Top 5 Moments - Jordan Farr

By my count there have been 140 players signed by Indy Eleven. Becoming a fan favorite out of those 140 players is no easy task and is something that just a few players can claim to be. Brad Ring, Dylan Mares, Don Smart, and Matt Watson are just a few of them and what made each one a fan favorite was different. 

Jordan Farr has definitely put himself in that discussion. Jordan is the kind of player that fans love to support. Sure he has talent. Something that Eleven fans have been able to see in games just 15 times since his arrival in 2018. Yet, talent doesn't always translate into being a fan favorite. Beyond his talent, what makes it so easy to like and support Jordan is his unbridled enthusiasm for the game and others. Jordan may not have played in that many games, but I guarantee that you have seen him enjoy the results of the team's successes. Jordan may be warming up on the sideline/endline, but he is often the first player to embrace his teammates after a goal (often without wearing his bench penny). That kind of enthusiasm for his teammates and for the fans doesn't go unnoticed. 

Jordan routinely trains with former Indy Eleven goalkeeper Jon Busch and when I asked Jon about his thoughts on Jordan, this is what he had to say:

"Jordan is a quality young goalkeeper with power, quickness, and clean handling. This season is a great opportunity for him to prove his worth as a No. 1 in the USL. He has shown his potential in smaller doses the last few years, but I am excited to see what he can do with a longer run of games. It will be a learning process for him both on and off the field but the potential is definitely there."

I was fortunate enough to see Jordan get his professional debut in 2019 in a U.S. Open Cup game against Lansing United at Butler University in a 1-0 win after Evan Newton received a red card for a challenge on one of the Lansing players (this game was one of Jordan's Top 5 Moments). As I stated back then, "he honestly wasn't sure what to do with himself during the press conference" and it was a bit refreshing to watch. He was learning to be a professional and a press conference was new to him. However, his enthusiasm for the game and what had happened was enjoyable to watch. His simultaneous love for the Brickyard Battalion was unprompted and heartfelt, which is something that you get and feel when you're around him. Jordan has never been shy about interacting with the Indy Eleven fans and that is something that goes a long way towards being a fan favorite.

Like Busch, I'm excited to see Farr prove he's Indy's next No. 1 goalkeeper this season. Without further ado, here is Jordan Farr's Top 5 Moments:

1. The moment I first played goalkeeper. I was 14 at regionals in California. It was a tough year of playing soccer, as my body had not fully developed yet and I was lacking speed and physicality that my teammates were getting to experience in full. It was our second game of the tournament and our current goalkeeper gave up a PK and ended up pushing the referee (classic crazy GK thing to do). He received a red card, (bare in mind we didn’t bring a second GK to the tournament) and my coach turned to the bench, the bench I had been far too accustomed to that year, and asked “who’s going to play Goalkeeper?”. I stepped up, really enjoyed the position, and became a goalkeeper for my club team ever since!
2. I played GK for my club and box-to-box midfielder for my high school team from freshman year until my senior year in HS. Then in college, I was signed to either be a GK or a number 8 for a mid-table NAIA team in OR (Corban U). So I trained for both that preseason. When the first game of the regular season came around I was chosen to start over the junior GK that had been there. The coach and the players instilled a confidence in me and gave me room to be who I was. We ended up winning the regular season and CCC tournament, and got to go to nationals for the first time in forever. We also ended up setting records for goals against averages for the school. [This was] the year I truly became a GK.  
   Editor's note: Looks like Jordan was quite the athlete in high school as he "Played soccer (4 years), tennis (4 years), football (2 years), and basketball (1 year)" and made his mark at Cascade High School "as the school's all-time leading goal scorer with 40 career goals" and was "Named 4A goalkeeper of the year, as well as earning 1st team all-league honors both as a goalkeeper after registering 83 saves and a field player thanks to nine goals and eight assists." 
3. Playing PDL for Charlotte Eagles (in between sophomore year and junior year of college, first summer of consistent GK training) and Portland Timber’s U23s. With the Eagles, learning truly how to leverage soccer to influence the younger generation to follow their dreams and be people of integrity/character. Plus, getting to train and play at a very high level. This is where I met Dave Dixon and he was a vital piece with being able to come to Indy 11.
4. My first start with Indy after Evan Newton knocked a dude out in the US Open! In the first 20 minutes of the game, I got to come in and we went a man down (as a result of Newton's red card). We defended extremely well and got a goal to win 1-0, moving on to the next round. My wife and I were so overjoyed and excited that we were unable to sleep that night. 
5. 
   Playing in the playoffs and getting to the USL Championship Eastern Conference Finals! Every game that year was a blessing to be apart of and grew me exponentially. Shutting out Nashville in Nashville their last game being a USL Club will be something I remember the rest of my life.

Honorable Mention Moment
A guy in the BYB telling me I get to eat at Union Jacks for free, when we won (and shut out) our first round playoff game at IUPUI against Red Bull’s. He has yet to follow through... but it doesn’t stop me from absolutely crushing pints and fish n chips anytime I’m there.

Social Media
Instagram
Twitter

Top 5 Moments - Greg Rakestraw

See original post here.

Greg Rakestraw

1. 1994 World Cup, US vs. Brazil - I pick this moment simply because this is where my soccer fandom began. I was just graduating high school and getting ready to head off to college. You could play youth soccer in the next town over, but there was no such thing as high school soccer for any of the schools in my home county growing up. I watched that match, with 90K+ fans in the Rose Bowl, then ended up rooming with a soccer player my first year at UIndy. The rest is history :)
2. 
   1997 Public Address Announcer for the Indiana Blast and Blaze - This isn't a particular moment per se, but a first notch in the soccer resume. I think what made me most attractive to the team was what I charged the team for doing the work...nothing. There would be Friday and Saturday night crowds at Kuntz Stadium where the team played in front of 2-3k people, and you were like, hey, we're onto something. And there would be Sunday afternoon games where I could have stood in the stands, done my PA work without a microphone, and everyone would have heard me just fine. BTW, old man moment the other day, I called a Marian soccer match on ISC where the goalkeeper for Marian is Brandon Weiger. His uncle Steve played on that Blast team. I'm now officially an old man in soccer, too.
   Editor's Note: I found some Indiana Blast games on YouTube (there are even some Indiana Twisters clips in there too). If you're interested in watching the 2nd half of an Indiana Blaze match from May of 1997, YouTube has it.
3. 2009 IHSAA Boys' soccer state finals, Zionsville vs. Homestead - This is the first soccer match I ever broadcast. Nice to start on a small stage with a state final, right? Little did I know that the match would feature Dylan Mares and AJ Corrado, who would also feature in another moment or two further on down the list. I'm sure there were things I misspoke about, or terminology I got wrong. At the time, I knew broadcasting much better than I knew soccer. I think (I hope) I've got a pretty good grasp on both these days. 
   Editor's Note: Mares and Corrado won that state championship game with a scoreline of 3-1, with Mares getting the Eagle's first goal of the game, his 24th of the year, tying Corrado for the team high for the season. If you would like to see the game and listen to Greg's entry into soccer broadcasting, you can watch the game on YouTube (in nine parts, each 9 minute long... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ... remember the day when you had a limit to the file size for YouTube?) FYI - Mare's goal happens around the 3:10 mark of Part 3.
4. 2014 Opening Night for the Indy Eleven - I almost got the play-by-play job by default. There were conversations with other play-by-play guys about the Indy Eleven gig, but I think I was the only local guy up for the job. Because I had approached the team about the concept of Soccer Saturday on the Fan in the fall of 2013 after the Chelsea/Inter Milan match at Lucas Oil, I think that made me the natural lead choice for the job. The excitement, the atmosphere, and the social media response I got during and after that broadcast were absolutely amazing. Plus, it introduced me to Brad Hauter, who I had never met until two weeks before the season started at the team's picture day/media session at WISH-TV. Brad and I are truly friends away from the broadcast booth, and I think that comes across on the telecasts.
5. 2016 The Miracle at the Mike - June 11th 2016, is one of the best non-marriage, non-birth of child days of my life. I broadcast two softball state finals that day. My alma mater in Lanesville won their baseball semi-state that day to get to the state finals the next week, and I knew I would be on the broadcast the following Saturday. So then we get to the Mike and it's unlikely that the team wins the spring season title, but there's a chance. One of the things that I remember most from that night is the lack of reaction to Carolina's lone goal that night. Because the Indy Eleven were thinking about getting to 4, and not worried about allowing the 1, it was just like, 'Oh well, the other team scored a goal. Moving on.' And Brad Ring wasn't the only person to chug a beer on camera that night. Ok, Hauter and I didn't chug a beer, but we did enjoy a Silver Bullet together on camera in the post-game show. It was all legal that night.
6. Two World Cup moments stand out for me, so I'll cheat and claim two here.
   2006 World Cup Final between Italy and France - It wasn't so much the play of that match, although the Zidane head butt is impossible to forget, but rather it was getting there at least 4 hours before kickoff to stake out the best seat in a small house to watch the match, and realizing that the investment of my time was totally worth it. Ah, the things you could do before you had kids...
   Now, let's fast-forward to 2010. USA-Algeria - Howard outlet, Landon scores, Western Hemisphere goes ape (bleep). I'm watching this match at home. Just me. I'm like running up and down the street to see if anyone else is home, watching the match, looking for someone, anyone, to hug, kiss, cry with, etc. Lesson learned, always watch big matches in a crowd so you've got someone to embrace, or punch, or kick if necessary.

Top 5 Moments - Brad Hauter

See original post here.

Brad Hauter

1. #5 - The Birth of Indy Eleven - I have known Peter Wilt since 1989 (there is an awesome story there for another time) and when he contacted me in 2013 and asked to meet for dinner in Greencastle I jumped on it. While meeting over wings and a beer, he asked if I thought pro soccer could make it in Indiana. As a long-time Hoosier, having spent my club, high school, and college playing days in Indiana, I did not hesitate in saying "Heck yes" (It may not have been that tame). Once I knew Peter was involved, I was thrilled as he has always delivered for pro soccer. Listening to his and Ersal's vision was an electric feeling I'll never forget.
   The reason this is one of my top 5 is that I grew up in Indiana wanting to play pro soccer and could not even imagine having a team to support, like Indy Eleven is now, that is so committed to growing soccer in Indiana. Every young player in the state NOW has a team and players to look up to and tangible goals to shoot for.
2. 
   #4 - Tying into the above... Pro soccer in the late 80's and early 90's was all over the place as far as professionalism. Some clubs were well run and some were not. In 1991, I remember being with the Illinois Thunder and heading to Milwaukee to play Peter Wilt's Milwaukee Wave. Most teams in the league drew 3,000-ish. The Wave averaged 15,000 that year. They were 7-0 and we went to Milwaukee and played in front of a sold out Bradley Center. We were up 1 with 10 seconds to go when Milwaukee came in on a 2 on 0 with me in goal. Goals in the league were 1, 2, or 3 points in value. The shot was taken and I didn't think I could get it, but I got a finger to the ball and pushed it wide. However, the 17,000 fans did not see the save and thought they won the game. The sound of 17,000 fans screaming because they thought they won the match in the final seconds to the immediate silence in the stadium as they saw the ball roll up the boards will be a memory I will never forget.
3. #3 - The Miracle at the Mike. Having to win and win by 3 goals is an unrealistic thing to believe in, but as announcers, Greg and I held out the belief that it could be done. The emotion we felt in the booth as the impossible unfolded before us was simply amazing.
4. #2 - In 2015, DePauw advanced to the Sweet 16 in Saint Louis by beating Washington University in Saint Louis in penalty kicks at Wash U. We won 8-7 in PK's with 5 of our 9 kids being from Indy... All 5 Indy kids scored BTW.
   Editor's Note: The Indy kids represented Zionsville HS, Center Grove HS, & Cathedral HS (X3). Additionally, former Indy Eleven player Adrian Ables was a senior on that 2015 DePauw squad.
5. 
   #1 - Advancing to the 2nd round in the NCAA tournament in 2016. The Monon Bell game is a historic and iconic football game between DePauw and Wabash each year; an old and epic rivalry. We were playing at home in the NCAA tournament as the football team was playing at Wabash in Crawfordsville. We were down 2-1 to Centre College late in the 2nd half and scored the equalizer with 20 minutes to go. A few minutes later, the football team returned to campus after winning the Monon Bell at Wabash. As their 3 buses pulled up behind the goal at the soccer field, we scored the go-ahead goal with minutes to go in the match. The football players were pounding on the bus windows so hard that the buses were rocking and I thought they might flip over. An absolutely incredible feeling.

Top 5 Moments - Hauter & Rakestraw

@Hauter Photo

When I first started thinking about doing this series, I had originally envisioned it being mostly for players. I figured that at some point, coaches and front office staff might get pulled in to get more people involved. However, I'm only two editions into the series and I have already included someone from a front office and another that is from the broadcast booth. It just goes to show that soccer touches so many lives and the moments that stick with people can come from so many different perspectives. For now, I'm still going to limit the Top 5 to folks that have a direct connection to the events and not just from a fan perspective. Though I suspect that will evolve into being a part of this series in the future as well. I know that Peter Wilt was thinking about his fan Top 5 when he put together his list for Edition #1.

As a reminder, this series is where I get players (and front office staff and now broadcasters) to give me their Top 5 Moments from their soccer careers. This can be from anytime from their days as a youth to their final game as a professional or international.

As was mentioned by Greg Rakestraw when he had me appear on Soccer Saturday on the 17th, one of the first people that I approached about taking part in this series was Brad Hauter, a fellow DePauw graduate and someone who has frequently helped me with questions over the years as I try to learn the business, coaching, and goalkeeping sides of the sport. Given Brad's playing, coaching, and announcing careers in soccer, I suspected that his list might include aspects of each stage. After I posted the first edition, Greg Rakestraw reached out to me, eager to participate himself, which I quickly adjusted my "rules" and gladly accepted his Top 5 Moments. 

With the inclusion of Greg's and Brad's inputs (Brad's actually count down from 5), we have the Top 5 - Broadcaster Edition.

Brad Hauter

1. #5 - The Birth of Indy Eleven - I have known Peter Wilt since 1989 (there is an awesome story there for another time) and when he contacted me in 2013 and asked to meet for dinner in Greencastle I jumped on it. While meeting over wings and a beer, he asked if I thought pro soccer could make it in Indiana. As a long-time Hoosier, having spent my club, high school, and college playing days in Indiana, I did not hesitate in saying "Heck yes" (It may not have been that tame). Once I knew Peter was involved, I was thrilled as he has always delivered for pro soccer. Listening to his and Ersal's vision was an electric feeling I'll never forget.
   The reason this is one of my top 5 is that I grew up in Indiana wanting to play pro soccer and could not even imagine having a team to support, like Indy Eleven is now, that is so committed to growing soccer in Indiana. Every young player in the state NOW has a team and players to look up to and tangible goals to shoot for.
2. 
   #4 - Tying into the above... Pro soccer in the late 80's and early 90's was all over the place as far as professionalism. Some clubs were well run and some were not. In 1991, I remember being with the Illinois Thunder and heading to Milwaukee to play Peter Wilt's Milwaukee Wave. Most teams in the league drew 3,000-ish. The Wave averaged 15,000 that year. They were 7-0 and we went to Milwaukee and played in front of a sold out Bradley Center. We were up 1 with 10 seconds to go when Milwaukee came in on a 2 on 0 with me in goal. Goals in the league were 1, 2, or 3 points in value. The shot was taken and I didn't think I could get it, but I got a finger to the ball and pushed it wide. However, the 17,000 fans did not see the save and thought they won the game. The sound of 17,000 fans screaming because they thought they won the match in the final seconds to the immediate silence in the stadium as they saw the ball roll up the boards will be a memory I will never forget.
3. #3 - The Miracle at the Mike. Having to win and win by 3 goals is an unrealistic thing to believe in, but as announcers, Greg and I held out the belief that it could be done. The emotion we felt in the booth as the impossible unfolded before us was simply amazing.
4. #2 - In 2015, DePauw advanced to the Sweet 16 in Saint Louis by beating Washington University in Saint Louis in penalty kicks at Wash U. We won 8-7 in PK's with 5 of our 9 kids being from Indy... All 5 Indy kids scored BTW.
   Editor's Note: The Indy kids represented Zionsville HS, Center Grove HS, & Cathedral HS (X3). Additionally, former Indy Eleven player Adrian Ables was a senior on that 2015 DePauw squad.
5. 
   #1 - Advancing to the 2nd round in the NCAA tournament in 2016. The Monon Bell game is a historic and iconic football game between DePauw and Wabash each year; an old and epic rivalry. We were playing at home in the NCAA tournament as the football team was playing at Wabash in Crawfordsville. We were down 2-1 to Centre College late in the 2nd half and scored the equalizer with 20 minutes to go. A few minutes later, the football team returned to campus after winning the Monon Bell at Wabash. As their 3 buses pulled up behind the goal at the soccer field, we scored the go-ahead goal with minutes to go in the match. The football players were pounding on the bus windows so hard that the buses were rocking and I thought they might flip over. An absolutely incredible feeling.

Greg Rakestraw

1. 1994 World Cup, US vs. Brazil - I pick this moment simply because this is where my soccer fandom began. I was just graduating high school and getting ready to head off to college. You could play youth soccer in the next town over, but there was no such thing as high school soccer for any of the schools in my home county growing up. I watched that match, with 90K+ fans in the Rose Bowl, then ended up rooming with a soccer player my first year at UIndy. The rest is history :)
2. 
   1997 Public Address Announcer for the Indiana Blast and Blaze - This isn't a particular moment per se, but a first notch in the soccer resume. I think what made me most attractive to the team was what I charged the team for doing the work...nothing. There would be Friday and Saturday night crowds at Kuntz Stadium where the team played in front of 2-3k people, and you were like, hey, we're onto something. And there would be Sunday afternoon games where I could have stood in the stands, done my PA work without a microphone, and everyone would have heard me just fine. BTW, old man moment the other day, I called a Marian soccer match on ISC where the goalkeeper for Marian is Brandon Weiger. His uncle Steve played on that Blast team. I'm now officially an old man in soccer, too.
   Editor's Note: I found some Indiana Blast games on YouTube (there are even some Indiana Twisters clips in there too). If you're interested in watching the 2nd half of an Indiana Blaze match from May of 1997, YouTube has it.
3. 2009 IHSAA Boys' soccer state finals, Zionsville vs. Homestead - This is the first soccer match I ever broadcast. Nice to start on a small stage with a state final, right? Little did I know that the match would feature Dylan Mares and AJ Corrado, who would also feature in another moment or two further on down the list. I'm sure there were things I misspoke about, or terminology I got wrong. At the time, I knew broadcasting much better than I knew soccer. I think (I hope) I've got a pretty good grasp on both these days. 
   Editor's Note: Mares and Corrado won that state championship game with a scoreline of 3-1, with Mares getting the Eagle's first goal of the game, his 24th of the year, tying Corrado for the team high for the season. If you would like to see the game and listen to Greg's entry into soccer broadcasting, you can watch the game on YouTube (in nine parts, each 9 minute long... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ... remember the day when you had a limit to the file size for YouTube?) FYI - Mare's goal happens around the 3:10 mark of Part 3.
4. 2014 Opening Night for the Indy Eleven - I almost got the play-by-play job by default. There were conversations with other play-by-play guys about the Indy Eleven gig, but I think I was the only local guy up for the job. Because I had approached the team about the concept of Soccer Saturday on the Fan in the fall of 2013 after the Chelsea/Inter Milan match at Lucas Oil, I think that made me the natural lead choice for the job. The excitement, the atmosphere, and the social media response I got during and after that broadcast were absolutely amazing. Plus, it introduced me to Brad Hauter, who I had never met until two weeks before the season started at the team's picture day/media session at WISH-TV. Brad and I are truly friends away from the broadcast booth, and I think that comes across on the telecasts.
5. 2016 The Miracle at the Mike - June 11th 2016, is one of the best non-marriage, non-birth of child days of my life. I broadcast two softball state finals that day. My alma mater in Lanesville won their baseball semi-state that day to get to the state finals the next week, and I knew I would be on the broadcast the following Saturday. So then we get to the Mike and it's unlikely that the team wins the spring season title, but there's a chance. One of the things that I remember most from that night is the lack of reaction to Carolina's lone goal that night. Because the Indy Eleven were thinking about getting to 4, and not worried about allowing the 1, it was just like, 'Oh well, the other team scored a goal. Moving on.' And Brad Ring wasn't the only person to chug a beer on camera that night. Ok, Hauter and I didn't chug a beer, but we did enjoy a Silver Bullet together on camera in the post-game show. It was all legal that night.
6. Two World Cup moments stand out for me, so I'll cheat and claim two here.
   2006 World Cup Final between Italy and France - It wasn't so much the play of that match, although the Zidane head butt is impossible to forget, but rather it was getting there at least 4 hours before kickoff to stake out the best seat in a small house to watch the match, and realizing that the investment of my time was totally worth it. Ah, the things you could do before you had kids...
   Now, let's fast-forward to 2010. USA-Algeria - Howard outlet, Landon scores, Western Hemisphere goes ape (bleep). I'm watching this match at home. Just me. I'm like running up and down the street to see if anyone else is home, watching the match, looking for someone, anyone, to hug, kiss, cry with, etc. Lesson learned, always watch big matches in a crowd so you've got someone to embrace, or punch, or kick if necessary.

Top 5 Moments - Peter Wilt

See original post here.

 Peter Wilt

1. March 18, 1988: Jacksonville Generals at Milwaukee Wave. Playing at the MECCA Arena we had a massive walk up due to McDonald's promotion. The moment I'll always remember is when the ticket manager ran up to me before the game to ask if she could move the high school band down to the floor. I said yes, so we sold those seats and completed the league record sellout of 8,946 tickets. (Editor's Note: If you know Peter, this is exactly what Peter does and continues to do and is why fans love him. I asked Peter if the sellout helped with tickets the rest of the season and he conveyed this additional story: 
   "It was late in the season. Two days later we hosted Canton Invaders at Neenah High School (in an effort to spread team's interest upstate) during a snow storm in front of 600 fans. We had to move the turf and boards from Milwaukee and physically roll out the turf and set up the boards and glass....brutal work for me and my staff, all for 600 fans....and we lost. Owner told me the next day not to be down. It was a good lesson. Don't learn things if we don't take chances."
   Somehow I feel like Peter learned that lesson.)
2. April 25, 1991: Mirko Castillo scored one minute 50 seconds into overtime to complete the Chicago Power's three-game championship sweep over Dayton in Wright State's Nutter Center. I was the team's GM and also handling analyst duties that game with legendary announcer Howard Balson. It was my first championship and, postgame, I interviewed former Chicago Sting star Bret Hall before joining the team for the on-field celebration.
3. October 30, 1998: Frank Klopas scored the golden goal game-winner in overtime at Soldier Field to give the Chicago Fire the U.S. Open Cup title and "The Double" over Columbus. We were an expansion team and had upset the two-time defending MLS Champion D.C. United five days earlier at the Rose Bowl. Winning the Open Cup behind the hometown hero Frank Klopas in front of our home fans in overtime was special.
4. September 27, 2006: It was the year after I was dismissed by the Fire, but it was still my team. I had acquired every player who took the field in the 2006 US Open Cup Championship at Toyota Park. The Fire won (a 3-1 win over L.A. Galaxy) and afterwards, the team's goalkeeper Matt Pickens found me standing among the supporters in Section 8, called me down, thanked me for bringing him into the team and gave me his championship medal. That moment will live with me forever.
5. June11, 2016: All the planets needed to align to give Indy Eleven our first title, the NASL Spring Championship. The Cosmos needed to lose their final spring match - they did - and we needed to score four or more goals and defeat Carolina by at least three goals. Eamon Zayed's third goal in the 85th minute was the special moment and provided the needed margin. We all stormed the Carroll Stadium field and I cried with joy when the 4-1 victory was official.

Top 5 Moments - Jon Busch

See original post here.

 Jon Busch

1. Playing in the U-17 World Cup in Japan in 1993 (Jon and his teammates finished 2nd in their Group behind Czechoslovakia before losing to Poland in the quarterfinals)
2. Playing in the Final 4 in my junior year (last year) at UNCC
3. 
   First MLS start with the Columbus Crew vs D.C. United in a 1-0 win (April 27, 2002)
   Walking out of the locker room after warm-ups for start of the game, John Harkes stops me, gives me a handshake and says "good luck kid." I said "thanks" and kept walking. I get a few steps away and I hear him say "don’t shit yourself kid" and started laughing like crazy. I turned around with a smile on my face and said "I will try not to."
4. Winning the Open Cup with Columbus Crew (October 24, 2002 in a 1-0 win against the L.A. Galaxy)
   After the game being in the locker room with a lot of older guys and seeing how excited they were. I remember sitting there with Brian Maisonneuve and talking with him. He had tears and it was then that I realized how hard it is to win a trophy and truly how special it is.
5. Playing first US full National Team game vs Colombia 2005 (Jon also got the start in the U.S.'s 3-0 win on March 9, 2005 with Pat Noonan, Chad Marshall, and Clint Mathis getting the goals and if this match report is correct, Taylor Twellman getting a red card in the 76th minute, just 8 minutes after entering the game.)
   I remember when Bruce Arena told me I would be starting. The morning before the game we were at training and after we did our goalkeeping work with (GK coach) Phil Wheddon, we joined the team. As Bruce started to talk about the game, I remember looking down at my cleats because I truly thought either Joe Cannon or Kevin Hartman were going to start. They were both ahead of me on the pecking order when we entered that camp. As Bruce started to announce the lineup I heard "in goal tomorrow Busch." I looked up at Bruce and then to Phil; I wasn’t sure I had heard it correctly. Phil gave me a little head nod and I knew it was me.
6. 500th Professional Game
   My 500th game was in Miami. Scott Stewart knew it was my 500th, but I asked him not to say anything about it until after the weekend. When I went out for warmups, my wife Nikki, and our good friends Phil and Steph, had secretly flown down and surprised me for the game. I had no idea they were coming or that they even knew it was the 500th. But they did. The result didn’t go our way but it was a big moment. 

Top 5 Moments - Lovel Palmer

See original post here.

 Lovel Palmer

1. Scoring my first international goal for Essex Valley in the 1998 Norway Cup in a 1-1 draw 
2. Winning the 2005 Caribbean Club Championship with Harbour View FC
   In 2005, Harbour View became the first Jamaican club to win the Caribbean Club Championship. We went on to play against D.C. United of MLS in a home and away fixture. (Unfortunately for Lovel, D.C. United beat Harbour View by a score of 2-1 in each game.)
3. 
   Becoming the youngest captain to win the Jamaican premier league with Harbour View at age 21. 
4. Playing against and beating my favorite player of all time, David Beckham and L.A. Galaxy 3-0 in a packed Jeld Wen Stadium in front of the Timbers Army was electrifying. (I think Lovel is referencing this August 3rd, 2011 game when Lovel was with Portland.)
5. Winning the 2016 NASL Spring Championship with Indy Eleven (an important moment in Indy Eleven history...)
   Winning the Spring Championship in the final game of the regular season needing to win by 3 goals. Eamon Zayed came up big with a hat trick. We won the game 4-1. Corey Miller was big for us in defense and Don Smart and Dylan Mares dominated in the midfield. The Mike was ecstatic at the end of the 90+ minute knowing Indy just won our first major trophy.

Top 5 Moments - Wilt, Busch, Palmer, & Me

Awhile back, I was talking to my wife and kids about my soccer playing days. So many years have passed since I played that many of the games and moments have long slipped into the deep recesses of my brain never to be brought forth again. Yet, for some reason, there are still the nuggets that I can recall with clarity and may be my peak ability. 

Many soccer fans may be aware of the book "Fever Pitch" by Nick Hornby, which "tells the story of the author's relationship with football [or soccer depending on where you're from], and with Arsenal Football Club in particular." It was adapted into a 1997 movie with Colin Firth, based on the book, and then a 2005 movie, based on the first movie, which changed the sport to baseball and starred Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. Hornby has also written a book called "High Fidelity," (adapted into a John Cusack movie and a recent Hulu series with Zoe Kravitz) in which Top 5 lists is a significant part of the story and is one that I really love.

That's a long way to say that as I talked to my wife and kids I started rattling off my Top 5 Moments from my playing days. I decided that it might be fun to start a new series on this site (separate from The Soccer Life survey click here if you want to see examples of that), where I get players to give me their Top 5 Moments from their careers. This can be from anytime from their days as a youth to their final game as a professional or international. Given that I didn't play beyond high school (not counting some intramural games and my time on the International Club team at DePauw), my list is entirely of my youth. However, the first participants in this series are Peter Wilt, Jon Busch, and Lovel Palmer, guys with whom I have had great conversations about soccer over the years, and have much more interesting Top 5 Moments.

Without further ado...

Drew Thompson

1. I remember a club game in my early teenage years where we were playing in Richmond (Indiana) on a rain-soaked field. In those days, there weren't a lot of natural left-footed players around. Due to a toe-injury on my right foot many years before, I had begun to work on my left foot so that I could keep practicing while my right foot was in a boot. So it wasn't great, but it was serviceable and in this game I found myself playing left midfield. On my side of the field was a large puddle that was possible to avoid, but took the flow out of my attack. So I went through the puddle. Each time I did it, the defenders slowed down as they were sprayed with water or thought the ball was going to stay there. Using their hesitancy, I proceeded towards goal and managed a hat trick for my efforts.
2. I prefer playing on grass fields, but we didn't play on many manicured fields in those days. So indoor games were where my skills shined. I was quick with the ball and my scientific brain did well with the passes off of the boards. Our local indoor facility was connected to a bar, which had a window that overlooked the field. One game, I scored a double hat trick. After I scored the 6th goal, I ran over to the window and yelled "SIX GOALS" at my high school coaches who were sitting in the bar drinking.
3. In another indoor game... For those who have never played indoor, the field often has two sets of lines on each side of the field and you aren't allowed to pass a ball from beyond one to the other side of the other (kind of like icing in hockey). I remember a perfectly weighted pass from by buddy Patrick, from the defensive side of our line to just short of the line on the other team's defensive side. So we just barely kept it from getting the "icing" call. I dropped the ball perfectly to my feet from my chest and took the ball in for a goal. It was one of those rare moments where each little piece had to happen perfectly and did.
4. In another indoor game...there's a trend here. I was having a pretty good game and I was working my way back towards our midfielder who had the ball. As I did that, I pulled two defenders with me and I dummied the ball through my legs and past the defenders before they realized that one of our other players was streaking down the sideline to the ball past them. Without the defenders, they had a clear shot on goal and scored. Another one of those moments where I saw it in my head and it developed like I had hoped. 
5. Moment #5 borders on whether it can be considered a "top" moment, but it does significantly stick out in my brain. We were playing in a tournament, I think in Westfield, and I took a ball to the face during warmups, which proceeded to take me from the starting lineup as I couldn't get the bleeding to stop. I don't recall now why I didn't just shove gauze up it and play, but I didn't. So at some point in the 2nd half, it had finally stopped and I entered the game. The game eventually went to penalty kicks. I remember kicking it poorly; rolling along the ground poorly. However, the keeper guessed the wrong way, but was trying to make it back over to the side where I "kicked" it. Just as he stretched out to block it with his hand, the ball hit a dirt mound in the box and bounced up and over his arm, giving me the most unlikely penalty kick goal I had ever scored. I don't even remember the result of the game, but the hilarity of the goal has stayed with me.

Now for the professionals!

Peter Wilt

1. March 18, 1988: Jacksonville Generals at Milwaukee Wave. Playing at the MECCA Arena we had a massive walk up due to McDonald's promotion. The moment I'll always remember is when the ticket manager ran up to me before the game to ask if she could move the high school band down to the floor. I said yes, so we sold those seats and completed the league record sellout of 8,946 tickets. (Editor's Note: If you know Peter, this is exactly what Peter does and continues to do and is why fans love him. I asked Peter if the sellout helped with tickets the rest of the season and he conveyed this additional story: 
   "It was late in the season. Two days later we hosted Canton Invaders at Neenah High School (in an effort to spread team's interest upstate) during a snow storm in front of 600 fans. We had to move the turf and boards from Milwaukee and physically roll out the turf and set up the boards and glass....brutal work for me and my staff, all for 600 fans....and we lost. Owner told me the next day not to be down. It was a good lesson. Don't learn things if we don't take chances."
   Somehow I feel like Peter learned that lesson.)
2. April 25, 1991: Mirko Castillo scored one minute 50 seconds into overtime to complete the Chicago Power's three-game championship sweep over Dayton in Wright State's Nutter Center. I was the team's GM and also handling analyst duties that game with legendary announcer Howard Balson. It was my first championship and, postgame, I interviewed former Chicago Sting star Bret Hall before joining the team for the on-field celebration.
3. October 30, 1998: Frank Klopas scored the golden goal game-winner in overtime at Soldier Field to give the Chicago Fire the U.S. Open Cup title and "The Double" over Columbus. We were an expansion team and had upset the two-time defending MLS Champion D.C. United five days earlier at the Rose Bowl. Winning the Open Cup behind the hometown hero Frank Klopas in front of our home fans in overtime was special.
4. September 27, 2006: It was the year after I was dismissed by the Fire, but it was still my team. I had acquired every player who took the field in the 2006 US Open Cup Championship at Toyota Park. The Fire won (a 3-1 win over L.A. Galaxy) and afterwards, the team's goalkeeper Matt Pickens found me standing among the supporters in Section 8, called me down, thanked me for bringing him into the team and gave me his championship medal. That moment will live with me forever.
5. June11, 2016: All the planets needed to align to give Indy Eleven our first title, the NASL Spring Championship. The Cosmos needed to lose their final spring match - they did - and we needed to score four or more goals and defeat Carolina by at least three goals. Eamon Zayed's third goal in the 85th minute was the special moment and provided the needed margin. We all stormed the Carroll Stadium field and I cried with joy when the 4-1 victory was official.

Jon Busch

1. Playing in the U-17 World Cup in Japan in 1993 (Jon and his teammates finished 2nd in their Group behind Czechoslovakia before losing to Poland in the quarterfinals)
2. Playing in the Final 4 in my junior year (last year) at UNCC
3. 
   First MLS start with the Columbus Crew vs D.C. United in a 1-0 win (April 27, 2002)
   Walking out of the locker room after warm-ups for start of the game, John Harkes stops me, gives me a handshake and says "good luck kid." I said "thanks" and kept walking. I get a few steps away and I hear him say "don’t shit yourself kid" and started laughing like crazy. I turned around with a smile on my face and said "I will try not to."
4. Winning the Open Cup with Columbus Crew (October 24, 2002 in a 1-0 win against the L.A. Galaxy)
   After the game being in the locker room with a lot of older guys and seeing how excited they were. I remember sitting there with Brian Maisonneuve and talking with him. He had tears and it was then that I realized how hard it is to win a trophy and truly how special it is.
5. Playing first US full National Team game vs Colombia 2005 (Jon also got the start in the U.S.'s 3-0 win on March 9, 2005 with Pat Noonan, Chad Marshall, and Clint Mathis getting the goals and if this match report is correct, Taylor Twellman getting a red card in the 76th minute, just 8 minutes after entering the game.)
   I remember when Bruce Arena told me I would be starting. The morning before the game we were at training and after we did our goalkeeping work with (GK coach) Phil Wheddon, we joined the team. As Bruce started to talk about the game, I remember looking down at my cleats because I truly thought either Joe Cannon or Kevin Hartman were going to start. They were both ahead of me on the pecking order when we entered that camp. As Bruce started to announce the lineup I heard "in goal tomorrow Busch." I looked up at Bruce and then to Phil; I wasn’t sure I had heard it correctly. Phil gave me a little head nod and I knew it was me.
6. 500th Professional Game
   My 500th game was in Miami. Scott Stewart knew it was my 500th, but I asked him not to say anything about it until after the weekend. When I went out for warmups, my wife Nikki, and our good friends Phil and Steph, had secretly flown down and surprised me for the game. I had no idea they were coming or that they even knew it was the 500th. But they did. The result didn’t go our way but it was a big moment. 

Lovel Palmer

1. Scoring my first international goal for Essex Valley in the 1998 Norway Cup in a 1-1 draw 
2. Winning the 2005 Caribbean Club Championship with Harbour View FC
   In 2005, Harbour View became the first Jamaican club to win the Caribbean Club Championship. We went on to play against D.C. United of MLS in a home and away fixture. (Unfortunately for Lovel, D.C. United beat Harbour View by a score of 2-1 in each game.)
3. 
   Becoming the youngest captain to win the Jamaican premier league with Harbour View at age 21. 
4. Playing against and beating my favorite player of all time, David Beckham and L.A. Galaxy 3-0 in a packed Jeld Wen Stadium in front of the Timbers Army was electrifying. (I think Lovel is referencing this August 3rd, 2011 game when Lovel was with Portland.)
5. Winning the 2016 NASL Spring Championship with Indy Eleven (an important moment in Indy Eleven history...)
   Winning the Spring Championship in the final game of the regular season needing to win by 3 goals. Eamon Zayed came up big with a hat trick. We won the game 4-1. Corey Miller was big for us in defense and Don Smart and Dylan Mares dominated in the midfield. The Mike was ecstatic at the end of the 90+ minute knowing Indy just won our first major trophy.