And we're off! Indy opened the 2019 USL campaign with a 2-1 loss to St. Louis (and I'm very glad St. Louis is now in the same conference as Indy, though it doesn't really make up for the loss of Cincinnati). Indy took the lead on a penalty in the second half but then surrendered goals in the 69th and 76th minutes and were unable to respond. I have a feeling we're going to see a lot of games like this this year. Rennie claims to prioritize defense, but last year's team wasn't particularly effective defensively, at least not consistently so. And, as far as I can tell, the current team has no attacking midfielders--there's no one to link up the defenders/defensive midfielders and the front line, and so Indy is left playing hoof-and-hope--a style we know all too well dating back to 2014, but one that's not much fun to watch. The inability to retain Dylan Mares (who sadly seems to have ruined his career by going to Miami--I hope that he is at least being well paid) and the decision to loan out Ben Speas to NCFC left the team with a large gap in midfield, one that Rennie seemingly has no interest in filling. This team is going to require some time to get used to. See how many familiar names you spot here: The players will need some time to adjust to each other, and we'll need some time to adjust to them. Turnover at this level seems to be a curse of minor league sports, and it's especially not particularly surprising given Indy's penchant for signing players toward the end of their careers. But it does make it hard to develop a sense of continuity.
The goals they gave up were garbage too. The balls bounced at least twice inside the box without being cleared. It's cool to see Josh Penn get minutes. It would be cool to see third keeper Mario Perez (a hometown Logansport kid) get some minutes too. These guys were announced as "academy signings". I hope that means they're still eligible to play college soccer in the fall, at least in Penn's case.
Announced attendance last night was 232 according to Soccerway. That sounds generous from what it looked like on tv. I only caught a few minutes, but it was a win.
What an odd start-stop to the season we've had so far, with two off weeks and now a game on Monday. I'm not surprised that the home attendance for Swope Park Rangers was dismal--the MLS reserve teams generally don't draw well to begin with, Swope Park Rangers have had low attendance even among that group, and Monday games are just off. Still, 232 is exceptionally poor. Great to see Indy generate some actual offense, and to see Dane Kelly get a brace and an assist. It's hard to know how much to make of Indy's 3W-0D-1L record, given that the three wins came against the three teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table. But winning the games you're supposed to win is a vital part of any successful campaign, and in that respect Indy took care of business.
Re: the attendance: a friend in Kansas City reports that Sporting Kansas City had home games on Thursday and Sunday. Swope Park Rangers are unlikely to have their own independent fan base, so under the circumstances it would make sense that Kansas City fans' appetites would have been sated before the game last night.
It would seem like that would have been a good opportunity for Sporting Kansas City to offer discounted/free tickets to Monday's SPR game for those who purchased tickets to Sunday's SKC game.
Or just offer free admission in general. Surely, people would buy some beers or whatever so they make a little money.
This afternoon's game is a real test and a real chance for Indy to solidify its position before finally returning home. Indy has feasted on weaker teams so far, but NYRBII are a point ahead of Indy in the table (with an additional game played). New York is the strongest MLS reserve team in the Eastern Conference by a good measure, and it would be good to take them down a peg.
I had hoped to get to this game but unfortunately could not. Soon, though. This iteration of Indy Eleven has a lot of potential. The question remains how consistently they can fulfill it.
I only watched the last 15 minutes, and I don't know how 10 managed to not score either of the chances I saw fall to him.
My soccer attention has largely been diverted elsewhere this spring (my avatar suggests why), but, yes, the inability to put away clear chances is maddening, especially when Rennie doesn't set up his team to create many chances to begin with.
Still a bit frustrating with the finishing last night. But man, this team is fun to watch. And with them in second place now, with two games in hand over first place Tampa Bay, things are getting interesting.
Now, in an effort so create a bit more traffic in this thread, anyone have some thoughts about the Broad Ripple stadium location, as opposed to downtown?
Second place kind of snuck up on me. Frustrating as the team can be sometimes, this is an impressive bunch with (generally) impressive results.
That may be dated information. I believe they got a stadium of some kind approved through the legislature. Being a Crew fan, I have learned that being away from downtown is not always a good idea. Bridgeview anyone?
On the field this team has been squeaking out exciting wins against the teams they are supposed to beat. Which has been kind of fun. We're actually going tomorrow night. First time this season.
We took kids and sat in the BB section. It was a great time. And first place is kind of nice, as well.
4 Ls in a row is not good. Last I saw Indy were in second or third with games in hand. Now they're down to fifth. Ooof.
And just like that, with a win and a tie, they're back in it. It was a brutal road trip for them, but if they beat Swope Park on Wednesday they'll lock in a home playoff game, which would be really big in a lot of ways. And if they don't, well, quite frankly, they probably don't deserve much of a post season.
Given the results of the last six weeks or so, securing home field advantage for the first round is absolutely essential if Indy wants to have a reasonable chance of advancing.