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.

 

Opinion: Tactics mean everything this season

The 2017 NASL Season can arguably be known as a trial and error year for the league after a rocky offseason with the league moving into the 2017 season with only 8 teams. The short term effects of the loss of Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale, and Rayo OKC could actually make the league more challenging to be successful believe it or not.

The 2017 Season Schedule sees multiple fixtures where clubs will play each other in back to back games. Of course we see this throughout the world such as in the Champions League in the later stages of the competition you see clubs square off twice and the better team would advance based off of the overall performance of the tie. However what makes this different in the NASL is the fact that each match day is a different match day and success in each can put your club’s playoff hopes on the line.

In order to be successful in a small league such as the NASL you need to become a tactical genius. The reverse fixtures should force a club to prepare a new system that can best prepare them to be successful. These can either be big changes or even small changes in the line ups. Perhaps consider changes in personnel.

Indy Eleven has a lot going for them when it comes to personnel. Tim Hankinson puts a lot into his lineups as you can notice obvious changes in each line up week in, and week out. For instance we have seen obvious changes in the midfield and striker positions a lot in his experience as the manager of Indy Eleven. Last season for instance we didn’t see Ubiparipovic in the starting line up until later into the season. Ubi would do well in the valuable minutes he played in especially in the playoff semifinal when he scored to send Indy Eleven to the Soccer Bowl. What is interesting also is when we asked Hankinson on why he chose to have more of the younger players in the starting lineup he first noted that it is always important to include young players in the mix for them to gain valuable minutes but you can also see where Hankinson is trying to mold a new mentality for the team forcing the more experienced players to earn their spots week in and week out.

One thing that is important to note is just because the league lost teams in the prior campaign it is rather interesting to see how the league evolves with its environmental changes such as long distances, small operating budgets, and an added lack of expectation from up and coming players it gives the NASL a bit of an edge into how entertaining this league will be in 2017. For experienced managers such as  Tim Hankinson, Colin Miller, and Giovanni Saverese this season should become a defining moment for each of them to see how well they can navigate to a league title in such a unpredictable league.

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!

Ayers: 3 Things to think about coming into 2017

It will have been 146 days since Indy Eleven last stormed the pitch at Carroll Stadium in the Eleven’s semifinal victory against FC Edmonton come Saturday. So much has changed since then from the NASL Soccer Bowl appearance, the NASL/USL Division 2 Decision, to the MLS Bid. There definitely is a lot going through many Eleven supporter’s minds coming into this weekend’s home opener. Here are a few thought’s that comes to mind.

1. 2016 was only the beginning.

Last year was one of the craziest sporting roller coaster rides I’ve ever experienced. The magic of defeating the Cosmos at home, the 4 goals that solidified the Spring Championship, Ubiparipovic’s goal that sent Lady Victory to the Soccer Bowl, and of course there were some lows such as the poor performances in the Sunshine State, to the heartbreaking penalties against the Cosmos in the Soccer Bowl. After interviewing Hankinson with Casillero Deportivo I remember hearing Hank talk about how bad he wanted to build on last year’s success and how the Club’s ultimate goal was to return to the Soccer Bowl this season. Ironically Indy has a really good chance to build on it’s week 1 success starting top of the table coming into week 2. On top of this imagine how important it is for the team to keep it’s undefeated run at home strong. What’s most important is the Spring Season is the warm up for the League. You can’t take the Spring Season likely because it can be the Club’s golden ticket in November it’s the best path to the playoffs.

The goal after all is to earn that Star over our crest right?

2. Don’t underestimate the NASL: 

I can’t stress this enough. At first when I saw that 6 of the 8 NASL Clubs drew in Week 1 at first I had a good laugh (it is very rare this happens, especially in soccer) The league has had its fair share of issues going down to 8 Clubs this off season. One thing that I find very exciting is the fact that last season one of the best parts of league was the fact that the league overall got better in terms of it’s level of play. Any club can be in a top spot coming into week 3. The stronger the start, the better result of course.

The offseason also saw decent signings across the board such as the overhaul at Miami FC, the San Francisco Deltas jumping into the NASL as the Clubs first West Coast club (in the modern era)

Don’t forget to mention changes in leadership of the league such as Bill Peterson leaving his post as the NASL Commissioner.

Every match day is a new match day. This league may not be seen as one of the top leagues in the world but it sure is a competitive one. Anything is possible!

3. Let’s show Garber and Company that Indianapolis is more than just a small metropolis in the middle of a cornfield:

Growing up in the Circle City has had it’s fair share of beautiful sports storylines along with a decent amount of competitive heartbreak. From the 2006 Indianapolis Colts winning the City it’s first major Sports Championship since the Pacers won the American Basketball Association in the late 60’s to Butler University’s back to back National Championship appearances. This City has also had its fair share of memorable events such as numerous NCAA Final Fours, Super Bowl XLVI, and back to back NBA Eastern Conference Finals appearances (both of which went to game 7 for Indiana) the Circle City has always found a way to shine athletically despite it’s smaller size compared to larger markets in the Midwest.

Of course, You can never forget what the Indy Eleven has built by averaging 9,000 + per match along with this the efforts put together by the Brickyard Battalion, Slaughterhouse, and the Eleventh Plague to create a unique game day experience. One of the things that I love about sharing with people outside of the soccer world is how much the fans create the World’s Game just as much as the players do. The displays, the chants, listening to the heckling of the opposing club’s goalkeeper. Everything, it’s therapeutic to say the least.

In closing,

No matter how you feel about the beginning of this year’s NASL Campaign just remember how far this club has come, and how much this club wants to join the elites of the US Soccer.

Indy Eleven – Puerto Rico FC Match Preview (NASL Spring Season)

After a lengthy (but eventful) offseason soccer returns to Carroll Stadium this Saturday as Indy Eleven take on Puerto Rico FC.

Indy Eleven look to earn the club’s first 3 points of the Spring Season as they look to begin to defend the Club’s undefeated home record as Puerto Rico makes the trip north to the Circle City.

A Look back at Week 1: 

Indy Eleven: 

Last Result: 1-1 Draw versus San Francisco

Indy Eleven managed to draw against 2017 expansion side San Francisco Deltas last Saturday and managing to be top of the table following a night of draws in the NASL Spring Season opener. Tanner Thompson opened up the account for Indy Eleven in the 58th minute assisted by former Minnesota United winger Ben Speas. Tanner made not only his club debut but also his professional debut for Indy Eleven playing 77 minutes completing 17/24 passes, 2 shots on goal and 1 debut day goal to begin his career. Thompson played his college career at Indiana University prior to signing for Indy Eleven.

For the first game of the season a draw is decent start for the Club to get a good feel of the change in pace compared to what they came up against in the preseason.

Puerto Rico: 

Last Result: 0-0 Draw against the New York Cosmos

Puerto Rico failed to score a goal in the Club’s home opener against the League Champions last Saturday. However the Club managed to keep the Cosmos from getting a single shot on target. PRFC managed to shoot 14 times in total 5 of which would be on target in the Club’s inaugural Spring Season Match up.

PRFC overall did a decent job of containing the Cosmos offensively along with getting a few decent touches. It is also important to note how well the PRFC defense managed to defend 4 New York corners.

Overall Thoughts on the Fixture: 

Indy Eleven  and Puerto Rico are set to meet twice this Spring Season ironically back to back. The Eleven need to set the pressure early so they can shut PRFC down in the home opener. The added support of Carroll Stadium will help a ton and can set a tone for both fixtures. The Eleven also have the advantage of being top of the table coming into week 2.

Key questions coming into the Home Opener:

Will Eamon Zayed and Ubiparipovic start this week? 

There was a lot of speculation last week as to why Zayed was a substitute last week rumors included that Eamon was either battling illness earlier in the week or he had issues with his weight prior to the match up.

As for Sinisa Ubiparipovic he was on the Substitute bench during week 1. Ubi is best known for his key appearances last season towards the end of the Fall Season along with his very memorable goal that sent Indy Eleven to the Soccer Bowl in 2016.

How will the Indy Eleven signees handle the Mike? 

This will be a big weekend for notable Indy Eleven signees such as Ben Speas, Kwame Siriboe, and Tanner Thompson (to name a few) You can only imagine what will be going through the players minds as the BYB unveil the group’s first tifo of the season on Saturday!

Will we see more of Tanner Thompson after his fantastic goal last week? 

A debut day goal is something ever player dreams of. Perhaps he may have earned a spot again in week 2?

Game Day Information: 

The Match begins at 3 PM this Saturday April 1st!

Still need tickets? Purchase BYB tickets through the Brickyard Battalion! Buying tickets directly from the BYB will help aid fundraising opportunities for BYB functions such as tifo painting, community outreach efforts and much more. (Plus the experience is truly one of a kind) You will also save a few dollars as well!

Slaughterhouse – 19 and Indy Fringe to host a First Friday Showcase next Friday:

 

Also, On April 7th from 4-8PM Slaughterhouse-19 and Indy Fringe will be hosting a one of a kind  First Friday Event that showcases the distinct art work that is put into game displays, along with that photography done by local media photographers will be showcased! This event is free and open to the public and would make a fantastic Friday night get away.

* Also note most of the photos that will be showcased at this event have never been seen before and many will also be available for purchase!

You can RSVP to the Slaughterhouse – 19 First Friday Event Here

As Indy bids for MLS Expansion what should be considered?

Late last night multiple media outlets announced that Indy Eleven’s Owner Ersal Ozdemir would personally hand in an application to the Front Office of Major League Soccer in New York City on Tuesday which led to mixed reviews from Supporters through out the Club. Interesting as it is this is about 1 year after outside investors spread interest in bringing a Major League Soccer franchise to Indianapolis on the grounds of the former Indianapolis International Airport grounds in 2016 but it failed in a vote last year. Now a year later Indy Eleven joins 12 other clubs wanting to invest in becoming one of the 4 expansion sides in 2020. What are some Pros and Cons of this move?

1. Stadium Talks in Downtown Indy will be reconsidered with a closer look:

In 2015 Indy Eleven brought up the idea of building a multipurpose stadium in Downtown Indy with the “Stadium for Indiana” Campaign with the notion of building a permanent home for Indy Eleven for the city along with opportunities for Concert Space, High School Soccer Games, High School Football Games, and much more. It managed to pass through the General Assembly but the bill died once it hit the Indiana Senate. Many of the complications with the Stadium plan was the fact that many Hoosiers are not for publicly paying for another sports venue after picking up the bill for the Original Hoosier Dome, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and most recently Lucas Oil Stadium. Since 2015 Indy Eleven and Peter Wilt parted ways so Wilt could begin work on the Chicago NASL Project and along with this Jeff Belskus the former CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was named the President of Indy Eleven in 2016. During last night’s news Sports Illustrated said that Ozdemir and Belskus have made moves to pay for the Stadium with Club related profit based off of money spent within the Club. Citing that this may end the political bind that will lead to a clear pathway for Indy Eleven to build a new Stadium. Of course. Time will tell.

Here is a link to Indy Eleven’s 2015 Stadium Campaign

2. The Future of the North American Soccer League:

It hasn’t even been a month since Sunil Gulati made the move to make the NASL and United Soccer League have co-ownership of the 2nd division on the American Pyramid. Given the NASL is said to expand to 11 teams by the Fall Season and other NASL franchises  applying for MLS Expansion as well could hurt the NASL very badly. Another issue that many Indianapolis Citizens had with the Stadium bid was also the future of the North American Soccer League saying things such as the NASL doesn’t have the backing to support Soccer Specific Stadiums in the League. It’s solely a conflict of interest. North Carolina FC (originally The Carolina Railhawks) joined into the MLS bid early than the Eleven did but they also took a role of leadership being one of the key voices to have the NASL survive into 2017. The NASL has made good moves since the announcement was made by letting go of former commissioner Bill Peterson and having the New York Cosmos sold to have the league be at 8 teams in the Spring Season.

3. Other Markets looking at MLS Expansion:

Keep in mind there are 4 spots for 2020 but also there is a chance at another round of expansion in 2024.

Cities in the Mix: Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville, Raleigh, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa Bay, and Phoenix have all come forward to be interested in MLS Expansion.

Cities most likely to get Expansion based off their current state outside of Indianapolis:

Cincinnati:

FC Cincinnati has become a success story in 2016 when the Club managed to sell out the University of Cincinnati’s Football Stadium for FC Cincinnati and the Club has been very open about expanding to Major League Soccer and has had Don Garber visit the Club in its inaugural season.

Sacramento:

The Sacramento Republic Football Club are a crown jewel of the Independent Clubs in the United Soccer League that have been around for a good amount of time that have an average attendance of around 11,000 in the last 3 seasons. They have also been in the talks of a 4th California MLS Franchise for quite sometime.

St. Louis:

St. Louis has also been very open to bringing MLS to STL. There is also an active campaign to bring a soccer specific stadium to the City. St. Louis FC has an average attendance of around 6,000 however the City has a rich soccer history that can bring up better chances and opportunities to build up the fanbase. Unfortunately St. Louis did lose it’s NFL Franchise at the end of the 2015 Season when the Rams decided to return to Los Angeles which could make it harder for STLFC to make a solid push.

San Diego:

We are really pushing it with this one solely for the fact that San Diego’s Soccer following is mostly in it’s Mexican sister city Tijuana with Club Tijuana in Liga MX. However San Diego has had an NASL Club in the past and has a lot of interest from Don Garber to put a club on the map there to compete with the Liga MX Franchise.

For more information and indepth analysis on Soccer Expansion in North America we do recommend looking into Midfield Press’ on going coverage of the situation at all levels of the pyramid. You can be find this by clicking Here.

Contributor’s Thoughts:

While I do believe that Major League Soccer is the best direction for the longterm survival of the Indy Eleven I do believe that the only way a soccer specific stadium to come to Indianapolis is through private funding given our city is fitting the bill for many other venues in the past. Indy Eleven has made a great Soccer Culture in Indianapolis that has a lot of room to grow as the club continues to get bigger. An MLS spot could mean many more opportunities for future trophies for the Club and more international recognition. However, Indy Eleven is one of the few NASL Success Stories left along with NCFC, the reboot New York Cosmos and Minnesota (who are now in MLS) There is a lot of work to be done however the interest has always been here to bring a third major sports franchise to the city.

Duke Lacroix would be a perfect addition for Minnesota United FC

With Major League Soccer returning earlier this March preseason preparations are just beginning for North America’s Top flight and of course this has been a big offseason for the likes of Minnesota United as they move up to Major League Soccer this season. Earlier this week Minnesota United released the Club’s Preseason Roster which highlighted this past season’s NASL Goal of the Year winner and former Indy Eleven Midfielder Duke Lacroix. Here are a few things Minnesota United should consider while evaluating Lacroix for this upcoming MLS Campaign.

1. The Goal that gave Lacroix the NASL Goal of the Year:

A few things that come to mind when you watch this goal. First, just look at the attacking power Lacroix has when he fights for the ball and manages to get the ball down the field with such grace before delivering the final shot. It’s simply fantastic!

2.  Experience:

Lacroix has a combined 43 appearances in his professional career so far. Most of which are with Indy Eleven accompanying 3 goals for the Eleven, Add on the fact that Lacroix played his college days with Ivy League side with 68 appearances 25 goals, and 15 assists in his college career.

3. The Current State of Minnesota United FC:

Minnesota was granted an expansion slot with Major League Soccer originally for the 2018 season but managed to earn a slot for the 2017 season. The Club will debut against arguably the best conference in Major League Soccer as a member of the Western Conference with the likes of MLS Cup Champion Seattle Sounders, 2016 MLS Supporter’s Shield winners FC Dallas and tough match ups such as the Portland Timbers, Colorado Rapids, Vancouver Whitecaps, and LA Galaxy.

  Minnesota has a lot to offer so far with this group of Midfielders such as former United legend Miguel Ibarra who left the Club for a stint to play in Mexico now returning to play for United as an MLS Club (He will probably wear the Captain’s Armband as well!) We also see former Columbus Crew player Mohammed Saeid and Collen Warner who played for the Houston Dynamo most recently but also notice there is some former NASL players in here such as Ibson. Lacroix can add to this stellar line up and could probably compete with the likes of Collin Martin, and Saeid. You can only imagine everything going through Adrian Heath’s mind as manages his second MLS Expansion side when it comes to the upcoming season. It may not be the Orlando City team with Ricardo Kaka but it has a lot of potential in such a challenging conference.

In Summary,

Duke has a lot to offer at the young age of 23. Having had a lot of experience in the midfield as a Left winger for Penn, and tearing up the midfield in every chance he got with Indy Eleven you can really see what the Eleven will be missing this season with out Duke in the lineup. Minnesota has a great opportunity to compete in its first season in Major League Soccer and they have an opportunity to build up a roster that can compete for MLS Cup. The league is a tough one to compete in. Especially in the Western Conference with a midfielder like Duke Lacroix on your starting eleven you have really good odds of getting a shot or two on goal from the likes Lacroix or a fantastic assist.

Below are a few highlight reels from Lacroix’s career so far:

We at Central State FC wish Duke the best of luck to him as he trials for the next step in his career!

Indy Eleven strengthens it’s Midfield signing Ben Speas

INDIANAPOLIS:

On Tuesday afternoon Indy Eleven made it official that the Ben Speas signing rumors are indeed true!

Speas is most known for his time with Columbus Crew SC appearing 41 times for the Crew from 2012-2015. Speas also played for Minnesota United in the 2016 Season scoring 4 goals for the Club in its final NASL campaign prior to moving to Major League Soccer.
“Ben is an experienced player who has great quickness and technical ability going to goal.” – Tim Hankinson. (via Indy Eleven)

Here are some highlights from one of Speas best performances with the Loons in 2016:

Contributor’s Thoughts:

This is a stellar midfield signing for the Eleven this season Speas is a fantastic young talent that has a lot of potential to link up to great talent in our midfield along side Don Smart and Justin Braun. This should give Eleven supporters even more excitement looking towards the home opener!