Indy Eleven vs L.A. Galaxy II - 09.04

Summary

- Opponent: L.A. Galaxy II
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 8,037
- Final Score: 1-1 D

- Starting XI: Panicco, Rebellon, Jerome, Cochran (C), Timmer, Ingram, Brown, Law, Aguilera, Fjeldberg, Pinho
- Substitutions: Powder 75' (Law); Briggs 75' (Ingram); McQueen 82' (Fjeldberg)
- Unused: Trilk, Michael, Ouimette, Revelorio

- Scoring Summary:
LA - Salazar 35'
IND - Aguilera 61'

- Bookings:
LA - Drack 11' (Yellow)
IND - Fjeldberg 12' (Yellow)
LA - Judd 39' (Yellow)
IND - Ingram 74' (Yellow)

- Referee: Nabil Bensalah
- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

"Rather be in Naptown
than any place we know."

After being held scoreless in two of their first three games and getting a single goal last week in the draw against Louisville, Indy Eleven fans were hopeful that the first home game of the season would bring some offensive fireworks. Indy fans were rewarded to fireworks, but not many of the goal scoring kind. One of the team's new fan experiences this year are fireworks being set off during the national anthem and after the team scores a goal. Last night, Indy saw the fireworks during the anthem and then just one other time as Indy scored a goal in the 61st minute. 

A burst of rain immediately before kickoff gave way to clear, but cloudy, skies in the early part of the game. However, that burst of rain created the weird skips that Indy fans have come to expect from the deteriorating field at Carroll Stadium, but was not something that the players were accustomed to yet. Some early balls bounced harmlessly out of bounds when the ball didn't check up as expected, and others bounced up and out of reach of other players. Passes looked heavy as balls didn't slow down as they went from player to player. 

However, the weather didn't just bring that afternoon, early evening, rain. It brought with it wind. Wind that became increasingly stronger as the game progressed. In the first half, Indy was headed in the direction that the wind was blowing, and after a couple of good chances from LA in the first couple of minutes, Indy settled in and began to dictate the game and get the bulk of the chances (though not really the possession). However, they struggled to get shots on frame as everything was sailing high. It looked like every Indy shooter was leaning back on their shots forcing everything to sail high, but I asked Coach Lowry if the weather was affecting their shots too. 

"I think it was more just anxiety. It was excitement. It was [that] the guys were excited and it was the first home game. We have to be a little more composed in that area. I think the play to get there was great. A little more composure to hit the net would have been nice."

So now I know Coach isn't going to take the easy excuses with the guys.

However, when you don't finish your chances, even if you're in control of the game, eventually the opposing team is going to get a chance or two and put it away. When LA scored, in the 35th minute, Indy held an 8 to 4 advantage in shots, but a 0 to 1 disadvantage on shots on target. Indy finished the half with 9 shots to 5, but the shots on goal disadvantage increased from 0 to 2. To further make Indy's goal deficit at half more frustrating was that 7 of their 9 shots were within the box. These were not long-range blasts intended to test LA's keeper Sanchez. These were within close range, intended to put Indy ahead. Their inability to stay over the ball or their lack of composure meant Indy had to chase the game in the second half.

The Indy team I saw in this game is starting to more closely resemble what I expected to see from a Mark Lowry coached team. I still think there's a bit less possession that I expected, but that could be a misunderstanding on my part about how much possession El Paso actually held in the past couple of seasons. Yet, the team press, the play from the back, and the absolute bossing of the field from Jerome are all things I saw when I watched El Paso last year.

As with many games, sometimes the plan and the tactics give way to sheer effort, and maybe a little luck. With all of Indy's chances in the first half, it was an absolute busted scenario that gave Indy their goal. Sanchez came off his line to get a ball from Fjeldberg, but the ball found Aguilera instead. The lack of composure that was seen in the first half was nowhere to be found from Aguilera in this instance. As the ball bounced around, including in Sanchez's hands, it found Aguilera who shot the ball through a mass of humanity into the lower right corner of the goal. 

Unfortunately for Indy, they only had a single shot on target after the goal, and it happened with a minute of the goal. The number of shots for Indy was two more than they had for the first three games combined. So, while Coach Lowry and fans would like to see the finishing be a little more clinical and on-frame, it's difficult to fault their effort in getting themselves into position to take shots. As can be seen from the shot chart from the USL match center, Indy took just two of their 16 shots from outside the box. "We have to be a little more composed in that area,' reverberates in my ears as I look at Indy's stats. Indy put themselves in good positions, but let the excitement of the game and the home fans push their shots high and wide. That should get better as the season progresses.

The concern that I had for Indy after the first two games is slowly dissipating. They still have a ways to go, but I'm starting to see progress towards where I think they, and we, want to be.

After a Tuesday U.S. Open Cup contest against St. Louis City 2, Indy go on the road again to play Rio Grande Valley before finally coming back home for back-to-back-to-back weekends at Carroll Stadium to close out the month of April.

Some Final Thoughts 

• It may have been brief, but #IndyForever Former Indy Eleven player Liam Doyle did a great job controlling Los Dos's backline.
  
  
• Indy lines up in a 4-4-2 diamond under Coach Lowry, but that is a very fluid thing. There were times in defense that Indy was sitting in a flat 4-4-2. So while Hackshaw and Brown are listed in that defensive midfielder role, there were times during this game where L.A. was looking at two lines of very compact Indy players. 
  
  
• Speaking of Hackshaw and Brown... Hackshaw has been the clear opening day leader at that midfielder position. However, his time away with T&T has given Brown a chance to shine in Hack's absence. The team was 0W-0D-2L with Hackshaw and 0W-2D-0L with Brown. Obviously, it's not necessarily a direct correlation, but I asked Coach if he was going to have a decision to make now that Hackshaw is back from international duty.

"Yeah, that's pro sports. Sam stepped in in Hack's absence and Sam's been tremendous. He showed how good he can be for us, a young player 25 years of age. So it's exciting to have that competition in place and that's what we want to create in the team. I don't think there's been enough of that the last couple of years. We want the guys to compete, in a healthy way, compete for the spot, push themselves to be better every single day and that's really going to bring the team together and make them better." 

I think Coach Lowry might be one of those coaches who could make me believe that I could help the team.

• Ingram is a find. Coach had good words to say about him too. 
  
  
• Periodically, I get reminded that Timmer is deceptively fast. 
  
  
• Aguilera started off the press conference answering questions from Gus Ochoa of Casillero Deportivo and it was requested from Indy staff that questions/answers be in both Spanish and English. I have a good base for my Spanish speaking, but definitely am not as fluent as I would like, and definitely not in an ability to ask questions about a soccer game. Luckily for my pride, Gus asked all the questions from Aguilera that I would have wanted answered and didn't have to try out my Spanish speaking abilities. Gus started with Coach Lowry as well, asking the question in Spanish and English. Coach Lowry, to his credit, began answering in Spanish. Of course he did. He spent three years in El Paso, and has apparently picked up enough Spanish in his life to feel comfortable answering in both languages. He didn't continue that throughout the interview, but it's the first time that I can remember in all my years covering the team that the coach has done that.
  
  I think Coach Lowry might be one of those coaches who could make me believe I should help the team. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

In a game where Indy struggled to put shots on target, you have to give the GBGB to the guy who not only put on target, but in the goal. Right? Aguilera stayed composed and put his shot on target through multiple players. The goal became what saved a home opener loss into a home opener draw. 

Additional Photos (Courtesy of @DLTPhotog)

Indy Eleven vs Louisville City FC - 09.03

Summary

- Opponent: Louisville City FC
- Location: Lynn Family Stadium
- Attendance: 8,551
- Final Score: 1-1 D

- Starting XI: Panicco, Rebellon, Jerome, Cochran (C), Timmer, Ingram, Brown, Law, Fjeldberg, Briggs, Pinho
- Substitutions: Michael 73' (Pinho); Ouimette 89' (Fjeldberg); Ault 90'+6' (Briggs)
- Unused: Trilk, Iaccino, Revolorio, Warhaft

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Pinho 22' (assist Law)
LOU - Totsch 53' 

- Bookings:
IND - Timmer 35' (Yellow)
LOU - Ownby 85' (Yellow)
IND - Briggs 86' (Yellow)
LOU - Dia 89' (Yellow)

- Referee: Eric Tattersall
- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

With a loss tonight, Indy would have started the season with 0 wins and 3 losses. El Paso lost an absolute crazy game on Wednesday to start their season with 0 wins and 3 losses, two of which were at the fortress they call Southwest University Park. A trip to Louisville was starting to look like the hiring of Coach Lowry wasn't benefitting either team. At least this early in the season, both teams sit near the bottom of their respective tables, and unfortunately, until tonight, Indy looked like they belong there. The good news for Indy fans is that, as they indicated on the telecast, Lowry's first two seasons at El Paso were also slow starts. While Indy picked up a much needed point tonight, the three games are still a long way from the optimism we all felt just a few weeks ago. 

A draw on the road in Louisville in the first game of the 2022 iteration of the Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest series is something to build upon though, particularly given the number of players that were unavailable for this game. Starters Hackshaw and Powder were out with Trinidad & Tobago, and Arteaga and Ayoze continue to be out with a knee and ankle injury, respectively. While the second half of the game was tilted more towards Indy's defensive side, the first half had a much better showing from Indy on their ability to put Louisville under pressure than we saw throughout any part of the Loudoun or Tampa Bay games. 

Louisville came into this game getting 9 points from their first 3 games, having not conceded a goal yet this year. Indy's goal in the 22nd minute was a result of Indy attacking, and attacking in numbers. When the series begins, Indy had both forwards and three of the four midfields going forward, with Ingram quickly following behind the play, against just two Louisville defenders (more did manage to make their way back by the end of the play). Fjeldberg's cross was not ideal, but because Indy was attacking with so much pace, Bone was at a dead-sprint towards his own goal and couldn't get much on his clearance, which went directly to Brown. Brown quickly found Law, with Bone out of position. Then Law abused Bone further with the fake cross with his right foot, bringing it back to his left for the cross in front of goal that Pinho latched onto with his diving header. This was the kind of attacking football that I thought we would see.

Indy nearly doubled their lead eleven minutes later after Law managed to get his foot to a clearance from Bone that ricocheted into the middle of the pitch and Fjeldberg. With Louisville's defense slightly out of position after the ricochet, Fjeldberg immediately turned towards Louisville's goal and put one in the upper corner that Morton managed to push just enough to get the ball to bounce off the cross bar. 

Louisville made some adjustments after halftime and Indy found themselves defending much more in the second half, but it was a scramble on a Louisville corner kick in the 53rd minute that found Totsch, who made no mistake of putting it into the back of the goal. At that point, momentum clearly felt to be on Louisville's side, but Indy settled back into the game again and managed to thwart Louisville's frequent pushes forward. Including another scramble on a corner kick where Panicco didn't get a good punch to the ball and second half substitute, and recent signing, Michael managed to get a boot to the ball as it bounced towards goal, only to kick the ball up into the bottom part of the cross bar and back out off of Cochran's shoulder. Despite pleas from the Louisville players and fans, it looked like the correct no-call to me. 

Given the way Indy looked in their first two games, this draw in Louisville feels like a win. It moves Indy off of the bottom of the table, if only just barely, to give the team and fans some confidence moving forward. After three games, Indy finally come home to The Mike next week for their first home game of the season against LA Galaxy II, and then get a quick turnaround for an Open Cup game on Tuesday against Saint Louis City SC 2. Getting a point tonight against Louisville is going to make those games a little less stressful.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

In contract to the past two games, I think I could actually give the Game Beckons Game Ball to a couple players. Obviously I could give it to Law because he was mentioned a couple times in my recap and 4 chances created. Brown was worthy because of his presence in the attack and defense. Timmer has been moved all over the starting lineup recently as needed due to the injuries and suspensions and has been great. However, given that Indy hadn't scored a goal before tonight, I think I'll give tonight's GBGB to Pinho. His movement to stay onside as Law abused Bone was absolutely vital to the Indy goal. Indy needed to see the ball go into the goal and Pinho provided that tonight.

Indy Eleven vs Tampa Bay Rowdies - 09.02

Summary

- Opponent: Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Location: Al Lang Stadium
- Attendance: 5,192
- Final Score: 2-0 L

- Starting XI: Panicco, Timmer, Jerome, Ouimette, Hackshaw (C), Rebellon, Law, Fjeldberg, Powder, Aguilera, Pinho
- Substitutions: Briggs 67' (Rebellon); Brown 74' (Pinho); Ingram 74' (Law)
- Unused: Trilk, Cochran, Warhaft, Ault

- Scoring Summary:
TBR - Tejada 1' (assist Guenzatti)
TBR - La Cava 51' (assist Tejada)

- Bookings:
TBR - Scarlett 11' (Yellow)
IND - Aguilera 18', 59' (Yellow + Yellow = RED)
TBR - Wyke 39' (Yellow)
TBR - Guillen 45'+2' (Yellow)
IND - Pinho 53' (Yellow)
TBR - Etou 76' (Yellow)

- Referee: Jeremy Scheer
- Adage goals: One

Thoughts and Opinions

THIRTY-SIX SECONDS. It took 36 seconds for Indy Eleven to be playing from behind. Amazingly, by my records, that's only the third fastest goal given up by Indy in their history. In 2014, Indy let Fort Lauderdale score in 28 seconds, and last year, Indy let Atlanta United score in 10 seconds. Indy, eventually, settled into the game a bit, but as was stated on the broadcast, the "speed of play, just miles apart at the moment."

For the second time in two games, the announcers for the games have stated that Mark Lowry has said that he isn't as concerned about the "aesthetics" of how Indy plays. That's probably a good idea to get into the Indy Eleven's ear holes, because at this point in the season, the aesthetics are a bit rough. They remain compact in defense, but there continue to be poor passes, questionable decisions, and no significant pressure moving forward. In some ways, this looks exactly like what Indy fans saw last year under Martin Rennie. 

Indy finished the first half with TBR holding a 70% to 30% advantage in possession and with a 4 to 0 advantage in shots on goal. If it wasn't for two late shots on goal by Indy, those percentages and differences would have remained the same.

The second half didn't look any different. Tampa picked up a second goal, early in the half and Indy looked stagnant afterwards. No intensity moving forward. Minimal possession. Just two late shots on goal.

Once the second yellow card was presented to Aguilera in the 59th minute, Indy had no chance in this game. Indy went an entire season last year without getting a player getting thrown out of a game, but Indy is two for two this season, as Aguilera joins McQueen as players to make their way to the locker room early. 

Two shots on goal; both in the closing minutes with one in the 84th minute and the other in the 88th minute from a corner kick. Tampa Bay had a >92% success rate on their passes.

I don't know what else to say about this game. For the second week in a row, Indy was completely outclassed, nearly in all positions. The team that I thought we would see this season is not the team that we are seeing so far. Again, in some ways, this feels like an extension of the Rennie era, and that isn't necessarily a good thing.

This is a new group of guys and so the typical, "it's going to take time to gel" mentality is true, but next week in Louisville has all the signs of an 0-3 start for Indy to start this season.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I could give this to Panicco again, but I'll spread the wealth a little. You know what, I can't give it to anybody but Panicco. I can't look at how the game went and the player stats and really think of another player that deserves it more. GBGB by default maybe, but for a guy that I don't think had many minutes with the team during preseason, he has looked good.

Closing Thought

Congratulations to Karl Ouimette for being the first player in Indy Eleven club history to reach the Century Club in starts. 

Indy Eleven vs Loudoun United FC - 09.01

Summary

- Opponent: Loudoun United FC
- Location: Segra Field
- Attendance: --
- Final Score: 1-0 L

- Starting XI: Panicco, Cochran, Jerome, Hackshaw (C), Powder, McQueen, Law, Rebellon, Ingram, Briggs, Pinho
- Substitutions: Brown 62' (Rebellon); Fjeldberg 62' (Ingram); Aguilera 90'+3' (Law); Ault 90'+3' (Briggs)
- Unused: Trilk, Timmer, Ouimette

- Scoring Summary:
LDN - Smith 43' (Ku-Dipietro)

- Bookings:
IND - Hackshaw 20' (Yellow)
LDN - Greene 62' (Yellow)
LDN - Hope-Gund 70' (Yellow)
LDN - Lilliard 84' (Yellow)
IND - Briggs 87' (Yellow)
IND - McQueen 90' (RED)
LDN - Smith 90'+5' (Yellow)

- Referee: John Matto
- Adage goals: One

Thoughts and Opinions

The Mark Lowry era starts with a whimper and an uninspiring 1-0 loss to Loudoun United, that also watched McQueen exit to the showers early on a late game red card. Luckily for Indy fans, there are 33 more regular season games before this season is in the books, but this was not the game that Indy expected with the hiring of Mark Lowry and the off-season signings.

To paraphrase Devon Kerr on the telecast, Lowry has indicated that what separates his preferred style of play now from his early coaching days is that he is less concerned with the aesthetics of how the game "looks" as long as the guys are playing the style he wants from them. This was certainly true in the game as Indy didn't maintain much position, finishing the first half with Loudoun holding a 67% to 33% advantage in possession, and that only got slightly better by the end of the game. More importantly, Indy went down 1-0 in the 43rd minute on a counterattack from Loudoun that didn't get slowed down, despite there being sufficient defenders back to handle the attack. Indy's only shot on goal in the first half came from local product, Justin Ingram, in the 2nd minute, and it was easily saved by Loudoun's Zamudio as Ingram didn't get much on it. Indy only managed one more shot on goal the rest of the game, in the 76th minute by Fjeldberg. That's a long stretch of the game where Indy couldn't put anything on frame. As can seen by the 1st half average position chart, it was a crowded midfield and Indy didn't have any answers on how to break through it.

This looked markedly different than the Lowry led El Paso games I watched last season. Possession was nearly non-existent, passes were not as accurate, and significantly more long passes. If we're being honest with ourselves, this looked like a Martin Rennie bunker and hope game on the road. I have full faith that this isn't what we're going to see every game, but this was not the start to the season that I wanted to see. With upcoming road games against Tampa Bay and Louisville, this has all the markings of Indy being in a 3-game hole before they ever see the home confines of Carroll Stadium.

Loudoun was awarded a penalty kick in the 78th minute on a questionable call on a shoulder tackle from second-half substitute Brown. Panicco went the correct direction and pushed Hopkins' ball away from the goal, maintaining Indy's ability to stay in the game. A scramble ensued before Indy finally cleared the ball. "Ball don't lie." 

However, better play does, and Loudoun deserved this win. They were the more dominant and more composed team. They created more chances, while limiting Indy to almost nothing. They took it to Indy from the start and Indy never found an answer against them.

Indy are going to need to figure some things out in the coming week, because a trip to Tampa Bay is on the docket for next week. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

In a game that looked like this, the GBGB came down to a single moment. To my knowledge, Panicco didn't get many moments during the preseason games, but stopping a penalty kick doesn't require you to have much time on the field with your teammates. It just requires you to guess correctly on the penalty kickers direction and then have a strong enough hand to it to push it aside. Panicco did that, keeping Indy from going further in the hole late in the game.

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)

Mark Lowry announced as new Indy Eleven coach and Technical Director

Photo Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre
for El Paso Locomotive

Indy Eleven officially announced today that the club's fourth (permanent) coach, as well as its new Technical Director, is Mark Lowry. Mark comes to Indy Eleven from El Paso Locomotive, where he lead the team to three playoff appearances in the club's first three seasons, reaching the conference final in the first two seasons, and a record of 42W-29D-19L, "including playoffs and the U.S. Open Cup." The El Paso press release included the following quote from Lowry after the Western Conference quarterfinal loss to Oakland Roots:

“The three years I’ve been here have been great,” shared Lowry after the Western Conference Quarterfinal. “I felt the love from the fans every single time we stepped on the field, personally. I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done and what we created here over the three years. They are a huge part of that. We’ve won, we’ve scored goals, we’ve had fun, and celebrated with them. Those are memories that will live with me forever and will hopefully live with them forever as well. There will be lots more of those in the future.” 

Hearing his voice in that press conference from November 5th, in hindsight, it almost makes me wonder if he knew then that he would be headed to Indy. Based on my inquiries to Indy Eleven last week, I have to think he probably did. It's a bit ironic that the person that officially replaces Martin Rennie was the coach that handed Indy a 2-nil loss on June 9th prior to Rennie's on-field, post-game, unofficial resignation on June 15th against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

After El Paso announced Lowry's departure, I immediately tweeted that I wondered if the coaching carrousel was bringing Lowry to Indy Eleven. Simultaneously, I reached out to some people whose opinion I trust and one told me that it was, but that "you didn't hear it from me," while the other one said, "no comment," but then praised my intelligence. Shortly after all of that, Jeff Reuter at The Athletic tweeted that their sources were indicating the same thing. For some reason, Jeff's tweet was more popular than mine. Oh well. By the end of the business day, the El Paso news sources had an interview with Coach Lowry where he confirmed that he would be going to Indy.

I laughed out loud when I heard the interview clip because earlier in the day I had said, "If nothing else, @IndyEleven continue to be able to sell guys on the "long-term goals of the club." Rennie & players routinely stated it & I bet @CoachMarkLowry says it when he is officially announced." 

It didn't even make it to today's official announcement, as Coach Lowry stated in the clip, "Indianapolis is a market where they've had that aspiration and they've tried before [moving to MLS]. I know they're still ambitious to do that and it's a market that can have a case for an MLS team and hold an MLS team. So that's all, that's in the back of my mind." As Colin Deaver indicated in the beginning of the clip about Indy Eleven, "Ownership has long wanted to try to make the jump to MLS and if they do so, Lowry would get a shot at that level. Plus, if he's successful in Indianapolis, he would also make himself even more attractive to clubs at higher levels of soccer." I think Lowry's got a better shot at the latter scenario than the former, but either way, he's being pragmatic about his goals, particularly for a 36-year old coach. 

Indy Eleven made all of that official today. When I asked what he thought about the hiring, former Indy Eleven President and General Manager Peter Wilt stated, ""I love it. Surprised he was available. Proven head coach. Knows the league. Respected by his players. Great hire." Current Indy Eleven play-by-play announcer Greg Rakestraw provided similar praise of the hire, stating,

"I'm a huge fan of this hire. In his previous stops in Jacksonville and El Paso, it hasn't taken long for Mark to turn teams into consistent winners. I think this speaks to the power of the Indy Eleven brand and fanbase that Mark would feel comfortable leaving what he had established in El Paso to make the move to Indy."

Greg's television lifemate and color commentator, Brad Hauter is also a big fan of the hiring of Mark Lowry, stating, 

“I’m very excited about Coach Lowry coming to lead the team. From back in the Armada - Indy eleven days, I enjoyed the way his teams played and felt he was able to get more out of his players then people expected. What he did in El Paso this year was incredibly impressive and I think naming him this far in advance of the season allows him to create the roster he wants. He has shown he can win at this level and I think it’s a great fit!”

As for me, I'm ecstatic about the promise of what Lowry can bring to Indy, having began intently following El Paso after Dylan Mares joined the team in March 2020. After Macca King joined the squad in August of that year, I began to watch even more closely, even indicating that September, that "I have become a fan of @eplocomotivefc and the way @CoachMarkLowry has them playing." In August of this year, I tweeted, "I'm an @IndyEleven supporter but I really like watching @eplocomotivefc play." For my article this year regarding my journey into the Scottish Professional Football League, I had watched enough of their games to know that their midfielder Nick Ross was from Scotland, so I reached out to Derick Fox, their Manager of Communications (and always helpful to me), to get comments from Nick. In August, while pointing out the anniversary of the last hat trick scored by an Indy Eleven player, I noted that Lowry was on the bench for the visitors that day, the Jacksonville Armada, coached by Tony Meola at the time. I'm going to come back to that tweet in a minute, but I think I may have been willing this move for the past two years...

Notable: current and former @IndyEleven players @karlouimette @jasonplumhoff & @ZachSteinberger were on Jacksonville's team that year.

Current @eplocomotivefc coach Mark Lowry was an assistant for Jacksonville as well. pic.twitter.com/NxiLg3vbTv

— Drew (@GenWRX6) August 3, 2021

While El Paso plays on a baseball field (and I have repeatedly stated my hatred of those fields for soccer), Coach Lowry had the team play a very possession oriented style of play, but in a more attack minded way. Where Indy Eleven fans have seen a very defense minded style of play the past four years under Rennie and Rogers, El Paso maintains a very solid defensive line, but has a more attacking presence than we've seen out of Indy in recent years. There are about a dozen players on that roster that I wouldn't mind seeing make the trip to Indy with Coach Lowry; Dylan Mares, Macca King, Richie Ryan, Nick Ross, Jerome, Borelli, Carrijo, Solignac, Herrera, Yuma, Luna, Ketterer. Though, I'll feel a bit bad about it for the rest of the El Paso fans.

As I mentioned in tweets today, I might have to rethink my list of what I thought might happen to the current Indy Eleven roster this off-season. One of the players in my "Possibly Gone" category was Karl Ouimette, because of his reduced minutes late in the season, he was a Rennie man having been here since Rennie's first season, and he might be out of contract. However, as noted in the tweet embeded above, Ouimette was on the Jacksonville roster when Lowry was an assistant there. If Lowry liked what he saw in Ouimette's loan at the end of that season, we may see the two reunited again. I think Ayoze, Moon, Hackshaw, Timmer, Arteaga, Law, Wild, Adewole, and Ledesma could all fit into Lowry's system of play as well. 

This was the first step that had to take place this off-season for Indy Eleven. Now that this domino has fallen, expect to start seeing player announcements in upcoming days or weeks as Lowry takes inventory of what players are contractually obligated to return, what ones he might want from the rest, and what other players he might want to bring in from other squads. It's notable that of the names I listed above for El Paso that I wouldn't mind seeing come with him, Jerome and Richie Ryan were on that 2016 Jacksonville team. From the current El Paso squad, Matt Bahner and Bryam Rebellón have also played at both locations for Lowry as well. If you're wanting to do a deep dive of players that might be on next year's Indy Eleven roster, a review of past Lowry teams will provide you a good indication of the style of player he prefers, and may even provide you with some actual names.

Indy Eleven's post-season was going to be a busy one, but today's announcement of Mark Lowry is a positive step in the right direction.

Indy Eleven 2021 Recap & 2022 Off-Season Outlook

All it takes is a look at Indy's timeline to the right to see why the Eleven are spending the post-season watching the playoffs, rather than participating in them. They had one three-game undefeated streak, and a couple of two-game undefeated streaks, but could never win more than two games in a row, and they did that just once. The team had a -15 goal differential, scoring just 32 goals in 32 games. 

Indy signed 26 new players for the season, including four last-ditch effort signings in mid- to late-September. Overall, the team had 40 players that were signed for the 2021 season. Admittedly, five of those were players that were signed and then shipped somewhere else before the season ever started (Newton to Vancouver Whitecaps, Pasher to Houston Dynamo, Penn drafted by Inter Miami, Guitar drafted by Chicago Fire and then subsequently loaned to Memphis, and Cal Jennings acquired by LAFC and then subsequently loaned to Las Vegas). However, Indy had 28 players see playing time this year, including the first time the team has ever played 3 goalkeepers in a season after the team acquired Eric Dick on loan after Jordan Farr was injured. There were also another 9 players that saw time during the friendly against the Chicago Fire (mostly Academy players). That's a lot of inconsistency in the lineups from game-to-game.

The most common refrain about this team is that on-paper they should be performing better than they did. There is a ton of talent on the Indy roster, but for some reason it just never consistently clicked. Some of it can be attributed to injuries in key locations; Farr, Hackshaw, Cochran, Haworth, etc. all seeing extended injury spells. Some of it can likely be attributed to tactics. Some of it can be attributed to bad luck and bad bounces (see Memphis game in June).

A lot of how Indy moves on from this season will be dependent on the next coach and the next group of players. There are going to be some guys who are returning due to contractual obligations, but Indy is primed for yet another scorched earth rebuild. Let's get into all of that now and forget about this year's 9W-8D-15L season.

Looking to 2023

Stadium

This isn't a complete regurgitation of what I wrote last year, but it's close since almost nothing has changed from a fan's perspective. The team announced that they were going to announce a location by the end of March. The end of March came and went and many suspected the announcement was being delayed due to Indy taking on the task of hosting the entire men's NCAA Division 1 basketball tourney, from start to finish. As the year progressed, and the season finished, no announcement has been made. The current statement from the team is that "land acquisition" is underway. Where and why it is taking so long are complete unknowns. Other than those details, here is a regurgitated run-down of a few of the key points from the law that provides some of the funding for the stadium:

• Indy still have approval from the state legislature to build a development thanks to Senate Enrolled Act 7. 
• The stadium and development still need to be within Marion County. 
• The stadium and development can be "discontigous," but within 1 mile of each other. 
• Indy Eleven's ownership group has to provide 20% of the cost of the stadium, whether up-front or throughout the life of the loan. 
• Final approval needs to go through the State, City of Indianapolis, and the Capital Improvement Board.

In last year's review of the season, I indicated that it was my understanding that that the team intended to use Lucas Oil Stadium "for the foreseeable future," which I thought would include this year. That was obviously not the case as Indy played at Carroll Stadium in 2021 and will be playing there in 2022. Now Carroll Stadium is being discussed as the location "for the foreseeable future." In an interview that Nicky Law did with the Soccer Snobs Podcast, Nicky described the field at Carroll, saying, "it's bad. It's probably as bad as I've played anyways...Struggle to walk for next few days after." Obviously, that's disappointing. Was it a factor in why Nicky couldn't play in the final two games of the season? I don't know, but I'm sure it didn't help.

We do know that the Lafayette Square Mall site looks to be completely off the table as the IBJ recently had an article about how the current owner of that property is going to develop the land. While it includes soccer fields, it doesn't include a stadium. I had a series of tweets in early October where I discussed the use of the old GM Stamping plant site, which is now owned by Elanco, due to an interview that Ersal did with Seth Morales of the Morales Group. There were some intriguing statements from Ersal, but it's all just guesswork at this point. Some folks raised the idea of the property on 16th Street across from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and I evaluated that in mid-September. 

Before all of that:

Received confirmation today from a member of IUPUI's Capital Planning & Facilities group that "Indiana University is not currently in any discussions with Indy Eleven and/or the Keystone Group regarding a stadium development at IUPUI."

Answers that Eleven Park rumor for me.

— Game BELLkons (@GenWRX6) July 13, 2021

I do not have any other updates on a location nor do I feel like speculating about any other locations, having covered the stadium multiple times over the years. If I get any hints of a direction, I'll post another stadium specific article.

Coach

I was correct in last year's off-season outlook that Rennie would return for the 2021 season. I didn't expect, though, that he would have a controlled meltdown on camera with Rakestraw and Hauter after the Pittsburgh game in June and that the next day he and the team would "mutually part ways." As I indicated in that article, "Officially, Rennie led the team in 99 games, with a 45W-35L-19D record, or a 45.5% win percentage (or getting at least a point from a game 64.6% of the time). Counting a win in a friendly against Detroit City FC in August 2019, Rennie officially reached the #CenturyClub for Indy."

Thrown in as interim coach was Max Rogers, a recent addition to the assistant group. He, Phil Presser, and Andy Swift coached by committee, but Rogers was the face. Rogers finished this season with a 6W-7D-11L record. A record that is doubtful to keep him around as the permanent coach moving forward.

To date, there are only rumors about the new coach, most of which are probably (or are completely) incorrect. Everybody I have asked that I trust to give me an honest answer have said that very few people in the Indy Eleven organization know the status of the coach hiring search. Though I was told that of the 100+ candidates that expressed interest after Rennie's departure, the search has been whittled down to a single person. An announcement could be forthcoming, depending on when pen meets paper. Honestly, with the way the coach carousel has gone this year, I can't even begin to guess who it might be. Some very high profile names have been mentioned to me as having interest and some very high profile names have been mentioned as having no interest (a certain coach from a team down I-65 falls into this latter category).

Players

The 2021 season was the fourth season under Coach Rennie (and then Rogers). As I've discussed over the years in these, it seems like the majority of the player contracts for Indy Eleven have the appearance of 2 year contracts or 1 year contracts with a 2nd year option. With this year's rebuild, it's difficult to say how many of the guys are on the former and how many are on the latter. However, without a permanent coach announced yet, I don't expect to see any player announcements until the coach is announced. Between the contracts and what style of play the new coach wants to impart, player announcements might be awhile. The ability to guess which players might be returning is a crap shoot in the best of years. This year with the introduction of a new coach after the last coach did a rebuild the year before, it might be an impossible task, particularly if some of the players are contractually obligated to return. Based entirely off of nothing, here are what players I expect might be somewhere else and who might be returning.:

Probably gone:

1. Liu - Aidan was on loan and managed just 44 minutes this season, all of them late in the season as injuries forced Rogers to dig deep into the bench. History has indicated that guys with that amount of minutes don't stick around for a second season.
2.  Haworth - Guessing this year was the second year of a two year contract, and Carl managed just 50 minutes this season due to injury. While only 32 years old and still talented, this one will come down to what the new coach is looking for in players and if Haworth fits into that system.
3. Seagrist - Another player loaned from a larger club, Inter Miami, Patrick's minutes were likely exactly what Inter Miami wanted to see in his development. Whether he returns to Miami and stays is not part of my evaluation, but I bet he doesn't return to Indy next season.
4. Moon - Every year, there seems to be at least one player that we all want back that finds more money somewhere else. Like Haworth above, Moon has been here two years and is likely out of contract. Other teams have noticed Moon and I fear he's gone.

Possibly gone:

1. Ayoze - at Ayoze's age, he might have difficulty finding another team, though not because his talent has waned. Ayoze is still quite often the most talented player on the field and whose first touch, intellect, and vision of the field will keep him on the field another year if he desires continuing. His age, though, may be to a point where he's ready to retire. However, it's anybody's guess on whether he drinks some more from the fountain of youth he's found and returns for another year to take a beating on the turf at Carroll.
2. Ouimette -  Karl was a Rennie man and his minutes waned at the end of the season for Rogers with the introduction of the late season signings. This will be another where it will depend on the coach that is brought in on whether "Beans" is with us for another season. 
3. Vassell - Talent showed up in moments, but his ability to maintain the ball concerns me a bit. Whether the new coach shares that concern could determine whether Peter is back next year.
4. Farr - He's beloved here. He's now also beloved in San Antonio. You don't become an emergency signing one day and then start for the team the next day without having ability. The fact that all of that happened for Jordan, and is getting to continue playing in the post-season, means that at least one team took notice of his ability and they are in the Western Conference. Farr needed regular minutes and he got them this year. I think he's gone.

Possibly returning:

1. Hackshaw - May be the best left back in the league. Unless Hackshaw wants to be somewhere else, and he just finished year 3, the next coach would be hard pressed to find another player with his ability and talent, and he already has a connection here.
2. Adewole, Ledesma, Partida, Doyle - I'll lump all four of these guys in here together for the same reasons. Maybe they were willing to sign a short-term month-long contract, but I would be surprised if they weren't signed with the intent that they would be returning next year. So unless something drastic happens with their contract with the next coach, I expect all four of these guys back.
3. Gutjahr, Buckmaster - Young guys with a local connection. Likely enough for them to stick around. Again, subject to the next coach.
4. Edwards - I have concerns about Edwards ability to consistently play out of the back, but he showed his ability to stop shots on numerous occasions this year. Not sure if he is at full-time #1 level yet, but proved to be effective when forced into action. Second year of a 2 year contract or option on the second? 
5. Timmer - Timmer proved his versatility this season, playing in a number of positions. I can see him as a dedicated holding midfielder in the next coach's formation. Given the contract issues, his versatility could be something that the next coach can utilize.
6. Cochran - All going to come down to next coach and existing contract requirements.
7. Sissoko - Same as Cochran.
8. Koffie - Same as Sissoko. 

Hope they return:

1. Arteaga - Team's leading scorer. Poacher with a non-stop engine. Hope he's back.
2. Law - For me, it was Nicky and Ayoze as the top talent on the team this year. It would be a shame if he didn't return. He has expressed that he wanted to make the move to the States for awhile. Whether he saw Indy as a stepping stone to somewhere else could be a possibility, but I had a gut feeling that he wouldn't have made the jump without a guaranteed two year contract.
3. Wild - Much like Arteaga (and Moon), his desire to attack the goal was never in question. Whether he could effectively do that when forced to kick with his right food is another story. However, another year with Arteaga-Law-Wild and their familiarity could prove to be key.

Final Thoughts

With back-to-back seasons out of the playoffs and the amount of budget that Indy has compared to other teams, the expectation will be that the coach and the players will have to be an immediate impact. Some familiarity between players might be enough to see a good portion of the roster return. 

Carroll Stadium may be the place that many fans hold dear to their hearts, but Indy need to take a tangible step towards Eleven Park, in whatever form that takes right now. The team moved off the bottom rung on the stadium, but their persistent placement on that next run has started to make fans believe that the stadium won't happen. "Land acquisition" needs to change to questions about the design and construction of the stadium. While it's basically an amateur team, Indy's addition of a women's team in the USL-W League is a key step to make me think that Indy might move to the USL women's Super League in the near future. A stadium will help with that addition. Team officials have indicated to me that the team is working on the women's team details, but wouldn't provide a timeline for that. For good reason: see the above discussion of the team's announcement of a stadium announcement by end of March 2021. 

Indy is going to have a busy off-season. New coach. New players. Stadium announcement? Every single detail of a women's team. Strap in Indy fans, it's going to be a busy off-season.