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

Opinion: A few details the Eleven should consider in 2017

It’s been a fairly eventful offseason as the North American Division 2 issue was solved temporarily coming into the Spring Season. Of course, with an 8 club league (for now) here are a few details the Eleven should consider at the launch of the Spring Season

The Eleven needs to pay special attention to Away Matches:

The Eleven have a lot of traveling to do in 2017 and now in the Club’s 4th Season in the league they will have to cover a lot of miles to play each match. Here is some stats mileage wise for each away match:

Edmonton: 1,593.58 Miles

San Francisco: 1,947.04

North Carolina: 487.91 Miles

Jacksonville: 700.47 Miles

Miami:  1,028.46

Puerto Rico FC: 1,891 Miles

New York: Roughly 720 Miles

Indy Eleven’s Away Record in 2016 was  2-7-7

Indy Eleven’s current most local “rival” is North Carolina FC with 487.91 miles. That’s a bit of a trip considering the league is so spread out. The Eleven’s longest road trips will be San Francisco, Puerto Rico, and Edmonton to put in perspective It is important to understand that there are many reasons teams tend to play worse on away trips. The foreign stadium, Having a fanbase scream at you for 90 minutes, fatigue, Jet lag. All of which can play a pivotal roll in making an away match very tough.

The Winter Transfer Window: 

The 9 Signings thus far in the Winter Transfer Window: 

The Winter Transfer Window is a fantastic way for the Club to build on it’s current success of course, if it weren’t for the winter transfer window last season we wouldn’t be able to see the heroics of the Braun-Zayed duo up front. Especially with the Division 2 issue finally settling down this may encourage players to sign on to NASL contracts despite the uncertainty of a long term future. (Considering if you are a young player you probably won’t be playing at this level for a long time) The NASL is a different league of course there isn’t MLS players coming in and out of the club like there is in USL so it adds on an extra layer of excitement for a player to move up the team sheet through out the season. There will be more signings to come here in the comings weeks but it has been made clear that Coach Hankinson wants to bring a rock solid starting XI in the Mike come April.

“These nine players are guys that have worn the captain’s armband, won championships and collected a massive amount of games in their careers at the professional level, and that dictates they will lead a ‘no excuses’ kind of team; “The continuity this core group brings means we will be further along in regards to being familiar with each other and the concepts we want to build upon when we start training camp next month. They know the work that needs to be put in and they know how to win, so we expect them to help deliver great things in 2017.” – Tim Hankinson (Quote from Indy Eleven Communications)

If there is a possibility that there is a poor transfer window there’s always the summer window to consider as well. But in this league fantastic Spring Season results mean a lot!

Michael A. Carroll Stadium is a Great Venue, but secure it as a fortress: 

Recently San Francisco Deltas CEO Brian Hemlick sounded off to NASL.com on how he would like to mirror what he saw when the SF Deltas FO visited the Indy Eleven during the playoff semifinal in November. He noted many big compliments:

“I thought the environment was outstanding,” and “It was a beautiful sunny day and it was a good omen for the club.”

Hemlick also noted how much he enjoyed the lay out that Ersal’s team has put together with the stadium lay out, food vendors, and so on.

Original Article: http://www.nasl.com/news/2017/01/11/deltas-hoping-to-create-similar-fan-atmosphere-to-indy-at-kezar-stadium

The atmosphere built in Indianapolis definitely is something special. It’s like an army in some ways. The front lines is the pitch. Artillery is the Brickyard Battalion, and the support command is the roaring main stand. Make Carroll Stadium not just a fortress, but make into a venue that away franchises want to pay extra attention to when they come visit you.  Keep in mind the Eleven’s Home Record was a wonderful undefeated record of 13-3-0 with an average attendance of over 9,000 supporters.

The 2017 Campaign is  only a few months away. Get your singing voices ready because the Boys in Blue need all the support they can get once that first whistle blows in April.