Indy Eleven vs North Carolina FC - 06.08

- Opponent: North Carolina FC
- Location: Indianapolis
- Attendance: 9,017
- Final Score: 0-0 D
- Starting XI: Newton, Hackshaw (C), Crognale, Ouimette, Ayoze, Matern, Gibson, King, Enevoldsen, Kelly, Pasher
- Substitutions: Watson 72' (King); Penn 74' (Pasher); Diakhate 86' (Kelly)
- Unused: Farr, Farias, Walker, Ilic
- Goals: None
- Bookings: Diakhate 90'+1' (Yellow)
- Referee: Sergii Demianchuk
- Adage goals: None

Coming into the game, when asked about not having Paddy Barrett in the game, Coach Rennie was quoted as saying, "I don't think it really changes anything. For us, we’ve got a number of players who can step in if someone’s out. Paddy’s been a very good player for this season and he’s a very important player for us, but so is Karl [Ouimette]." While I don't think that's completely true, otherwise why would Barrett have played every minute of every game prior to his dismissal against Tampa Bay, Ouimette did do a good job in Barrett's place. With a pair of back-to-back draws against some of the top teams in the conference during a busy 3-game week, Barrett's yellow/yellow/red card didn't ultimately come back to hurt the team.

This game looked noticeably different than the one on Wednesday versus Tampa Bay. The Rennie Bunker (TM) wasn't present and Indy controlled the game from possession, defense, and shot perspectives. The Eleven had multiple bites at the apple, but couldn't get a shot (one of 20) to find its way into the goal. North Carolina really only had a few good chances, one by former Indy Eleven player Ben Speas, and Newton came up big on each of those. Speaking of which, with the clean sheet, Newton became the USL Championship's all-time leader in that category. The team already has four on the season, on pace to set a new club record, but that's getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

As I watched, I was reminded of something I said towards the end of last season. Last year, Indy was good, but not great, particularly against the elite teams in the conference. As I watched shot after shot go wide or caught by NCFC's Tambakis, I began to wonder if we'll see a similar trend this year. Indy has looked spectacular against the bottom of the table and Bethlehem, outscoring them by a 10 to 3 margin. Against the top of the table, Indy have been outscored 4 to 2, plus a couple of nil-nil draws. Again though, that may be getting a bit ahead of ourselves. Hopefully this isn't a game that Indy will regret not getting all three points based on the number of good opportunities they had to get a game-winning goal.

Indy now has two weeks off from league play before hosting Charleston on May 18th, but will host a U.S. Open Cup game on May 15th versus the winner of Lansing Ignite and AFC Ann Arbor.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Pasher. He may have made a mess out of a couple of his chances, but he looked dangerous all night. One of his chances, he looked indecisive as he found himself behind the defense and one-on-one with the keeper and looked like he couldn't decide if he wanted to try and chip the keeper or take a full shot and he ended up getting caught by the recovering defense. On another occasion, he got in towards the box, but lost the ball under his feet. Sometimes his speed, and he may be one of the fastest in the league that I can recall seeing, is faster than his decision process.

After all that, why does he get the GBGB? Because he was consistently a nuisance for NCFC's defense and the stats indicate that my eyeball test were accurate. He could have easily had a goal, but his pace and effort constantly had NCFC's defense on their heels or full-out sprinting toward the goal to try and catch him. With that much effort and pace, teams won't be able to throw so many bodies at Kelly to defend him, which both Tampa Bay and NCFC did the past two games. 

Indy Eleven vs Tampa Bay Rowdies - 06.07

- Opponent: Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Location: Indianapolis
- Attendance: 8,035
- Final Score: 0-0 D
- Starting XI: Newton, Hackshaw, Crognale, Barrett, Ayoze, Walker, Gibson, Watson (C), Enevoldsen, Kelly, Pasher
- Substitutions: Ouimette 26' (Pasher - due to Barrett RED); Diakhate 75' (Kelly); Matern 90'+3' (Enevoldsen)
- Unused: Farr, Farias, King, Ilic
- Goals: None
- Bookings: Barrett 13, 20' (Yellow/Yellow - RED)
- Referee: Elvis Osmanovic
- Adage goals: None

A nil-nil draw against the last undefeated team in the conference is something that the Eleven may be able to look back at later and recognize as a key part of making the playoffs. Achieving that result by defending for the majority of the game because Barrett picked up two yellow cards in the first 20 minutes makes it that much more impressive. 70 minutes is a long time to defend and not concede a goal. It also makes it hard to judge a game like this since the tactics for Indy had to change at such an early stage of the game. Coach Rennie was forced to burn a sub in the 26th minute so that he could get Ouimette into the game to help shore the defense. I'm confused about the sub though in that he pulled Pasher, who we saw last year is capable of playing on the back line. Regardless, Barrett's departure from the game changed everything for the Eleven.

This is kind of a throw away game. Indy wasn't able to exert its normal offensive prowess because the team, the entire team, was focused on defending first. So let's use the game as a teaching lesson on why you don't want to get a yellow/yellow/red in the first 20 minutes.

Here are the Shots for both teams in the first 20 minutes:

Here are the Shots for both teams in the first 20 minutes. Indy managed to get 3 shots in that time frame, from different players, from different locations, but all of them on frame. Including a header from Barrett that forced a reaction save from Tampa's goalkeeper McCarthy in the 13th minute. Otherwise, Indy could have been ahead early and then truly played their game plan. As it was, Barrett say his second yellow several minutes later and the Rennie Bunker (TM) was in full effect. In that same time frame, Tampa Bay managed just one shot, which didn't require a save from Newton.

Now let's see what happens after the 2nd yellow card and Barrett's dismissal from the game.

Indy managed just four more shots the rest of the game, only one of which forced a save from McCarthy. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, proceeded to take 14 shots on goal after Barrett's ejection. What's noticeable about those shots, however, are that none of them were On Target and four of them were blocked. Against New York Red Bulls II, Newton was required to make 6 saves, nearly as many as he had been forced to make in all of the preceding 5 games. Down a man for 70 minutes, Indy's defense did their job and Newton was credited with just 1 save for the game. The Rennie Bunker (TM) did its job and did it well.

I could show you the Heat Maps for those two time frames, but they basically show the same thing. Indy with an advantage in the first 20 minutes. Tampa Bay pinning Indy into the Eleven's defensive half of the field for the last 70 minutes. Red cards, and particularly early game red cards, ruin game plans and adjust tactics, substitution patterns, and results. Indy managed a draw, but it makes you wonder what could have been if they had been at full-strength for the entire game.

Indy get a few short days of rest to play their 3 game in 7 games, as North Carolina FC come to town on Saturday. Indy will be without Barrett so Coach Rennie will have to, once again, adjust the lineup as they play the third team this week who are ranked in the Top 4 in the conference. Luckily for them, two of the three games have been at home and the next game after NCFC comes in two weeks.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

When a team has to defend for as long as Indy defended on Wednesday, a defender is going to get the Game Beckons Game Ball. Guaranteed. The entire team played defense well, but Crognale stood out to me. He finished the game completing nearly 86% of his passes, won 67% of his duels, 80% of his aerial duels, and had 7 clearances.

Indy Eleven vs New York Red Bulls II - 06.06

- Opponent: New York Red Bulls II
- Location: Montclair, New Jersey
- Attendance: 542
- Final Score: 2-1 L
- Starting XI: Newton, Hackshaw, Crognale, Barrett (C), Ayoze, Matern, Gibson, King, Enevoldsen, Kelly, Pasher
- Substitutions: Watson 64' (Pasher); Walker 69' (Matern); Do-Heon 86' (King)
- Unused: Farr, Farias, Ouimette, Diakhate
- Goals: Kelly 13'
- Bookings: King 59' (Yellow - lead to Penalty Kick for NYRBII)
- Referee: David Barrie
- Adage goals: None

For reasons I don't want to go into, I'm going to keep this basic.

If you employ the Rennie Bunker(TM) against one of the highest scoring teams the past two years, you better not make mistakes. And not give them 28 cracks at the goal.

If you employ the Rennie Bunker(TM) against a high pressing team who wants to get the ball back quickly so that they can resume their attack-minded soccer, you better complete your passes when you counter. 63.1% isn't going to get it done. Particularly when you're blasting 27% of your passes (103 of 379) of the long pass variety.









There are a lot of things that go into how a game progresses, but those two stats jumped out at me after watching the game.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Kelly. He had a chance, made a defender make a mistake, and put a shot over the outstretched goalkeeper. Confidence breeds confidence and he's starting to show it in spades right now.

Eleven Park clears another hurdle

With the 2019 session of the Indiana Legislature drawing to a close in the next week, the status of Senate Bill 7 was going to get resolved one way or another. Fortunately for Pacers and Indy Eleven fans, it didn't die in committee, which I thought was a distinct possibility for the Indy Eleven stadium component nor did it just run out of time. After making its way through the Senate Appropriations Committee, the full Senate, the House Ways and Means Committee, the full House, and then a Motion to Dissent, the Senate voted Tuesday on Senate Bill 7. Here's a quick run-down of its official path through the Legislature:

1. January 15 - Introduced as SB 7 by Senator Mischler
2. January 15 - Referred to the Appropriations Committee (Chaired by Senator Mischler)
3. February 25 - Amended to include language for a soccer stadium that was originally in Senate Bill 543 authored by Senator Sandlin
4. February 25 - Approved by Appropriations Committee
5. February 26 - Approved by full Senate
6. February 27 - Referred to House of Representatives
7. March 4 - Referred to Ways and Means Committee
8. April 8 - Approved by Ways and Means Committee
9. April 11 - Approved by full House
10. April 12 - Returned to Senate
11. April 16 - Motion to Dissent filed
12. April 22 - Motion to Dissent withdrawn
13. April 22 - Motion to Concur filed
14. April 23 - Approved by Full Senate

When Senator Mischler filed a Motion to Dissent last week, I really believed that it was because he was never a big fan of having the stadium amendment attached to his original CIB/Pacers bill and voted against it during its initial time in the Senate. During Tuesday's vote in front of the entire Senate, he indicated that he submitted the Motion to Dissent so that he/they could more thoroughly evaluate the changes that the House made before it was placed for a vote in the Senate. Having read the modifications, which included removing the name of a specific hotel from the original bill and the removal of the MLS requirement to be just a "professional soccer league," they were convinced the changes were acceptable and withdrew the Motion to Dissent. From there, things happened quickly. During Tuesday's discussion on the Senate floor, only Senator Michael Young (who serves Guilford and Liberty Townships in Hendricks County and Decatur and portions of Wayne Township in Marion County) expressed anything against the bill. Most of his argument seemed to revolve around the mismanagement of the CIB and how this bill only extends the "temporary" taxes that the CIB were given in 2009. Nobody said anything negative about the inclusion of the stadium. Given the past history with the stadium and the legislature and some folks dislike or mistrust of Ersal Ozdemir, I was surprised at how little of a fight was put against the stadium language in the final voting.

In anticipation of this hurdle being cleared by the team, I reached out for comment from two very important people in Indy Eleven's history; former President and General Manager, Peter Wilt, and former goalkeeper Jon Busch. As I kind of expected, Peter was a bit more verbose on his answers to my questions than Jon, but both took time to answer my questions.

When asked about whether the stadium increases Indy's chances of becoming the 30th MLS team, Jon felt that Indy was still on the outside looking in. Peter disagreed with Jon's assessment stating, "Absolutely. A stadium like this controlled by the team is a prerequisite for an MLS team and there are not many other markets that can offer a soccer centric stadium. There are other factors of course including proper ownership, desirable market, and demonstrated fan and community support." So based on my quick poll, looks like Indy has a 50/50 shot at getting the 30th MLS spot.

Both Jon and Peter were impressed with the renderings of Eleven Park. I asked Peter how he thought the renderings compared to the 2015 "Stadium for Indiana" version and he indicated that the "Eleven Park renderings are spectacular and show a stadium and an overall development that is better than the Stadium For Indiana version. Minnesota United supporter Bruce McGuire recently commented that the best part of Allianz Field is that it is the exception to the rule of stadium renderings, as the end product is better than the renderings. We all hope the same will be true for Eleven Park."

Like Peter, I like the new renderings of the stadium with the development around it, but I did not have the same visceral reaction to the new development that I had to the original "Stadium for Indiana" renderings. The obvious difference is the surrounding development around the new proposed stadium, whereas the last version was a stand-alone stadium. The stand-alone stadium was more striking to me, maybe partially because I know how new apartments in downtown Indy tend to look and I think the Eleven Park renderings will get watered down once it actually goes into design.

I also wonder about whether the inclusion of the offices/apartments overseeing the field will help or hurt the team’s financial assumptions. Originally, I felt that it would hurt the financial assumptions made by the Indy Eleven for the stadium because there would be a potential loss of revenue within the stadium as folks are able to watch from the offices or apartments and eat their own food there rather than through concessions. You're also less likely to get someone to buy merchandise at the stadium if they are watching from their apartment windows. I liken it to the Wrigley Field rooftops, where the Cubs eventually had to work together with them because they were losing money to them. Peter was more pragmatic about it.

"I believe that is a great benefit to the team’s financial assumptions directly and indirectly. Some people potentially can watch the games from their residence or office, but having a captive audience of residents and workers will improve ticket sales by many of those who live and work on site. It will also create a unique environment that will make attending games there more enjoyable for all." - PJW

Now that the legislature has passed Senate Enrolled Act No. 7 and sent it on its way to the Governor, there are still more hurdles to overcome, most notably coordinating with the City of Indianapolis and the City County Council (CCC). A major point of interest in those discussions will be the location of the new stadium. I've said since 2014, when I first starting writing about a potential stadium, that I thought the empty lot southwest of Lucas Oil Stadium could be a fantastic location if it is built within downtown Indianapolis. Some folks know this as the old Valspar paint plant location. I have always referred to it as the Sand Street Stadium site because 1) the maps show an old road running through it called Sand Street, and 2) I like alliteration. See below with Chicago's Toyota Park superimposed on the site.

The old GM Stamping Plant was always in my top 3 locations and is particularly more attractive now over the Sand Street location with the addition of the "transformative neighborhood development that will include a hotel, office, apartments, retail and public areas." All of that "development" would fit better in the GM Stamping location than on Sand Street. However, the new language created in the Act in IC-36-7-31 Sec. 4.(a) states (emphasis mine):

"The tax area may include a facility described in this subsection and any parcel of land on which the facility is located. An area may contain noncontiguous tracts of land within the county. However, the straight line distance between any point in the tax area and the facility described in subdivision (1) may not exceed one (1) mile. The area must be separate from other professional sports development areas established under IC 36-7-31."

That provision to allow the facilities of the development to be "noncontiguous" and to be one mile from the stadium (that's what is meant by "the facility described in subdivision (1)" for those who haven't read the entire bill/act) is significant. It would allow the stadium to be at Sand Street and the development to be somewhere within a one-mile radius. I'm not sure how that will play out as things move forward, but it definitely has the potential for the team to do some creative things with where the development (stadium plus hotels/apartments/retail) are located in relationship to each other. It would seem to imply that the rendering could be nothing more than a pretty picture. This would give the naysayers a lot of gasoline to throw on their hate fire of this bill, so it's incumbent on the team to be true to their word and the vision that they sold to get to this point. A separated stadium and development aren't going to win over any new fans.

For what it's worth, I don't think the discussions about the use of Broad Ripple High School will amount to much as this moves forward. It's more of a gut feeling, but I don't think that is where Mr. Ozdemir and the owners group want it to be located. I often question what advice he is still following of Peter Wilt's, but I do think he is holding fast to that advice. However, Peter sees some advantages to the Broad Ripple location, but recognizes that there are issues too: 

"That is a unique site with good opportunities and challenges as well. It is important to have a site where fans can have activities before and after. Broad Ripple is one of the best locations in Indianapolis for eating and drinking establishments. The new mixed use development will provide more options for fans, too. Ingress, egress, parking and neighborhood security are issues that may be heightened in Broad Ripple, but will need to be addressed regardless of the site." - PJW

Here is the language about how much of the stadium Mr. Ozdemir and the owners group are required, by law, to contribute to the stadium cost, found in IC-36-7-31 Sec. 7.(d), (d)(5), and clarified in Sec. 7.(f).

(d) In addition to the requirements under subsections (a) and (c), covered taxes may not be allocated unless:
...
(d)(5) "the owner or owner's of the professional soccer team have provided at least twenty percent (20%) of the cost of the project to construct the facility that will be used to host professional sporting events;"
...
(f) "For purposes of subsection (d)(5), the term "twenty percent (20%) of the cost" means either: (1) an initial contribution made before construction begins equal to twenty percent (20%) of the total capital construction cost of the facility; or (2) a commitment to pay twenty percent (20%) of the annual debt service or least rental payments payable for the facility until the financing obligation for the facility is paid in full."

Much of the media seem to have characterized the financials of the stadium incorrectly, routinely highlighting the $550M value and mostly glossing over the fact that $400M of that is for the surrounding development with the remaining $150M going to the stadium. For those that do make that distinction, the requirement for the owners group to account for 20% of the $150M has rarely, if ever, been mentioned. That is a very important piece that the House of Representatives added and one that satisfies many people's complaints that the owner/team should have some "skin in the game." A $400M development and 20% of the stadium cost are not insignificant values. To me, this is one of the key reasons this version differed from previous iterations. Peter agreed that there were a number of things that the team did this time around that worked to their advantage:

"Indy Eleven did a very good job on several fronts. They took more responsibility for funding than before, they educated the public and legislators better on the funding mechanisms, they remained open to location options and they made clear the mixed use elements to the proposal they packaged it with the Pacers proposal." - PJW

Finally, one of the items that was written into the financial packet that Indy Eleven provided to Indiana Legislators was a chart indicating the anticipated type and number of events to be held at the stadium so that an estimate could be made for ticket sales, concessions, merchandise, etc. One of the line items was a "Pro Women's Team." I would love for there to be an NWSL team to further take my disposal income, but I question whether that is a realistic assumption to make for a number of reasons. While I had Peter, who has started an NWSL team in Chicago, I asked him whether he thought this was realistic. "NWSL has been slow to award expansion franchises, but a new stadium controlled by the team would make Indy a desirable market."  So not a "no," but not quite a "yes" either. I have vague recollections of conversations that Indy has previously approached NWSL about adding a team and that the league was receptive, but the league has been hesitant to expand too quickly. So it's possible that line item could become true, but I don't know if I would have built my feasibility study, that was provided to the Legislature, with it included.

Indy Eleven have cleared another hurdle on their way towards getting their own stadium and I honestly did not expect it to reach this point when the Legislative session began in January. It's a testament to the work that Ersal (and his lobbyists) and the front office have put in to finally get the ball into the net. I believe that getting the language attached to the CIB/Pacers bill ultimately helped the Eleven's cause, but I still had thoughts that the entire stadium amendment could easily get dropped while the rest of the bill passed. Getting the language into the bill that the owners group had to put 20% into the stadium, as well as the development around the stadium are what I believe helped push this bill through. Getting it through the CCC won't be easy, but it should take significantly less time than the 6 years it has taken to get to this point.

Oh, and I wouldn't expect it to be called Eleven Park for very long once the team narrows down the site and gets it constructed. Does Eli Lilly finally become a corporate sponsor?

New forms of speculation can begin now that Indy has cleared the legislative hurdle...

Indy Eleven vs Bethlehem Steel - 06.05

- Opponent: Bethlehem Steel FC
- Location: Bethlehem
- Attendance: 1,537
- Final Score: 3-0 W
- Starting XI: Newton, Hackshaw, Crognale, Barrett (C), Ayoze, Matern, Gibson, King, Enevoldsen, Kelly, Pasher
- Substitutions: Watson 64' (King); Walker  81' (Pasher); Diakhate 90' (Kelly)
- Unused: Farr, Do-Heon, Osmond, Ouimette
- Goals: Hackshaw 26' (assist Barrett), Kelly 28' (assist Ayoze), Pasher 73' (assist Matern)
- Bookings: None
- Referee: Jon Freemon
- Adage goals: None

After losing the first game of the season to league leaders Saint Louis FC, Indy have found their groove and have won four games in a row, outscoring their opponents 10 to 3 in those games, scored 3 goals in 3 of those games, and had 2 shutouts. The four game win streak sets a club record for consecutive wins. The undefeated streak that the 2016 Spring Championship winning team had to start the year only included a 2-game win streak and had two separate 3-game win streaks. After struggling to win at home in 2014, the Eleven managed a 3-game win streak after the unforgettable win against Minnesota. Both the 2017 and 2018 teams had 3-game win streaks, leaving just the 2015 team without that level of success. However, this season's fast start is the best in club history. It should be noted that three of those four games were against teams that sit 16th, 17th, and 18th in the conference standings, but that's what good teams are supposed to do. Win against the bad teams. This coming week's game against New York Red Bulls II (currently 2nd in the conference) may provide a better understanding of this Indy team.

With Ayoze back on the field taking corner kicks, Indy's height has proven to be a tactical advantage with his pinpoint placement. Indy's first goal in the 26th minute from a corner kick to the far post allowed Crognale's 6'-6" height to be able to head the ball back towards the middle. From there, it was a bit of a pinball machine inside the 18-yard box, but Barrett was also able to put a head on it and then Hackshaw found a boot to it to get it past Coronel. As hot as Kelly has been the past couple of games, the defensive players are getting it done on the offensive side of the ball too. Coming into the season, Indy added some high powered offensive weapons, but I still fully expected Indy to be a defense first team. That has proven to be the case, but all players are finding ways to get in on the scoring action, which has made them a lot more dangerous that I had envisioned.

Just seconds after Indy scored their first goal, Kelly continued to show he is rounding into the goal scorer everyone hoped he would be this season, but getting his third goal of the year in the 28th minute. Ayoze placed the ball perfectly between two defenders, allowing Kelly run onto it and blast it base Coronel before he had time to stop thinking about the first goal.

When a player gets hurt, others have to step up. Teams like to think of it as the "next man up," even while the injured player may be thinking, "I hope they do well, but not too well." Right now, Ilic and Starikov are watching Pasher take their minutes from them while they sit on the sideline and can't go anything about it. Pasher's speed in an Indy jersey has always been evident. His health in Indy has not always been evident. When healthy, he and Kelly make for a backline's worst nightmare as either guy has the pace to get by most defenders. Throw in Ayoze and Barrett's long balls (see Barrett's distribution graphic and his success with the cross-field ball) and defenders have to be ready for Pasher and Kelly to make those runs. Pasher nearly scored in the 36th minute, forced Coronel to make a save in the 69th minute, and and then was finally rewarded with a goal in the 73rd minute by scoring...with his RIGHT foot. If he keeps playing like this, Ilic and Starikov are only going to find minutes coming off the bench or during those periods of multiple games in short timeframes.

After discussing all the offensive weapons in this game, the defense was mostly solid. Still a few decisions that I question, but did you know that Newton isn't one of the league leaders in saves? Not even close. In fact, he doesn't even show up on the list because in 5 games, he's had to make a grand total of 7 official saves. The defense is doing their job before it gets to him even though the team has only held the advantage in possession once during this 4 game win streak (versus winless Hartford).

One last note: This game was part of a doubleheader with MLS's Philadelphia Union, who played at 1:00. The announced attendance for that game was 15,407. The team(s) managed to get just 10% of the fans to stick around for the second game with a sparse 1,537 scattered throughout the stadium.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I think I'm going to go with Tyler Pasher for this game. He's making the most of his minutes in other player's injuries, forcing Coach Rennie to make some hard decisions once those guys return to full strength.

Indy Eleven vs Swope Park Rangers - 06.04

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Game Beckons Game Ball

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

Indy Eleven vs Hartford Athletic - 06.03

- Opponent: Hartford Athletic
- Location: Indianapolis
- Attendance: 20,251
- Final Score: 1-0 W
- Starting XI: Newton, Hackshaw, Crognale, Barrett (C), Ayoze, Matern, Gibson, King, Enevoldsen, Kelly, Starikov
- Substitutions: Watson 71' (Starikov); Pasher 76' (Matern); Diakhate 90' (Kelly)
- Unused: Farr, Farias, Osmond, Ouimette
- Goals: Own Goal 40' (Lyngo)
- Bookings: Ayoze 58' (Yellow); Gibson 63' (Yellow); Matern 69' (Yellow)
- Referee: Lukasz Szpala
- Adage goals: None

For the first time in Indy Eleven history, the team won their home opener (played to draws in 2014 - 2017 and lost to FCC last year); beating expansion side Hartford Athletics by a score of 1-nil. For the first time in Indy Eleven history, the team surpassed the 20,000 mark for announced attendance; reaching 20,251 fans. For the first time this season, Ayoze took the field and reminded us all why he was last year's team MVP.

For what is hopefully the last time this season, Dane Kelly missed a shot from 3 yards out, sending the low cross from Ayoze over the crossbar. While that is the shot that had Kelly holding his head in his hands and Indy Eleven fans groaning for what could have been, Kelly was a pest for the Hartford defense all night. In addition to the ball that somehow made its way over the crossbar (I think it took a last second hop right before it got to him that affected where it hit his foot), Kelly has done more woodwork this year than a carpenter. Kelly put two more shots off the woodwork, bringing his season total to four. The one off the left post in the 52nd minute was a left-footed blast that hit near the upper 90. The one off the right post in the 89th minute (and his last touch of the game), was a right-footed low screamer that hit a foot off the ground. Kelly is trying everything he can to get the ball in the net, but has been unlucky to date. "I'm a striker so I'm going to get chances. I'm going to score some and I'm going to miss some too. Today's one of those days where I just couldn't find the net." Teams need to be worried about when he finds his rhythm because he is getting chances and sooner or later, he's going to get going and stop being unlucky.

Kelly may be struggling to find the net and other players have been picking up the goal scoring until he rounds into form. For example, Starikov had 3 shots (2 off target, 1 blocked), Enevoldsen had 3 shots (1 on target, 1 off target, 1 blocked), and Ayoze had 2 shots (1 on target and 1 off target) with 7 chances created between them. While none of the Indy Eleven's chances materialized into a goal, the team was helped out in the 40th minute, when Hartford Athletics' Lyngo attempted a chested ball back to his keeper Lissek and inadvertently put the ball into their own goal. It would be easy to say that Indy was lucky with this goal, but the pressure that they were placing on the Hartford defense finally materialized in a goal, just not exactly in the way that they would have planned.

Another sign that Ayoze was back was that he was shown a yellow card in the 58th minute. Ayoze received 6 yellow cards last season, 4 in a stretch of 4 games before figuring out how to deal with the USL refs. Ayoze's yellow card set off a string of yellows shown to Indy Eleven players as Gibson and Matern both were shown yellow cards in the next dozen or so minutes after Ayoze was shown his. Somehow, Hartford finished the game unscathed. USL refs going to USL ref.

Indy came away with a victory and that helped make the largest jump on the table this week. It's difficult to judge the table right now with the way that the USL schedule is being played right now, but it's always nice to see the team in the top half of the table. Their standing won't remain that way for long as they don't play again until April 15th. They also don't play another home game until May 1st, so if there were any new soccer fans created in the 20,000 in attendance, they're going to have to wait a month to get back to LOS to cheer. USL schedule going to USL schedule.

Other Notes

- Walker was shown as being out due to injury. The broadcast indicated it was abdominal. I heard after the game that it was because he had an appendectomy. He was walking around and seemed to be doing well. Hopefully he continues to recover well.

 - I thought the team looked out of sync at times in the first third of the game. Upon watching the replay, I counted at least ten instances of unforced errors and bad decisions. Those were either passes that were ill-advised (without enough pace or into traffic), passes that were different than the receiving player was expecting, or passes to a spot where nobody was located or could reach. Given it's the third game of the season, some of that can be attributed to still learning each other, but I have to wonder too if the adrenaline of playing in front of the home crowd had the guys amped a bit at the beginning. I didn't notice the same sort of mistakes later in the game.

- Early in the game (7th minute), Matern was leading a break with Kelly. While the rest of the stadium began to increase in volume as they hoped to see something materialize from the break, Matern's not exactly the preferred guy to lead that charge. In the end, Matern had to wrestle the ball away from 3 defenders who had converged on him, but did, ultimately, gain a free kick just outside the 18-yard box for his efforts. I would have liked to see him put in an earlier ball over the top to Kelly and let the USL all-time record goal scorer work his magic.

- I had hoped to see it last year during the July 4th match against the Ottawa Fury, but the team was finally able to acquire a full-field sized version of the American flag for display during the National Anthem. With the rendition of the Anthem by Courtney Jurick, it was as cool as I had anticipated it to be. I do know that the flag was borrowed from the Colts, but I don't know if there will be periodic use of the flag this season or if this will be the only time we see it this year.

- Former Indy Eleven player Wojciech Wojcik (aka Woj) entered the game for Hartford in the 74th minute and immediately got into the action by fouling Matt Watson. It's always nice to see former Eleven players continuing to find teams after their time here as Woj was loaned to OKC, then signed to OKC, then spent last year with the Cosmos, before rejoining manager Jimmy Nielsen in Hartford (Nielsen was the coach in OKC when Woj was there). #IndyForever

The Game Beckons Game Ball

As I said last year, I sometimes wish I could give him this award every week, but Ayoze certainly made his presence felt in his first action this year. With Hackshaw playing behind him, Ayoze is freer to make the runs and be a pest offensively without the defensive responsibilities that he had last year. His touch and decision making was right where he left us expecting last year. Glad he's back in the lineup.

Additional Photos (courtesy of Don Thompson Photography)