Analyzing Martin Rennie’s tenure at Indy Eleven

Martin Rennie currently holds the record for most matches as the Manager of Indy Eleven after taking the job in the early days of 2018. Rennie was the Successor to Tim Hankinson the former 2016 NASL Coach of the Year following Eleven’s exit from the North American Soccer League joining the United Soccer League. In this article we will look at Rennie’s statistical impact on the Club as well as taking a look at the future of the Club.

(Records are (W-L-T) ) (Records are as of June 14, 2021)

2018: (13-11-10) 7th in USL Eastern Conference (1st Playoff Appearance)

The USL era began in Indianapolis in the early months of 2018 following Eleven’s departure from the NASL. This would be a bit of a rebuild year looking back given the club basically cleaned house following a weak 2017 season compared to the competitive 2016 NASL Finalist year. Rennie would lead the Club to a 7th Overall finish in the USL Regular Season Standings triggering a playoff birth in the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs. Statistically speaking Indy finished the Regular Season with a 13-11-10 Record. Indy Eleven would bow out of the Playoffs to the eventual USL Cup Champion Louisville City FC (4-1). Key Players from this season include Striker Jack McInerney scoring 10 Goals for the Club in 31 Appearances. Assist Leader this season was Eleven Captain Ayoze with 8 Assists in 29 Appearances. GK Owain Fawn Williams would have 11 Clean Sheets this season.

2019: (19-9-6) 3rd in USLC Eastern Conference (2nd Playoff Appearance)

Indy would have it’s best season in the Rennie Era during the 2019 Season finishing 3rd in the Eastern Conference Standings with a 19-9-6 overall record. Eleven would make a deep run in the USL Cup Playoffs making it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in the Club’s History falling to Louisville City FC 3-1 After Extra Time. Statistical Leaders this season included Fan favorite Forward Tyler Pasher scoring 13 Goals in 35 Appearances, Assists Leader(s) was a 3 way tie between Kenney Walker, Dane Kelly, and Ayoze. GK Evan Newton would join the Club this season ending the year with 9 Clean Sheets. Jordan Farr would also have 5 Clean Sheets this season.

2020: (7-7-2) 3rd in USLC Group E, 9th in USLC Eastern Conferences (DNQ for USL Cup)

2020 was the first season of the Group format in the USL Championship due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Indy Eleven would play in Group E finishing the Season with a 7-7-2 Record. A few important issues to note here is the Season had a late start due to complications with the Pandemic. This would also be the only year of the Rennie Era that Eleven did not qualify for the USL Cup Playoffs. Also another important note is this season the USL would eventually cancel the Cup Final due to Tampa Bay Rowdies Players testing positive for COVID-19. Neither the Rowdies or Phoenix Rising would play for the USL title. Statistical Leaders this year would include Tyler Pasher scoring 10 Goals in 15 Appearances, Assist Leader would be another tie between Ayoze and Andrew Carleton with 3 Assists. GK Evan Newton’s Final Season would conclude with 3 Clean Sheets in 15 Appearances.

2021: (3-3-1) 4th in USLC Central Divison of the Eastern Conference, 8th in the USLC Eastern Conference:

The 2021 Campaign (as of June 14, 2021) prior to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Match on Tuesday June 15th puts Eleven 4th in the Eastern Central Division with a 3-3-1 Record. Eleven has only secured 1 point of a possible 9 points prior to Tuesday’s Match. There are still 25 Matches to play this year. This is also the first season that Eleven will play outside of the Eastern Conference facing off against Western Conference opponents such as El Paso Locomotive, and Real Monarchs SLC. (Fun fact Monarchs are currently the Defending Champs of the League Title) There are still 75 Points to be played for this Season. Current Statistics Leaders include Eleven Newcomer Jordan Hamilton with 3 Goals in 7 Appearances, Gordon Wild is currently leading the Assists Bracket with 3 Assists. Jordan Farr currently has 2 Clean Sheets for the year. It’s important to note this year will see a 32 Game Schedule. Along with no outside competitions to be focused on since the US Open Cup is playing with smaller format due to the Pandemic.

Overall:

In his 4 years in charge of the Club statistically speaking (Note this statistic is USL Championship Regular Season Records) Martin has a (42-30-19) Record. USL Stats equal up to an overall of 91 Matches. Rennie has a Playoff Record of (2-2-0) (4) and finally Coaching 3 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches with a (1-2-0) Record (3rd Round being Eleven’s best result in his tenure. Totaling 91 Regular Season, 4 Playoff Games, and 3 US Open Cup Matches in charge totaling 98 Competitive Matches in Charge of Indy Eleven for a Club Record 4 years in Charge.

USL	USL Cup Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup
42-30-19	2-2-0	1-2-0

Grand Totals: 45 Wins, 34 Losses, and 19 Draws in 98 Competitive Appearances

Looking Forward (Ayers’ Opinion):

There is still 25 Matches to contend for a Playoff Spot during this Year’s USL Championship. As it stands Indy Eleven is in the hunt to make the USL Cup Playoffs. If Eleven can manage to make a Playoff Push after an average start to the 2021 Campaign I can definitely see Rennie getting the nod to return for a 5th Season. I think complications caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic is a big reason many may see Rennie’s Tenure as a failure but it’s really important to be mindful that when it comes to USL Championship it’s more important you make the playoffs compared to winning a Regular Season Championship. It’s a cool piece of silverware to obtain but aside from a number 1 overall seed and home field advantage in the Playoffs it really doesn’t mean anything. If Eleven makes the Playoffs especially after almost completely overhauling the roster. I’d consider the year a success.

***Statistics found in this Article come from the USL Website (For USL Stats) and the Cup.US (for US Open Cup Records) This blog is always open to fact check for the betterment of the Platform.

Transfer News: Evan Newton gets loaned out to NYCFC

December 7, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS:

Indy Eleven officials noted today that GK Evan Newton will be going on loan to New York City FC for upcoming CONCACAF Champions League fixtures this winter. Newton is the second Eleven GK to be loaned out to a MLS side for Champions League matches. The first being former Eleven GK Kristian Nicht who played for the Montreal Impact during their 2015 CCL Final run that ended against Mexican side Club America. Newton has a history of good performances in Cup competitions most notably during his time at FC Cincinnati when Cinncy had a deep US Open Cup run in 2017 when the former USL side went all the way to the semifinals falling to the New York Redbulls 3-2 after extra time. Newton was also the 2018 USL Golden Glove Winner. Statistically speaking Newton had 3 Clean sheets in 15 appearances during the 2020 USL Championship Season and only conceded 18 goals. Factor in the season got shortened due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Newton faced 52 shots, had 34 saves with a 65.4 success rate at goal. Newton was added as 3rd option for the Sky Blues.

Possibilities on why this move happened:

Indy Eleven wants to assess Newton’s fitness going into next season:

We have seen with many American soccer clubs that key players will go on loan for various reasons during the offseason. We’ve seen it with key players in the USMNT contracted to MLS Clubs in the past. Newton has an opportunity to prove once again to a National (in this case international) audience that he has the ability to play in big matches. The probability of Newton getting a start during this competition is low simply for the fact that City Keeper Sean Johnson has taken most of the touches at goal this season.

NYCFC is looking at depth in the GK Position:

Currently New York has 2 players contracted to the GK position. Most notably Sean Johnson who played in 23 matches this season and holds a 12-8-3 record in MLS. In the CCL Johnson had 11 saves last time out against Tigres in the first leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals. Luis Barraza the back up keeper is yet to have any touches in the 2020 Season Currently (as of November 20, 2020) All keepers on the first team are currently healthy. This move was done simply out of precaution since the team is probably still recovering from the 2020 MLS Campaign.

Historically speaking American MLS Clubs have had a hard time in the CONCACAF Champions League. Real Salt Lake is the only American MLS team to grace the finals of the competition in its current format. More recently Canadian clubs have had more success in the CCL with Toronto FC being runners up in 2018 and prior to that the Montreal Impact being runners up in 2015. Currently Atlanta United and LAFC are also still competing in this year’s tournament.

New York City FC will play Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal Leg 2 (City is down 0-1 on aggregate currently) on December 15th at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, FL at 10:30 PM ET.

Indy adds forward Cal Jennings from Memphis 901 FC

INDIANAPOLIS:

On December 4, 2020 Indy Eleven welcomed Cal Jennings to be the first signing of the Eleven’s 2021 Campaign. Jennings was 901’s leading Goal Scorer hitting the back of the net 9 times in 14 appearances. 901 finished last in their group failing to clinch a playoff spot. Jennings joins a strike group with veterans Tyler Pasher and Nick Moon who have combined 12 goals for the Club during the 2020 Campaign. Jennings is most known for his time at the University of Central Florida where he scored 46 times in 64 Appearances. He was drafted by FC Dallas in the 2020 MLS Superdraft but never signed for the Club. Jennings was named the USL Championship Player of the Week for Week 15 after netting his first professional hat trick against Birmingham Legion Football Club. Per Indy Eleven’s Website Jennings is quoted saying “I’m extremely excited to get started with Indy Eleven. From the professionalism of the club to the quality of the people I’ve met so far within the organization I’m sure this will be a great fit,” said Jennings. “I’m looking forward to interacting with the fans and serving this club and my teammates to the best of my ability.” Jennings comes into an Eleven squad with a great opportunity to compete for a top spot against Tyler Pasher. This will be a signing that many may look at with speculation at first but given this player’s recent contributions to Memphis 901 FC he should be a good fit for Martin Rennie’s Squad. Below are various highlights from Jennings’ time at Memphis 901 FC.

Highlights from Jennings’ Hat Trick versus Birmingham:

Jennings’ Goal against Louisville City:

The Return: 2021 Ending a 3 Year Hiatus

Ayers:

3 Years ago I left Indianapolis to serve in the United States Marine Corps. In April of 2020 I was medically discharged and have since returned to the Midwest. After long and careful consideration I have decided to begin blogging after 3 years of writer’s block. 3 years that really felt like a small lifetime. To begin my journey of creativity in 2021 I want to lay out some personal ethics for the future of this blog along with a few future goals for the future of the Outlet.

Ethics of Central State FC:

1. Central State FC is an outlet that promotes the further progression of the Soccer Community in the United States of America. Ultimately our goal will be to cover our local club Indy Eleven Professional Soccer but also to promote surrounding projects that will promote the World’s Game.
2. Central State FC promotes the practice of Free Speech. CSFC does not align with any party or movement politically and will not attack group identities based on race or ethnicity, sex, religion, political affiliation, or gender. We promote an inclusive environment.
3. Any criticisms brought on by the contributor(s) are meant to be idea based. Personal attacks on Players, Managers, Supporters, Supporter’s Groups will not be tolerated. Criticisms are meant to be based on the message. Not the Messenger.
4. Central State FC aims to promote integrity through its outlet. Fact checking will be essential to the success and future growth of the Blog. Statistics will only be used from reputable sources I.E. (The USL, or the Club) CSFC does not tolerate the promotion of “Fake News”.
5. Central State FC aims to maintain a professional relationship with the Organizations we cover. Our aim is to promote, and to provide empirical content to expand viewership and good character.

Goals for 2021:

1. Create empirical content for the upcoming 2021 Season
2. Collaborate with other local outlets to promote the Local Media.
3. Reestablish a Podcast for Central State FC.
4. Promote and Maintain a Professional Relationship with Indy Eleven.

Finally, I would like to point out the amount of time put in to return to this former hobby of mine. The Soccer Community has been a big part of my young adult life since I first started writing and attending matches in 2014. I personally believe that if there ever is something that you a strong connection to you should go out and do what you enjoy.

Looking back on Indy Eleven’s inaugural USL Season

INDIANAPOLIS:

Indy Eleven concluded its first regular season campaign falling 1-0 to Louisville City last weekend across the “Ohio” at Slugger Field. Despite the loss, Indy Eleven clinched its first playoff berth in the United Soccer League securing the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Despite some bad performances late in the Season Indy Eleven will finish the season with a 13-11-10 record for their first USL Championship campaign. This article showcases 3 important impacts that the club has had in the 2018 Season and a quick preview for their upcoming playoff match against Louisville City.

 

The Players:

Indy Eleven cleaned house at the end of the 2017 season. Of course, finishing second to last that season definitely called for that. But acquisitions such as Jack Mcinerney who scored 10 goals for the Club in 30 Appearances, Eugene Starikov from the New York Cosmos (6 goals) and of course Soony Saad. Ayoze Garcia was a solid pick up for the backfield banging in 4 goals in 28 appearances. Don’t forget the homecoming of household names such as Dylan Mares and Zach Steinberger back in Indy as well. Overall the team is an absolute 180 degree turn from the 2017 squad and we have a lot to look forward to following the Playoffs. A few questions do rise early on for Zach Steinberger’s future. Will, Steinberger sign with North Carolina FC after going on loan and almost salvaging their season? Only time will tell. 

Martin Rennie:

The acquisition of Martin Rennie to Indy Eleven was (and is) a solid addition to the team. Having a coach with experience from the entire US Soccer Pyramid along with a UEFA Pro License from his time managing abroad. On the North American side, however, he’s best known for leading the Vancouver Whitecaps to their first MLS Cup Playoff appearance and a Cascadia Cup. Rennie helped Indy Eleven take the USL by storm this season by gutting the existing roster and creating a new one along with a good run of form midseason saw Indy’s first playoff birth in the United Soccer League. It’s a good start. There definitely will be a lot to look forward to next season. 

Lucas Oil Stadium:

Many have their reservations playing at Lucas Oil Stadium, of course, competing with American Football lines on a Soccer pitch can definitely be an issue. However, having Indy Eleven play in a “new stadium” has it’s plus sides. 1. Expansion. Indy Eleven is up in attendance this season averaging 10,163 fans according to the United Soccer League’s attendance figures. Currently ranked 3rd in League attendance the long-term move to LOS is starting pay off statistically speaking this means Indy is 1,209 fans from 2017’s average of 8,954 attendees. The long-term strategy for the Club is to build a Soccer Specific Stadium in the City of Indianapolis but right now for the time being at Lucas Oil Stadium is good for the Club. There are some kinks that still need to be worked out in how the Brickyard Battalion will continue to operate having so much more space to cover in having a larger section but overall the experience continues to get better.

Indy has made it clear last offseason that they intend to continue to use Carroll Stadium at IUPUI in the event that different events at LOS conflict with the Eleven.

 

Looking on to Louisville:

The Louisville City – Indy Eleven rivalry has been a spectacle to watch since Louisville was established in 2015. The all-time record of the clubs is (2-2-2) in all competitions One of the most notable performances was Indy Eleven’s win over LCFC at home in the 2016 US Open Cup. Omar Gordon and Indy Eleven all-time leading goal scorer Eamon Zayed scored in the match to carry Indy Eleven to the next round of the Cup. As for the 2018 USL Campaign Indy Eleven and Louisville are still quite equal sharing a 1-1-1 record. The most recent result, of course, was when the Eleven fell to Louisville at Slugger Field 1-0. As for the Playoff match Expect a tough match. On paper the teams match up pretty evenly, however, there are a few different details to note with this match. Louisville City is the defending USL Cup Champions. On top of this, they have a great history when it comes to the Playoffs in the USL. Indy Eleven’s only playoff experience was in the 2016 NASL Championship where they went on to play in their first playoff final against Cosmos where they would fall to New York on penalties. As for this season, however, expect a good showing from the Eleven. Geographically this will be an awesome match because you will see a full away section of fans from the BYB on site for the match. Indy Eleven can win but it will indeed be tough.

 

Author’s Final Word:

Overall, I’m quite impressed with how Indy Eleven has navigated the 2018 campaign. The new coach, new atmosphere, and new players has definitely paid off for the Eleven this season. I expect Indy to come in on all cylinders to upset City and move on in the playoffs. It’s going to be an awesome match. Below is a picture we took on an away day match against North Carolina back in the Spring. 

 

 

Indy Eleven wins, looks forward to NYC

Indy Eleven had a pretty impressive showing against Puerto Rico FC on Wednesday night taking down PRFC 2-1 off a brace from Birthday Boy Eamon Zayed who now also holds the club record for most goals scored with 24 goals for Lady Victory. Indy Eleven came off a 5-0 defeat against North Carolina FC earlier in the week. On top of this, the club is working on a 4 game schedule within 10 days. Indy Eleven should complete the 3rd match of the run against New York Saturday before traveling to San Francisco October 11th.

Disciplinary Issues was one of the main highlights of the night:

Yellow Cards plagued Indy Eleven Wednesday Night as Kwame, Torrado, Corey Miller, and Goldsmith all got yellow cards and thankfully not getting a red in the process. There were a few times during the match that the officials probably could have pulled out the red card a few times last night when the match decided to become an all-out brawl in extra time.

Indy Eleven conceded a penalty in the 88th minute when Torrado handballed in the penalty box. Ultimately Gentile would convert the penalty attempt making the final score 2-1.

Contributor’s Thoughts:

* Tim Hankinson had a good response to this past week’s loss to North Carolina FC (5-0) He’s managed to pull the Eleven out of the last place to now 6th place on the NASL Fall Season Table. Another win against the Cosmos would put the Eleven in 5th place. A win and a loss from Edmonton could put Indy Eleven in the top 4 and Tim if you are reading this. We made sure to “Write nice Things” 😉

*Eamon Zayed has proved that he is one Indy Eleven’s all-time best players in the win against PRFC scoring his 8th and 9th goals of the season. We definitely want to congratulate him on a job well done and a belated happy birthday!

*Kwame Watson Siriboe had a decent first half on Wednesday taking a few headers in the penalty box to prevent Puerto Rico FC from scoring. He’s definitely had a tough season so far and has been a very controversial topic when you talk to the fans. He had a decent match. The only flaw was colliding with Brad Ring in the penalty box in the first half.

 

Also, Fuck the Cosmos. – LDA

 

 

The Evolution of the NASL (2013 – Present)

The North American Soccer League’s survival has always been in question since Indy Eleven joined the ranks of the league in 2013. There has been a lot of speculation as of recently if or if not the league will have 2nd Division status in 2018. So, Without further a do let’s look at the evolution of the North American Soccer League in the era of Indy Eleven.

2013:

The 2013 Season saw it’s 3rd season in the revived league. The league consisted of 8 teams at the time including the Atlanta Silverbacks, FC Edmonton, Carolina Railhawks, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Minnesota United FC, San Antonio Scorpions, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and expansion side New York Cosmos (Revived). Puerto Rico had a club at the time known as the Puerto Rico Islanders. The Club ended up folding at the end of the 2013 Campaign.

Spring Season Champion: Atlanta Silverbacks

Fall Season Champion: New York Cosmos

The North American Supporter’s Trophy: Carolina Railhawks

* The NAST was the NASL equivalent to the Major League Soccer Supporter’s Shield which is awarded to the Club with the most points from the combined season table at the end of the Regular Season.

Soccer Bowl Champion: New York Cosmos

2014:

2014 saw the addition of expansion sides Indy Eleven and the Ottawa Fury. The league at the time would move up to 10 clubs with Virginia Calvary FC being slotted to join the league as well that season but decided to hold out until 2016. (VCFC would never play a match). The Puerto Rico Islanders would fold during the 2013 offseason and the 2014 campaign would be contested in a split season format. The North American Supporter’s Trophy would be discontinued this season as well.

Spring Season Champion: Minnesota United FC

Fall Season Champion: San Antonio Scorpions FC

Soccer Bowl Champion: San Antonio Scorpions FC

The 2014 Season saw the inaugural NASL Championship Playoffs where the Spring Season and Fall Season Champions would host the top clubs of the combined regular season table in a single knockout tournament. Minnesota and San Antonio were the #1 and #2 seeds followed by New York and Fort Lauderdale qualifying as the 3rd and 4th seeds.

2015:

The 2015 Season saw the addition of the Jacksonville Armada putting the league up to eleven teams. The 2015 Season was played in a split format once again with the New York Cosmos clinching the Club’s first Spring Championship. The Ottawa Fury would come in full force in the Fall clinching the club’s first (and only) NASL Silverware during the Fall Championship. The Fury would match the Cosmos on the overall table with 56 points only to be bumped down to being the second seed due to goal differential at the end of the 2015 Regular Season.

Spring Season Champion: New York Cosmos

Fall Season Champion: Ottawa Fury FC

Soccer Bowl Champion: New York Cosmos

2015 NASL Championship Playoffs:

#1 New York Cosmos

#2 Ottawa Fury FC

#3 Minnesota United FC

#4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers

2015 Expansion Struggles:The

The 2015 Offseason would see the departure of the San Antonio Scorpions which would eventually be sold to the ownership group of the San Antonio Spurs which would later become the San Antonio Football Club in the United Soccer League. The Atlanta Silverbacks would leave the NASL and join the NPSL (America’s 4th Division). Ironically during this season Atlanta would be chosen as a 2017 MLS Expansion City with the Atlanta United eventually joining the ranks of MLS this season.

2016:

The 2016 Season would see the rise of Indy Eleven and the consistency of the New York Cosmos including the addition of 3 expansion clubs (Miami FC, Rayo OKC, and Puerto Rico FC) Rayo OKC was especially interesting for its Spanish ties to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. (They now play in the Spanish 2nd Division, however) Rayo OKC would only play one season in the North American Soccer League before folding at the end of the season. However, the club did make the playoffs in its first and only season of play.

Spring Season Champion: Indy Eleven

Fall Season Champion: New York Cosmos

Soccer Bowl Champion: New York Cosmos (3rd in the modern era)

2016 NASL Championship Playoffs:

#1 New York Cosmos

#2 Indy Eleven

#3 FC Edmonton

#4 Rayo OKC

2017:

The 2017 Season isn’t completely in the history books as of right now. Regardless it has been a pretty interesting season both on and off of the field. First, in the winter of the 2017 Season, the U.S. Soccer Federation would call for both the USL and NASL to have joint Division 2 status for the 2017/18 Season. NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson would be fired from his post. The league would go down to 8 clubs losing Minnesota United FC to MLS Expansion, Both Tampa Bay and Ottawa would join the United Soccer League, and Rayo OKC would fold and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers would temporarily cease operations due to legal issues with the ownership group of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The New York Cosmos would also almost fold before being sold to Rocco B. Commisso an Italian Millionaire who is the CEO Mediacom Communications. The San Francisco Deltas would join the NASL in the 2017 Spring Season being the season’s only expansion side. The Spring Season also saw the likes of two expansion groups in California rise with Orange County (California United) and San Diego being announced as the League’s two expansion sides for 2018 putting the league up to 10 clubs pending how the independent clubs fair after the 2017 season. Miami FC would win its first NASL Silverware in the 2017 Spring Season and currently hold a tight grip on the 2017 Fall Table in first with 16 points and a 7 point lead on FC Edmonton in 2nd. The Carolina Railhawks would rebrand to being the North Carolina Football Club in 2017 to begin its MLS Expansion bid. Indy Eleven would also join the MLS Expansion list as well.

There definitely is a lot to speculate how the off season will treat the league. Currently, two of the clubs competing in the league are bidding for Major League Soccer. Many speculate the future of the New York Cosmos as well. On top of this Peter Wilt announced plans for a new 3rd division league creating the National Independent Soccer League with ownership groups already announced in 8 different markets. The United Soccer League also announced expansion plans by adding USL D3 which will also begin soon. Will more clubs fold? Will Indy and North Carolina have a shot at Major League Soccer?

There is still a lot of time for the federation to consider which leagues will have a rightful place on the pyramid. Unfortunately with the amount of interest from NISA, and the United Soccer League it will be hard for the federation to come up with a plan that fits each league into its rightful place.

 

 

 

Opinion: Indy Eleven a year later

If you were to compare a movie to Indy Eleven’s current North American Soccer League campaign it would definitely be Tommy Wiseau’s infamous movie “The Room” where the performance was so bad it ended up becoming a cult phenomenon throughout the world.
Aside from this, we have seen a roller coaster ride of bipolar fury among the Eleven this season.

Let’s talk about 2017:

If you were going to jump into a time machine and tell us that the 2017 NASL Campaign would be a complete bust compared to the fight that Indy Eleven put up in the 2016 season we would think you were insane. Especially with a number of returnees on the roster from 2016. There could be multiple factors that have caused Indy Eleven to fall apart as much as they have. Yes, Injuries have plagued the club this season. Especially recently losing Justin Braun for an extended amount of time (Perhaps for the rest of the season?) Also it’s important to note key losses the Eleven took in the Winter and Summer Transfer windows this season. The most notable being Dylan Mares going on to Miami FC, Nicki Paterson returning to Scotland and most recently the release of Lovel Palmer to the newly crowned Spring Season Champion Miami FC.

Is it all superstition?
Was it the loss of the Checkers on the Eleven Kits? Was it switching to Adidas as the Club’s Kit Provider? Is the soccer gods trying to smite us for trying to be all buddy buddy with Don Garber as we try to move up to Major League Soccer? Or is this all just a bad dream we are yet to wake up from?

Whatever it may be from a Supporter’s perspective it’s hard to really put together all of your thoughts while you watch your local club fight its way through a bad campaign. If anything it should make you wish the United States Soccer Federation would allow promotion and relegation because the Eleven would at least be struggling to survive in Major League Soccer (Given, they would be promoted from finishing second overall on the combined table last season) Or if the Club wasn’t promoted they would be fighting to survive in the North American Soccer League and avoiding relegation. The situation would definitely be an interesting challenge for the team and would truly test Hankinson’s coaching ability trying to navigate the ever changing landscape of US Soccer.

Yeah, it’s fun to dream right? Unfortunately, we have to face reality. The team just finished one of its worst spring seasons on record. Along with that, the team had an early exit in the US Open Cup falling to the Michigan Bucks (an amateur team of all things) and on top of that, the Fall Season hasn’t been kind to the Eleven either with the team currently sitting at 8th on the table.
Given the results of the season, it will be interesting to see how the club evaluates Tim Hankinson’s performance as the Head Coach following his second season with the club.

At a glance:
Indy Eleven finished the Spring Season with a 4-8-4 record and currently have a 1-1-4 record in the Fall. The team also started the Fall with 3 straight losses at home which undermined Indy Eleven’s undefeated home streak which lasted 21 matches (It was eventually snapped May 20th against Miami FC)Outside of Tim Hankinson you really can’t find too many head coaches in this division with the amount of experience and successes. It’s really a hard decision for the club to make on if he will return or not.

2016 was definitely historic. 2016 was euphoric and seems like a distant memory.

Indy Eleven: A new era begins with Adidas

On Tuesday morning Indy Eleven announced it’s new kit provider Adidas joining an elite group of Football Clubs through out the world joining the tradition of wearing the 3 stripes. The club noted in press release that they will debut their new home kits against FC Edmonton on May 6th.

The new home kit features a new pin stripe background ending the era of a checkered pattern as the background of the home kit this of course has been dispute amongst the fan base to the front office for the Club’s promise back in 2013 to incorporate the checkered pattern to pay homage to Indiana’s auto racing heritage. This change of course brings a few questions to mind as to why they decided to go into a different direction.

Perhaps this may be a move for the Eleven to build it’s own identity based off of the club’s recent success over the last year?

Could it be another move to improve the Eleven’s chances at a 2020 MLS Expansion bid? Of course it is!

Indy Eleven has made a lot of business moves this year. The most notable of course is the 2020 MLS bid and adding Turkish Airlines as the club’s first “back kit” sponsor. These moves are just further proving that Indy Eleven can compete in an international market and Lady Victory is becoming more and more an entity of her own.

This of course is a good move on the Eleven’s part especially for the fact that the club is slowly worrying less about the Club’s identity with NASL and instead creating a name on it’s own.

The kit provider announcement could be just one of more to come as the Club is supposed to have a stadium plan put together by the end of this week. Perhaps there could be even more great news coming soon? We’ll just have to wait and see.

 

Indy Eleven 3 Puerto Rico FC 3 Match Notes

INDIANAPOLIS:

Indy Eleven squared off against Puerto Rico FC at Carroll Stadium on Saturday in what would become a very entertaining match for the fans. 6 goals were scored altogether and it showed a lot of positives from different sides of the field. Here are some notes we compiled on the draw:

Official Attendance: 9,064

First half:

The First half was very fast paced as Justin Braun opened up his 2017 account of Indy Eleven in the 5th minute assisted by Nemanja Vukovic. 5 Minutes later Ben Speas would score his first goal for Indy Eleven in the 10th Minute. The match would hold steady from there until Conor Doyle would put the ball in the net for Puerto Rico in the 24th Minute.

In stoppage time Indy Eleven would concede at penalty kick by defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe after a foul in the Penalty box. Busch would manage to save the penalty unfortunately PRFC stuck back within a second of the failed penalty with a goal by Hector Ramos making up for his failed penalty. Gerrado Torrado has had a few great touches this half! Ben Speas looks to be one of of Indy Eleven’s most complete midfielders as well with his account opening goal for Indy in the 10th. 2nd Half:

Eamon Zayed Subbed on (Tanner Thompson off)

The second half began a bit sluggish for the Eleven as they conceded a second penalty that eventually went in by Walter Ramirez of PRFC. Things would stay stagnant until Justin Braun would score an unassisted goal in the 75th minute. From there on the Eleven would have a disallowed goal later in the half which would have been the match clincher. Unfortunately the match would end 2-2 giving the Eleven 2 points on the NASL table.

Pros:

• The Indy Eleven Midfield corps were rapid fire in the home opener with 3 goals (Justin Braun 5′ 75′) and Ben Speas ’10. Ben Speas looks to be a very complete midfielder and a fantastic signing this winter. Torrado also had a few great touches this match as well. It’s beginning to look like Torrado is beginning to really become a valuable piece of Tim Hankinson’s system.
• Justin Braun’s brace was FANTASTIC.
• Seeing the younger players such as Keller, and former IU Player Tanner Thompson in the line up was great!

Cons:

• Indy Eleven gave up to many penalties
•  The club became stagnant after the Speas goal in the 10th. The season is still young however there definitely is a lot of work to do.
• The disallowed goal costed the Eleven a chance at 3 Points

Contributor’s Notes:

Overall, I am impressed with the Midfield Corps of this match Ben Speas and Justin Braun look to be very promising this season. Despite the 3-3 draw I do believe that Indy will have a better grasp on Puerto Rico as they travel down south to face them next week. Last season we began the season with 2 points and won the Spring Season title. Mentally the guys are getting back in shape for what looks to be a promising season. I’m looking forward to Eamon Zayed and Justin Braun finally linking back up again! Also, I’m really looking forward to Ubiparipovic returning along with Colin Falvey. Indy Eleven has a lot of positives coming from this match!