Top 5 Moments - Greg Rakestraw

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Greg Rakestraw

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

Top 5 Moments - Brad Hauter

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Brad Hauter

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

Top 5 Moments - Hauter & Rakestraw

@Hauter Photo

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

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

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

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

Brad Hauter

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

Greg Rakestraw

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

Indy Eleven 2020 Recap & 2021 Off-Season Outlook

Despite any of the successes that can be gleaned from this year, the 2020 season feels like a failure. Indy Eleven were built to contend for a conference and league championship with an expectation that anything less than a run in the playoffs would be falling short of their goal. The roster was not intended to take a step back from last year and watch the playoffs from the comfort of their own homes. 

The 2020 season turned on its head with the suspension of play due to the COVID19 pandemic and the realignment of the conferences into 8 regional groups, but Indy still looked to be in a prime position to make the playoffs. While Indy's Group E initially looked like, and end up being, one of the hardest groups to get out of in the league, Indy was still considered by most to be one of the two teams that would make the playoffs from the group. Louisville looked to be a given, while Saint Louis FC and Sporting KC II would get points off of everybody. Indy's out-of-group games were some of the hardest in the league, having to face Hartford once and Pittsburgh twice, who ultimately finished as first and second in Group F, respectively (admittedly against less than stellar competition in New York Red Bulls II, Philadelphia Union II, and Loudoun United FC). 

After Indy defeated Pittsburgh on August 15th, the Eleven had a 6W-1D-2L record, were top of the group, and were 5 points clear of Saint Louis with Louisville sitting in third after a rough start to their season. Then the wheels came off as Indy finished the season with just one win, one draw, and 5 losses. Three of those losses were to Louisville and the other two occurred in 2-1 defeats in the final two games of the season, which solidified Indy's place as spectators for the playoffs. 

I've said it on numerous occasions over the years that to be the best you have to beat the best and right now, that's Louisville City FC. Indy should be competing against LCFC and getting better results based on Indy's talent, but it can be forgiven to an extent as they try to get over the hump. However, there's no excuse for spending the postseason at home after losing the final two games of the season when one of those games was at home and the team only needed a draw in the other. Indy are, and need to be, better than those results reflected. 

How the team moves past this season's setback and moves forward may be determined by what happens during this off-season.

Looking to 2021

Stadium

I'm going to touch on this briefly, only because I have addressed it in every off-season recap that I've ever written. However, from an outsiders perspective, and since I can't get any information from the team, nothing much has changed during 2020.

• 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 I knew that the team intended to use Lucas Oil Stadium "for the foreseeable future," which is at least 2 years, maybe 3. With the length of time required to design the stadium/development and construct it, and with seemingly no progress made this year, it looks like it's going to be at least 3 years (or 2 more years from now).

I do not have any update on a location nor do I feel like speculating about 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

Many people are starting to outwardly express frustration with Coach Rennie and the team's inability under him to win against the top teams in the league, and particularly, against Louisville. Which is understandable. However, I don't see any way that Coach Rennie is let go after this season. As I indicated after the Sporting KC II loss, Rennie still has one of the highest win percentages of the modern USL for his time here. In a pandemic year where the team didn't have enough games to bounce back from a rough patch (that's a euphemism for the end of the season), unless Rennie decides to go somewhere else or is caught doing something illegal, I just don't see Ozdemir and Stremlaw firing Rennie.  

Though, and I know a few folks who this will make happy, Coach Hankinson now goes back to being the Indy Eleven coach with the highest percentage of games to get positive results. 

Last year, I stated that "I would like to see Coach Rennie take a step back from the Technical Director role that he is also filling and see the team hire a dedicated person for that role. Though I don't expect to see that happen." Thinking about it further, I wonder if it might be best to keep Rennie as the Technical Director and hire a new coach. He clearly has an ability to find talent and to get them to buy into a system, but this same group of players with a different coaching philosophy might be able to push them over the hurdle that continues to block their way, i.e. consistently scoring their opportunities and getting better results against Louisville.

Players

The 2020 season marks the third season under Coach Rennie. Many of the players were released after his first season here, which means that many of the players on this year's roster have been part of Indy Eleven for two seasons. It seems that the majority of the player contracts for Indy Eleven have been two year contracts or 1 year with a 2nd year option. Either way, there are a lot of guys whose contracts are ending. Which means that the quick player announcements that we saw last year might take a lot longer as the team will need to go through more extensive player evaluation. Last year, Barrett, Gibson, Hackshaw, Ilic, Newton, Ouimette, and Walker were quickly announced as returning, likely because they were on 2-year contracts. With the way that this season ended, guys could decide that they have unfinished business and are eager to come back, which could make many of these guys come back for at least one more season. However, here are my thoughts on what might happen with this year's roster (these are just my opinion and I have not been able to get any information from the front office on the roster evaluation process):

Definitely gone:

1. Contreras - Could he return since he was only released due to the COVID restrictions? Yes. Likely? Probably not.
2. King - Coach Rennie said often that he liked King and that he thought he was poised for a breakout season. Little did he know that it would be with a different team. Macca was traded to El Paso mid-season and became an immediate starter and key cog of Coach Lowry's lineup and is now set to play Phoenix in the Western Conference finals. Seems like the trade has turned out okay for him and a new set of fans are seeing his well-placed crosses.
3. Walker - Traded to Louisville at the end of the season for depth. He's now set to play Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals. Seems like the trade has turned out okay for him too. 

Probably gone:

1. Dumas - He saw just 77 minutes of action in the season. I seem to use this phrase in season recaps, but if history is any guide, that's a bad sign for him being on the roster next season. 
2. Carleton - I think he could use another season around this group and it will likely depend on what Atlanta does with their roster, but I have a hard time seeing this loan extended another season. 
3. Farr - This is entirely contingent on what Newton does. As of right now, if Newton returns, I don't see Farr getting regular minutes, just as he didn't this season. Farr can't keep sitting on the bench behind Newton if he wants to be a regular starter and his only choice may be to try and do it somewhere else.
4. Pasher - I see this much in the same way that Indy lost Dylan Mares. Somebody is going to offer Tyler money that he would be foolish to reject and Indy can't or won't be able to match the offer. You don't score double digit goals in back-to-back seasons without catching people's attention.

Probably returning:

1. Antley - a young player that Rennie seemed to favor towards the end of the season. He should improve with experience and Rennie will try to keep him around.
2. 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. 
3. Barrett - Anchor of the defense. Rennie is going to want him back.
4. Conner - Drew changed the way the midfield operated this year and is why Walker's minutes were reduced to the point where he wanted Kentucky pastures. Conner's effort in the midfield is vital in Rennie's system.
5. Gibson - You don't start every game if the coach doesn't want you around. 
6. Hackshaw - May be the best left back in the league. Unless Hackshaw wants to be somewhere else, Rennie would be foolish to let him go.
7. Haworth - He was Rennie's preferred right winger and consistently had good service into the box, as well as being effective on set pieces. 
8. Lindley - Cam has bounced around on loan to different teams, so this could go another way, but I think he showed enough promise that Rennie might try to get him back.
9. Moon - Rennie put Moon in early and never took him out of the lineup, playing in all 16 games. Moon is much like Antley in that he is young, has potential, and will get better with experience. I think Moon did enough this year for Rennie to want to keep him around.
10. 
    Newton - At 32, Newton has a lot of potential years as a goalkeeper, but he might be running out of chances to make it to the next level. So he might be here until he wants to be somewhere else or Rennie decides to move forward with Farr as the starter.
11. Osmond - Rennie's "fourth starter" on the backline. Again, I can see him wanting to be somewhere that will give him more regular minutes, but Rennie definitely likes having Osmond for depth for Hackshaw, Barrett, and Ouimette.
12. Ouimette - He was one of Rennie's first signings in 2018 and as long as Ouimette doesn't want to play somewhere else, I suspect he will always find a place on a Rennie roster.
13. Watson - Watson has been with Rennie in a number of locations. As I said last year, his age makes him less likely to want to make drastic changes to other locations as long as he is reasonably happy, healthy, and playing well. Watson ably filled the role that was asked of him this year and, like Ouimette, I suspect that he will always find a place on a Rennie roster if he wants to be there.

Unknown:

1. I'm going to lump all of the Academy signings here, including the ones that left after the summer to return to their school programs: Brown, Folds, McDonald, Nieto, Roou, Senanou, and Svetanoff. The team is going to bring back or sign more Academy players because they do not require a salary and it's good to have extra bodies during training even if they aren't being used during games.
2. I'll also put Penn and Guitar in this category. As, presumably, low income players, it would make sense for the team to bring them back for the same reasons as above with the Academy players, but with more potential as depth and gameday roster depth. Penn has already shown his ability in that regard. Yet, as young guys looking to get minutes in the league, they might find somewhere else that offers them more money or time.
3. Ilic - Ilija has had consistent, but not earth-shattering, minutes the past two seasons. Whether that's enough for him to want to stay here may be something that gets discussed during the player evaluation period. 
4. Rafanello - He's one of those players that could go either way for me. For the right dollar amount, he could be back.

Final Thoughts

I'm generally only partially correct with the player guesses and with so many players having their contracts ending at the same time, it really is an unknown on what the roster will look like next season. The expectation will remain that Indy will field a championship contending team, but that was what was supposed to happen this year. 

Indy really needs to provide the fans (and maybe the politicians) with something concrete on the stadium or risk losing interest. As much as fans appreciate the ability to see games in all weather conditions and the cavernous aspect of Lucas Oil Stadium that allowed Indy to be one of only 8 teams in the league to allow fan attendance at the games, it's been over a year and a half since the legislature approved the bill. No news isn't always good news.

Top 5 Moments - Peter Wilt

See original post here.

 Peter Wilt

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

Top 5 Moments - Jon Busch

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 Jon Busch

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

Top 5 Moments - Lovel Palmer

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 Lovel Palmer

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