with playing out the rest of the game and settling for the draw and continued to press forward. While it only created a goal advantage with more than thirty minutes left in the game, Kelly's 67th minute goal seemed to provide a calming feeling in the crowd that the game was going to be a win for Indy.

With the win, Indy clinched a home playoff game and finished the season undefeated at Lucas Oil Stadium, and at home in general including their U.S. Open Cup victory against Lansing Ignite at the Sellick Bowl on the campus of Butler University. Announced earlier in the week by the front office, Carroll Stadium will once again be home for Indy Eleven as their playoff game(s) will happen at the former home of the team. When I asked Coach Rennie after the game if he felt Carroll Stadium could still provide a home field advantage given that only a few of the current players on the roster have played at the stadium, all while they were visiting players with other teams, and if he had any plan to reach out to former local players Brad Ring or Jon Busch for ways to handle the field.

“I think it’s home field advantage in the sense that, over the years, Indy Eleven has done really well in that stadium. I think that the crowd are even more of a factor in that stadium – I think it’ll be sold out, I think it’ll be a really hectic atmosphere, and I think that will be a big positive for us. We’ll have to adapt to some things, but I feel good about it. I’m really happy to be at home. We’ve had so many away games in recent times and those are difficult because you don’t have a normal routine, you’re waking up in a strange place, you don’t have the feeling like you do at home. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us."

Photo Credit: @DLTPhotog

Indy is locked into the 3rd place finish in the Eastern Conference and will face either Tampa Bay Rowdies, New York Red Bulls II, or Louisville City FC depending on the results of the weekend. Given that Lou City has as many or more players/coaches on their roster that have played at Carroll Stadium, have had success there, and can bring their own contingent of fans, I have my reservations about Indy's home field advantage against them. Indy looked like the far inferior team against Tampa Bay less than a week ago. With the way that NYRBII have played of late (having lost 4 of their last 5), they might be the team that Indy would want to face as they start the playoffs.

All 3 of Indy's opponents play on Saturday night so they won't need to wait until the final game of the regular season on Sunday (Birmingham vs Pittsburgh) to know their opponent. Will a week's preparation and a few extra days of rest be enough to have more success in the playoffs than last year? The team set season club records this year for Wins (19), Road Wins (6), Points (63), Shutouts (13), was unbeaten at home, and have conceded the 2nd fewest in the USL Championship. A win in the playoffs is the next progression and hurdle for this team to clear.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Photo Credit: @DLTPhotog

Kelly gets the nod for this game. For all his struggles this year to consistently find the back of the goal, he has moved himself into some elite company in the club's record books for scorers. Kelly's brace makes him just the 4th player in club history to achieve multiple braces in a season, joining company with Zayed, Braun, and McInerney. He's now 5th in Game Winning goals and tied for 5th in Career Goals. For a prolific scorer, it helps to see the ball go in. For a prolific scorer to score 3 goals in the final two games of the regular season, that's a promising sign for Indy.

Photos (all by @DLTPhotog)

Indy Eleven vs Swope Park Rangers - 06.04

- Opponent: Swope Park Rangers
- Location: Kansas City
- Attendance: 232
- Final Score: 3-1 W
- Starting XI: Newton, Hackshaw, Crognale, Barrett (C), Ayoze, Matern, Gibson, King, Enevoldsen, Kelly, Pasher
- Substitutions: Watson 60' (Pasher); Do-Heon 77' (Matern); Diakhate 88' (Kelly)
- Unused: Farr, Farias, Osmond, Ouimette
- Goals: Kelly 2', Enevoldsen 6' (assist Kelly); Kelly 53'
- Bookings: Kelly 33' (Yellow); Crognale 41' (Yellow)
- Referee: Kevin Broadley
- Adage goals: None

While Indy have watched for the sidelines for two official season weeks, they've also watched their place on the table plummet due to lack of games, having played just 3 games before Monday night's game with the Swope Park Rangers. Other teams have played as many as 7 games already, with the conference leaders having played 5 or 6 games. Similarly, SPR had also only played 3 games on the season, but have been playing at a on one week, off one week routine since opening their season March 9th in a 3-1 away loss to NYRBII. The game against Indy marks their third home game in a row. Conversely, Indy has spent, and is spending, the first part of the season on the road more than an old-fashioned traveling salesman, getting just 1 home game in their first 6 matches before spending the entire month of May at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Indy Eleven started the game looking like a team that was eager to be playing against somebody in a different jersey and with a game plan tailored to their opponent. Swope Park like to possess the ball, which they did, and Indy was content to defend and then counter when given the chances. When Indy did possess the ball, they were composed on the ball and played out of pressure a number of times. Dane Kelly started the scoring early in the 2nd minute by pressing the issue with a poor pass from Riley to goalkeeper Dick. When Enevoldsen put the Eleven up 2-nil in the 6th minute, Indy's game plan seemed to be working to perfection and only solidified their ability to play that style.

Swope Park pulled back to within a goal in the 26th minute when Alexsander picked up the ball in SPR's defensive third, beat King, and then dribbled nearly to the Indy 18 before laying the ball off to Harris for a shot over Crognale and Newton. King couldn't catch Alexsander, nobody else stepped to him quickly enough, and Harris put a nice ball over last-ditch defending from Crognale and Newton who couldn't make himself big enough. Shortly after halftime, Ayoze picked up a ball in his own defensive third and instead of dribbling the field, blasted a ball down the left side to a streaking Enevoldsen. A poorly cleared cross landed at the feet of Kelly who went right, shifted left, and sent a shot into the upper 90 to put Indy back in front by two.

It should be noted that of the two goals that didn't result from a poor back pass from a defender, Ayoze placed perfectly weighted balls to his teammates. In addition to the one above, Ayoze was responsible for a gorgeous chip to Kelly who one-touched the ball into the path of the on-rushing Enevoldsen who one-touched it under the keeper. Two of Indy's three goals were setup by passes from Ayoze.

After Indy scored their third goal, the "Rennie Bunker"(TM) was in full effect. Defend, defend, defend. Counter on SPR mistakes. What started as a 3-4-1-2 turned into a 5-4-1. As a result, at the end of the game, SPR had a 15 to 12 advantage in shots. However, only 3 of those 15 were on Target, partially because Indy's bunker forced SPR to take 11 of their 15 shots from outside the 18 yard box. While SPR had a nearly 60/40 advantage in possession, Indy forced that possession to be in safe places. Indy held SPR to 5% successful rate on their 20 crosses.

While Indy played the game they wanted to play and jumped out to an early lead, there were a couple of nervy moments from Indy's back three that have me concerned because I keep noticing them happening. At some point this season, I predict Indy is going to give up a goal like SPR did by trying to play out of the back with a bad decision. At a couple points this season, the pass back to Newton from one of the back three has been light or with him under pressure from a forward causing him to either A) chip it over the on-rushing forward, B) blast it out of bounds, or C) find another outlet with a pass that is nearly intercepted. One of these times, those options are going to fail and an opponent is going to get an easy goal.

The Indy Eleven came into this game with a plan and executed it perfectly. The early press lead to an early goal and the team's ability to defend for long stretches and counter on mistakes forced Swope Park behind the 8-ball before the 232 people in attendance had much chance to get situated in their seats. The speed of the up front trio of Enevoldsen, Pasher, and Kelly caused problems for the SPR defenders all night and Indy was unfortunate to not score a couple more goals.

Indy will look to extend their franchise tying 3-game win streak to 4 games when they play Bethlehem Steel on Saturday. Bethlehem lost to Charlotte on Tuesday night so both teams will be playing on less than their normal rest. Though Bethlehem will be playing their 8th game, while Indy will be playing just their 4th.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I routinely have difficulty selecting the winner of the Game Beckons Game Ball, but this game was easy. With the struggles that Kelly has had in the first three games with getting his shot to find the back of the net and not the woodwork, this was the kind of game he needed to have to get his confidence back. Kelly filled the stat sheet with 5 shots, 2 goals, 1 assist, 1 yellow card, and a partridge in a pear tree. The only thing missing was that neither of his goals were considered the game winner. Enevoldsen picked up that honor with his goal. Interestingly, in Indy's three wins this season, Enevoldsen has 2 game winning goals, with the third being collected by the prolific scorer Own Goal. Kelly's 2nd minute goal did set a record for the fastest goal in club history, clocking in at a measly 1 minute 9 seconds. The previous record was set in 2018 by Eugene Starikov (assist Mares) in a September game against New York Red Bulls II, which crossed the goal line at 1 minute 45 seconds.