All 👀 on us... The white threads are in and will debut this weekend!#BeAnEleven with us and get your jersey at https://t.co/Opo1eDHW3X! pic.twitter.com/FaNWqCendz— Indy Eleven (@IndyEleven) May 11, 2017 I'm a bit puzzled by the new away shirt. Aren't sleeves with contrasting colors the Nike signature design these days?
The general cheapness of this team is biting them on the ass. I'm not asking for Cosmos-esque spending, but the people in charge are clearly being tightwads with everything in the operations. How else can they let decent players walk over a couple thousand dollars, and not bother to even use their NPSL team (it's back to being Indiana Fire). I'm scared this team will go down the Indiana Blast route, although I doubt they'll pay scabs to wear their uniforms for road games.
The team is very frustrating to think about right now. And I too am getting angry with the ownership. The combination of letting the playing squad slip and failing to put together a serious plan for a stadium this legislative session is maddening. What exactly was the point of making an MLS expansion bid if you're going to let the team decline?
1. get city on MLS list when it's still possible to get on MLS list for next round of expansion. 2. hope someone with $250M comes along and wants to invest in an MLS team in indy. 3. sell club or majority interest in club to said investor to recoup money lost over first X years. what was the downside to submitting a bid? upsetting STH who already bought their STs?
No downside to submitting the bid per se. But the bid suggested a seriousness of purpose that had been belied by virtually everything since. Short of air say or the zsimonsnsteppimg in, its gettttimg harder to see a future for this club.
I think it's about time for Ersal to sell the team. He put in the foundation but it's clear that he doesn't want to go beyond that.
I do not think that it is coincidence that now that we have had some time together healthy we are starting to win.
A few days after the Puerto Rico match that cemented our last place finish, I actually got an audience with somebody at the office about 2018 and kept my freak flag hidden (as in "USL, PLEASE!") while asking about season tickets. They were very confident about playing next year, which is good. The part I'm uncomfortable with is that I feel the percentages are 85% to 15% that they will join NISA instead of USL.
But therein lies a problem. If they are under financed, what advantage does NISA have? Sure, lower standards mean lower overhead, but let's say NISA doesn't get Detroit & Chattanooga. Our nearest rival would be either New York (if they choose the downgrade) or Hartford. Even if the team exclusively busses to opponents, that's not cheap. USL may not have the low overhead that a frugal franchise desires, but having a regional cluster would help with travel costs, which I believe eat a budget more than anything.
This. Last year, I was not at all enthusiastic about the prospect of joining USL (and there are things about USL that I still don't like, principally the involvement of MLS reserve teams). But the reduced travel expenses and the prospect of regional rivalries are distinct pluses, things that Indy could use to reduce expenses and increase revenue.
i haven't been following the news or updates on the team since the season ended. after reading these posts, i have to wonder what ozdemir's plan was from the beginning. surely he wasn't counting on the city/state to build a stadium for him, right? as a guy with connections, you'd think he would have known that was unlikely. was he hoping some real money would come in to behind him to get him to mls? looking back at all the money he must have spent and seeing where the team is now, it really makes me think "what was the point?"
Honestly, I think Ersal looked at NASL as a budget MLS, with the hopes that he'd have MLS quality clubs coming here without the whole financial pratfalls. Again, I don't want this to become the Indiana Blast all over again. USL may not be cheap to get in, but it should provide long term sustaining. Its easy to prop up losing clubs if you give fans regional rivalries. I mean, the Indy Fuel has constantly been at the bottom of the standings since they were created yet are one of the few profitable franchises in the ECHL, and hockey has much higher costs than soccer. Even if the Eleven suck, the local rivalries would make me go for how fun the day would be.
With USL announcing a Chicago team that's one more close rival for Indy to add to Cincy, Louisville, St Louis and even Nashville isn't too far.
Team leadership has decided not to renew Coach Hankinson’s contract. Thank you Coach for bringing us the 2016 NASL Spring Championship.— Indy Eleven (@IndyEleven) November 28, 2017 So Indy will have a new coach next year (assuming the team plays in some league or other). I can't say I'm surprised. Hankinson's coaching history prior to joining Indy suggested that he did not wear well with players, that he could have some initial success, but it would not carry over into subsequent seasons. And that proved to be the case here in 2017. The problem wasn't just that the team lost. It was that, for the most part, they played without any spark, without any desire. I've followed losing teams that I didn't mind supporting because, even if they stank, they at least played as if they cared. Too many times this year, that could not be said of Indy.
shockingly, indy wasn't chosen as one of 4 finalists for the next 2 mls spots. sacramento, nashville, cinci, and detroit are the 4.
MLS ain't happening; just try the next best thing. Especially with Cincinnati & Sacramento potentially leaving, the USL will need marquee teams of its own. Indy clearly can support minor league teams, unlike San Francisco, but it all boils down to Ersal thinking with his head or his heart. I'm worried that, like my late mother, he will instinctively think with his heart instead of looking at facts.
Well, I've listened to today's oral argument before the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and my sense is that it did not go well for the NASL. I really hope Indy has a backup plan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=o1HkvgxtG7U
Today is the last day the Indy Eleven's store is open at the Broad Ripple Boondoggle, and from 5-7 PM tonight, the ownership will be there. I may ask them what they think about the news and if they have a contingency plan should the lawsuit decision not go NASL's way.
I wish I could get there, if the top brass is going to be there. I hope you get to ask some questions.