Indy Eleven vs New Mexico United - 11.23

Summary

- Opponent: New Mexico United
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 10,013
- Final Score: 3-1 L

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

- Substitution: Collier 60' (Guenzatti); Blake 60' (Williams, A.); Henderlong 79' (Williams, R.); O'Brien, J. 80' (Chapman-Page); Gibson 80' (Quinn)

- Unused: Oettl, Mines, Musa

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Neidlinger 28' (assist Wootton)
NM - Swartz 53'
NM - Rivas 64' (assist Bruce)
NM - Hurst 75' (assist Hurst)

- Bookings:

IND - Quinn 27' (Yellow)
NM - Rivas 27' (Yellow)
NM - Houssou 27' (Yellow)
NM - Ryden 45'+2' (Yellow)
IND - Diz Pe 61' (Yellow)
IND - Chapman-Page 78' (Yellow)
NM - Hurst 90'+4'(Yellow)

- Referee: Adam Kilpatrick

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Ugh. Quinn and Blake get back to healthy and the team loses Lindley and Martinez to injuries sustained last week. The team definitely needs a "next man up" attitude right now, and Indy has talent on the bench, but it would be nice to see an injury report that didn't have at least three starter-level players on it. 

The teams weren't want for offense early in this game as both had opportunities within the first five minutes. Indy put a shot on target within the first two minutes and a long-range shot from Romario Williams that found the field suites on the east side of the field after a deflection from a New Mexico player. Indy would have liked nothing more than a quick goal to give the visitors something to think about after their flight from the Land of Enchantment. 

However loose you thought Ricardo Fierro's whistle was last game against Rhode Island, Adam Kilpatrick's while was 180-degrees. Both teams had legitimate complaints for calls, many of them not called. To be fair, he did seem consistent with his lack of calls, but it has to be nearly impossible as a player to know game-to-game how it's going to be called. Those lack of calls boiled over to a rash of yellow cards in the 27th minute when emotions boiled over and a bunch of pushing and shoving finally forced Kilpatrick's hand to do something to bring the tenor back in check.

Indy may be struggling to get the full roster fully healthy, but the injuries have led to the emergence of Academy product Neidlinger, who is looking calmer and calmer as the minutes continue to increase for him. The calmness and continued faith in him from McAuley was rewarded today with a goal in the 28th minute to get the scoring started. With the goal, Neidlinger became the youngest goal scorer in club history. Conversely in the experience category, Romario Williams missed a couple of sitters from within a yard of the goal line. Despite a few chances that should have been scored, the youngster's goal still took the home team into the locker room with a 1-nil lead against the Western Conference leaders. 

Eighteen crosses in the first half, 8 shots (3 on target), 22% long passes, and it looks like Indy is getting back to the way they played during the undefeated streak. Press the other team's offense, and when possession is pulled back, go forward as quickly as possible and put chances into the box to give the team a chance to score. 

I wouldn't call either guy a heavyweight, but Bruce vs Chapman-Page is the kind of matchup that tests a referee's conviction on how they are going to call a game. Neither player are going to back down and both are extremely physical with their play. Nearly every time the ball went in their direction, the referee likely had an opportunity to call a foul on one of them. To get New Mexico on the board, Bruce finally found some space away from Chapman-Page, and was able to get the ball to Swartz who sent a rocket past Sulte. Eleven minutes later, the United doubled their score, and eleven minutes after that, New Mexico found a third. Just like that, Indy's missed chances in the first half had come back to haunt them to hand them a loss. 

Indy's up-and-down run-of-form has been buoyed by the 8-game undefeated streak that preceded it, but a quick look at the table shows that the teams below Indy aren't going away. Indy remained at 4th in the table, the key spot to have a home playoff game, but Birmingham, Rhode Island, and others are nipping at their heels. Unless Indy can find some wins in the coming games, their precarious perch at the top of the table is going to come tumbling down. While Indy now have nearly two weeks off before their next game to potentially get a few bodies healthy, unfortunately, their next game is in Las Vegas, who are currently on an 11-game undefeated streak, getting 5 wins in the run. So it's not like Indy has a cupcake game coming up to get them back to winning ways. Indy also are looking at a 5-game stretch of home and away before finally getting a couple matches in a row at home. 

In and of itself, there's nothing terrible about losing to the best team in the Western Conference. However, when you had chances in the first half to put the opponent away but couldn't do it, and then continue to concede multiple goals in a game, the confidence that the undefeated streak created may be starting to wane. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

The Academy product, Neidlinger, picked up his first professional goal and is looking better and better with each game. It looks like he is now one of McAuley's favored players and given McAuley's history with Academy teams around the world, it's probably no surprise that he has been given those kinds of players minutes. His professional goal is much cooler, but I'm going to give him his second GBGB award of the season. 

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Cancer survivor, honorary captain, and goal scorer Bagner!

Indy Eleven vs Rhode Island FC - 11.22

Summary

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

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

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

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

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

- Bookings:

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

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

- Referee: Ricardo Fierro

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

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

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

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

Half - Shots and Crosses

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

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

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

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Charleston Battery - 11.21

Summary

- Opponent: Charleston Battery
- Location: Patriots Point
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 5-0 L

- Starting XI: Sulte, Ofeimu, O'Brien, J., Diz Pe, Mines, Stanley, Neidlinger, Lindley (C), Martinez, Williams, A., Williams, R.

- Substitution: Quinn 45' (Mines); Guenzatti 75' (Diz Pe); Wootton 75' (Lindley); Gibson 79' (Williams, R.)

- Unused: Oettl, Chapman-Page, Henderlong

- Scoring Summary:
CHS - Myers 52' (assist Markanich)
CHS - Ycaza 70' (unassisted)
CHS - Markanich 78' (assist Torres)
CHS - Conway 85' (unassisted)
CHS - Crawford 90'+5' (unassisted)

- Bookings:

IND - Williams, R. 51' (Yellow)
IND - Diz Pe 67' (Yellow)
IND - Neidlinger 77' (Yellow)

- Referee: Joshua Encarnación

- Adage goals: Two

Thoughts and Opinions

Indy Eleven didn't lose a game across all competitions through the entire month of May and throughout most of June, not losing until the game on the 22nd against Orange County SC. If not for the US Open Cup game against Atlanta United, Indy would have gone through the entire month of July without a victory. As the calendar switched yet another month, now into August, Indy looked to remedy that trend on the road in Charleston. Indy's past two games against Charleston have finished 5-nil in last season's playoffs and 4-2 at Carroll Stadium in April. Charleston had a rough outing last week in Tampa Bay when they scored twice in the first 13 minutes in Al Lang Stadium, only to lose 4-2, lose Molloy to injury by halftime, and lose starting GK Grinwis to red card late in the game (& his replacement keeper was not even on the roster until this week), not counting the fact that head coach Ben Pirman was also unavailable for this game due to a red card. To say both teams came into this game wanting a win is an understatement.

Charleston was the team that was the team that was able to turn their poor result around. Emphatically. 5-nil emphatically. The two teams made a game of it in the first half, but Indy had no answers for Charleston in the second half. Indy's rough July is now creeping into August.

In the first half, Charleston looked like the team that was higher in the table while Indy looked inconsistent and a bit out of sync with each other. One of the Charleston commentators stated in the pregame and reiterated in this part of the game that the thought Indy's recent run of form was because they had been "found out," but also conceded that Indy's USOC run and additional games could have been a factor too due to the additional minutes on a short roster. I've agreed with the "minutes on legs" assessment, but I'm not sure Indy has been "found out" in this stretch. If anything, I think Indy has started to get away at times from the things that made them successful in May and June. Indy has struggled in recent games, and definitely in this game, with their decisions about when they are going to go fast and when to slow it down. Several times in the half, the "going too fast" bug got the best of the Indy forwards and promising attacks came to a screeching halt. The Williams boys were regularly seen with their hands in the air in exasperation with their running mate. When hands weren't in the air, they were being placed firmly on their own heads as shots were blasted solidly into the stands but nowhere close to the goal.

That being said, despite a 65/35 possession advantage for Charleston, Indy's team defense in the first half continued to keep them in the game as they kept CHS in relatively innocuous situations. After those early season hiccups against Louisville and Charleston where they conceded 5 and 4 goals, respectively, Indy have only conceded more than two goals once. The team defensive effort continues to keep Indy in games. Both teams finished the first half with two tame shots on target, and found themselves going into the locker room with a nil-nil scoreline. A little dust-up right before halftime made things a bit more interesting to what an independent viewer might call a ho-hum half of action.

It didn't take long for things to change coming out of the halftime locker room. Coach McAuley made an immediate substitution by taking off Mines and bringing on Aodhan Quinn for his first minutes this season after his long-term injury sustained last season. That's good news for Indy fans moving forward the rest of the season. In the near-term though, Charleston found the game's opening goal through Myers and Markanich forcing Indy to play from behind. Shortly after that, newly inserted Quinn put a cross directly into Segbers face from close range, stopping the game while the athletic trainers tried to stop the bleeding from Segbers' nose.

Then the wheels fell off for Indy and that 3 goal barrier was breached soundly and emphatically by Charleston who found the goal 4 more times in the second half to beat Indy 4-nil. Charleston have now scored at least 4 goals against Indy in the last three games the two teams have played. Indy have conceded 14 goals to Charleston in that timeframe and have scored just twice. For all the things Indy did reasonably okay with defensively in the first half, they did none of those things in the second half. 

There was only one team that deserved to win the second half and that was Charleston. As was mentioned in the closing minutes of the telecast, Charleston was close to a 3.0 expected goal value while Indy was a paltry 0.18 xG. Charleston put 8 shots ON TARGET in the SECOND HALF! Indy put just one, and have now been held without a goal in three consecutive games. Indy made no dent going forward with their possession while having absolutely zero answer for Charleston's effort in the final third. 

Indy return to action on Wednesday against Rhode Island who are, at the time of this writing, on a 7-game undefeated streak. RI play Detroit tomorrow night and the two teams sit next to each other in the table. If Indy has anything going for it, it will be one more days rest/training. After tonight's debacle of a second half (5 goals in a half conceded...!), that's not saying much. Indy also get to scoreboard watch as a Birmingham win tomorrow night against Hartford would push Indy out of the top 4 playoff spot.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Nope. Not tonight. I hate to do it, but nobody had a good night. At any position on the field. This was a night where Indy was outclassed from GK to forward. Nobody gets a GBGB for tonight's effort.