Clint Dempsey attacks DaMarcus Beasley during a 2014 practice at Stanford University on a beautiful May two weeks ahead of the World Cup in Brazil! (Photo by Rebecca Townsend)
There is so much more to these guys’ World Cup journey! And I hope more stories will be forthcoming (I’ve been promising to write the book of my adventure traveling to watch them. Imagine the books they could write!) … But this day, the U.S Men’s National Team was two weeks away from leaving their training camp in Northern California and flying to São Paulo for what would be an epic showing that ran through the group stage and into a gripping Round of 16 performance in Salvador, Bahia, ending in defeat to Belgium.
Fellow Hoosier DaMarcus Beasley agreed to sit for a pre-Cup interview with me, as I was then news editor at NUVO, the alt weekly in Indianapolis, and I was insistent that he receive some front-page props for his monumental achievement of becoming the first U.S. player to appear in four consecutive World Cups!
The U.S. team’s front-office handlers, though, were not anticipating me being on the field that day in California. It wasn’t an open practice. But they didn’t tell me that. And they didn’t know I got there early enough to gain the knowledge and field position necessary to achieve my goal for the day, which was to absorb as much as this pure magic as possible! The handlers didn’t know they were dealing with a player who had traveled a long way to get to that field and was pleased that God magically removed every obstacle to her path … so much so that to her immense surprise, she found herself alone on the field with the entire U.S. National Team and its legendary head coach, World Cup winner from the great 1990 German team, Jürgen Klinsmann. I was in absolute heaven. Everyone was a pure gentlemen and totally ignored me, which was exactly what I wanted. I really truly was there to watch them work. And, boy, did they work!
Today, The Crack Podcast hosted Clint Dempsey and listening to him speak with DaMarcus and crew made me flashback to that perfect May morning seven years ago … You guys were great!
The U.S. National Team appears much more diverse on the field than it does on its executive board, a trait MLS and United Soccer Coaches also appear to follow. The men’s team (shown here warming up at Stanford University under the direction of head coach Jürgen Klinsmann — who won the 1990 World Cup playing for Germany — weeks before the 2014 Word Cup began in Brazil) made it all the way to the Round of 16 in 2014 before its brutalization by Belgium. The team did not qualify for the tournament in 2018. Some suggest that the lack of diversity and opportunity in American soccer is to blame for our lack of a World Cup trophy (from our men). Photo Credit: Rebecca Townsend
The Crack drops at a perfect time for honest exploration of race — and soccer
By Rebecca Townsend
Leave it to elite soccer players to understand timing.
Former U.S. Men’s National Team members DaMarcus Beasley and Oguchi “Guchi” Onyewu, and Futbolr Clothing‘s Mabricio “Mookie” Wilson, (a former collegiate player for Old Dominion University) have timed the debut of The Crack Podcast to drop in the midst of the national (and, truly, global) conversation about how to grapple with our racial demons.
Among the issues tackled in the Crack’s two-partseries on racial injustice: the lack of black leadership at the top levels of the U.S. soccer business, on and off the field; the lack of follow-through among professional teams when it comes to cracking down on racist attacks on athletes; analysis of the Drew Brees apology for criticizing players who chose to kneel during the National Anthem, and an exploration of recent examples in which MLS clubs released employees embroiled in racially related scandals.
You Inspired So Many People, You Tools
The number of racial issues dogging the soccer world gave the hosts much meat for conversation. They supported the LA Galaxy in releasing Aleksander Katai after his wife posted violent and racist comments on social media.
But the overall performance of the MLS — and other top soccer groups — on racial awareness received heavy doses of criticsm.
After Columbus Crew SC’s Derrick Etienne experienced racial profiling and offensive comments during a traffic stop in Ohio, he issued a statement that said, in part, ““As American people we must put behind foolish and hateful stereotypes and accept all people the way God intended … by the content of our character not the color of our skin.”
The MLS issued a Tweet of solidarity.
We hear you. We see you. We support you.@detienne_10 💭
The Crack crew noted that the league’s gesture drew an incredulous response from Toronto FC striker and U.S. National Team player Jozy Altidore.
Do you? That lockout threat felt very real just a few days ago. You didn’t hear us, see us nor support us then. Hopefully this change of heart is here to stay and not a trend like most. Let’s do better @MLShttps://t.co/URYWd0bzVz
“He went right at the head of the dragon,” Beasley said. “It’s not just MLS. All these institutions are finally trying to see the light of what Kaepernick — and even Rapinoe — what they started a long time ago — and then for 100 or 200 years, what all black people have been trying to do.”
“If you don’t sit down and talk to the people who work for you, how will you see it from their eyes — your players, your team, your club, the people you write checks? If you don’t understand them as human beings?” — DaMarcus Beasley
In the entire MLS, the Crack crew could count two black coaches and two black general managers.
In addition, the boards of U.S. Soccer, United Soccer Coaches, U.S. Soccer Players Council and the MLS executive leadership team have no black representation. Calls in search of a response to or engagement with the issues raised by The Crack were not returned by United Soccer Coaches (despite the fact that the author of this piece is a past member) or the MLS. [This story will be updated if and when a response is secured.] A Tweet looking for input was also left ignored.
Onyewu wondered if he “punked out” by not taking a knee during his last year playing in the MLS. He confessed worrying about might happen if he did. This is the exact same feeling Crystal Dunn reported having when she remained standing next to a kneeling Megan Rapinoe.
Worth reading this whole answer from the USWNT’s Crystal Dunn on Rapinoe kneeling in 2016. I remember people making a thing of the image of Dunn standing next to her.
“I’m scared for my job. I’m scared that it’s going to look different if a black girl on the team kneels.” pic.twitter.com/jE2jt3ePrS
“I think it’s a bold move from Jozy,” Onyewu said. “I agree wholeheartedly. If MLS is gonna make that announcement or declaration, they have to back it up. Up until now, they really haven’t backed it up, if I’m gonna be honest.
“…The disproportionate number of black representatives at higher positions in the MLS right now, whether it be head coaches, whether it be management. …There are a number of qualified black coaches that would love the opportunity but haven’t been given the opportunity. And what’s the reason?”
Wilson interjected: “The same coaches they’ve been recycling since the beginning of the league.”
Onyewu proceeded to say he doesn’t blame the people who are working for taking the positions offered them, but he went on to name several players without coaching experience who went directly from playing into a directorial role in the top levels of U.S. soccer with no prior experience beyond their playing careers.
“How many first-team, retiring black players have gotten the opportunity?” he asked.
Beasley replied,” Not me. My phone is silent.”
An incredulous Onyewu asked, “Beas, with just our situations: Beas, 4-time World Cup, only player to be in 5 World Cup cycles, has won over 17 titles in his career. Never been contacted. But they give other people they give opportunities.”
When he retired, Onyewu said he was told, ‘We love you. Not enough experience.’ I’m like, ‘Hold up! I’m college educated. I own and operate three businesses. Speak three languages. Have a vast international contact network and this is on top ofmy playing career! (The crew dissolves into laughter over how ridiculous it all seems.) But I’m underqualified? If I’m underqualified, what are these other people before me?!”
He added, “As black men, I often feel we must be twice as good to get the same type of positions.” And he challenged white listeners to ask both black and white people if their parents told them they’d have to work twice as hard to have an equal shot at anything.
“Why?” he concluded. “This my question to the MLS: If you hear us, if you see us, if you are with us, why don’t your actions show that?”
Wilson offered a heartfelt and action-oriented response.
“What they have told us by doing nothing is: this is not for us. We’re here to be workers. We’re not here to lead. We’re not here to supervise. We’re not here to own. It’s plain and simple as that. We have a pyramid and a coaching structure and no one gets elevated.” — Maubricio Wilson
“The equal tears, work and sweat you put in with your teammates is never considered as good … It’s a thank you, appreciate it … keep on moving… See ya when I see ya!” Wilson said. “Both you guys have been disrespected and treated differently from day one of your campaign with the U.S. soccer team. …The time is now not to kick and scream but to be intelligent enough to say, ‘Listen, we’re not moving forward until we have representation at the top because if we don’t have that, nothing else matters. …At the top, if we don’t have someone there, they will always reject it [black efforts to participate] or continue to put their filter on it. That’s what they want to continue to do. You know why? They must be scared of us. They must be scared because of how they treated us in the past, they think we’re gonna do the same to them.
“That’s the only answer I have, Guic, when you ask me ‘Why? Why do they treat us the way they treat us?’
“As a fan outside looking at you two, you got through and made it. I’m so proud of you two, you inspired so many people: black, white, Spanish, Asian, it doesn’t matter. But throughout the process, you were always just a tool. You were never given your just due or given fair treatment. I’m tired of begging or asking, right? I think we’ve got to mobilize and take it. That’s the only thing they’re going to respect.” — Maubricio Wilson
Onyewu snickered with Beasley about Wilson’s “militant” tone.
“It’s not militant,” Wilson replied. “I like to say: intelligent. Why keep running and hitting the wall if you know what the result is going to be?”
Hit ‘em Up with Ricci Greenwood: Analyzing the case of Alan Hinton
Speaking of the notion of being a tool for others to use, the Crack also weighed in on the degree to which enigmatic Tweets from Seattle soccer legend reflected a racist tone.
Alan Hinton, a 77-year old former pro player from Derby County who played with (and won two league titles with) one of the first racially mixed teams in England — also former Seattle Sounder coach, who won titles for the team in 1995 and 1996, lost his contract as a Sounders “brand ambassador” as a result of this Tweet to more than 10,000 followers:
“Let me make clear I am not a racist? I began in pro soccer when no black players on my team? Years later blacks started to be good so my attitude was ‘Love you if you help us win our bonuses’? Signed as a coach several good black players? Have friends who are black? Is that OK?”
The Seattle Times reported in 2019 that “his use of question marks was initially an error when he established his Twitter account in 2011,” a “running joke” he kept going.
The Crack crew was mystified by the question marks but also miffed at the all-too-familiar feeling that people don’t mind integrating if it means winning and bonuses.
“We find a lot of people in power who will recruit an African American if it helps them win, but not necessarily have the best intentions for the African-American culture,” Wilson commented.
Also, Hinton had unconsciously used language that often throws up a red flag to black listeners.
Beasley explained, “One thing all of us as black men always say … whenever someone makes the comment, ‘I have black friends,’ what does that mean?”
Onyewu answered: “He a damn racist.”
The Crack is a well-sourced bunch, however. And they were not content to cast judgment from the sidelines without more first-hand knowledge. So they called their friend Ricci Greenwood, a Seattle kid turned MLS player and international pro, who Hinton nurtured as a young player.
Seattle native Ricci Greenwood played for the Columbus Crew and 1. FC Nürnberg during his prime. He credits Alan Hinton’s direction with helping him through tough issues as a young soccer player. Photo credit to Fedophile44 via Wikipedia Public Domain
“Alan is not a racist,” Greenwood said. “[The Tweet] didn’t sound right, but on a personal side and the things he did for me, I know he’s not.
“I think he was trying to bridge two different times…
“I just go off the experiences I had with him. From my point of view. He was one of few coaches who even took the time. We broke bread and had breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and he told me a lot of things that were very profound for me. Alan is an older white man from Britain. His statements were taken out of context and then everyone was rushing to turn their backs on him. He’s an icon here and they were quick to pass judgment.
Greenwood continued: “I had tears. I didn’t want to play anymore. Everyone was a racist. He was the only person who reached out and would hear about the anger I had. … All these great coaches were quick to label me uncoachable … that never came from him.
“His statements don’t match the man I know (even as his) statements were targeting African-American players in the wrong light. We should be open to make sure that people learn and understand how this is offensive to some people and kind of help them and correct them. But don’t crucify him and turn your back on him. I feel he’s a person that could learn from this and learn a lot.”
Soccer connections enable frontline insight on police perspective
One of many makeshift memorials left in the wake of worldwide protests decrying police brutality and systematic racism. [Photo by Rebecca Townsend]
As the battle cry of “Fuck 12” echoed nationwide, the Crack crew (who are all black, by the way) spoke with Jon Stueckenschneid, a white cop, who also happens to be a soccer coach. In terms of perspective, the crew couldn’t have found someone more qualified to weigh in from a police leadership perspective. Stueckenschneid said has worked the streets and subways of New York since he began policing in the late ‘90s. He currently commands the Queens division. Somehow the soccer bond allowed the conversation to get deep even among the minefields of tribalism that threatens to lock people in impenetrable camps of “us versus them,” “cops versus citizens” and “white versus black.”
“It was very disturbing to watch this happen to another human being,” Stueckenschneid said. “We’re in this profession, like: What’s going on? What was this guy thinking? It’s disturbing and it has to be addressed. They lost their jobs, fine. That’s minimal. One guy’s gettin’ locked up. He’s gonna do a serious bit of time. Probably 25-to-life.”
Wilson interjects: “But history has shown, coach, usually they don’t get convicted.”
Stueckenschneid responds: “Well, there’s video on this, ok? There is public outcry.”
Wilson also queried Stueckenschneid on what he thought would happen to the other three cops who stood around while Officer Derek Chauvin killed Floyd: “What about the other cops? I hear “We take care of our own.” What is going on with the other three cops? Why are the other three cops not being held accountable?”
“The investigation into those three guys is still ongoing,” he responded, noting the FBI’s Civil Rights Division is a notorious enforcer, as NYPD itself learned in the case of Abner Louima. “They have infinite resources and nothing but time. It might take a while… but they’re gonna get got …There will be something there.”
Stueckenschneid also questioned the whereabouts of Chauvin’s commanding officer, noting that in New York, he is held accountable for all the officers operating underneath him. He also noted that cops must help other cops cool down in tense situations.
Calls to “Defund the Police” reflect protestors’ vision of a revamped public safety landscape. [Photo taken in Downtown Bloomington, Indiana, June 2020 by Rebecca Townsend.]
Onyewu asked whether a nationwide standard of policing would help.
“I’m sure that’s where we’ll be headed,” Stueckenschneid said. “This is not a unique incident only to Minneapolis. It’s been nationwide. We’ve had situations in New York that were very ugly: Eric Gardner, Abner Louima.”
Before concluding the conversation, the men brought it back to the international art form of talking smack about soccer and were laughing together as they said their fare-thee-wells.
After releasing Stueckenschneid from the line, Wilson asked his friends what they thought of the conversation.
“It was informative and an interesting conversation,” Beasley said. “I think it was great to hear his perspective on things. For getting a sense of what they go through, talk about and how they think about different things in different circumstances.”
In terms of envisioning how to move forward on the issue of police brutality and racial inequality, Onyewu said, “It’s about creating a new America. It’s hard to go back and change multiple centuries of thought, action and habit, but it’s not that difficult to pivot.
“I think we’re at a crucial moment. This is an opportunity for humanity…. As a global community, this is a great opportunity to pivot and say, “…This won’t continue anymore! I won’t stand for it!”
This Jimi Hendrix quote, chalked on an Indiana sidewalk during worldwide protests, continues to inspire higher thinking decades after the guitar hero’s death. “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” [Photo credit: Rebecca Townsend]
By Rebecca Townsend INDIANAPOLIS — One of the most delightful and unusual events of my ongoing home detention came as I found myself sitting in my study across from legendary soccer coach Anson Dorrance — hands down one of my top soccer role models. (If only I could have played for that guy. Or had him give me some instruction or encouragement in my youth …)
Ah, but as the late 80s faded, while I was busy taking on all the boys in Bloomington as a 12-year-old tomboy, Coach Dorrance was pulling together young females who could basically coach themselves into a squad. The team could only afford to train together for one week before playing in the world championships as the first U.S. Women’s National Team, so they needed intrinsically driven athletes. It was humbling for me (thinking I was such a tough chick) to enter the 90s and begin to become aware of this girl who shared so many characteristics with me — but in some amazingly trained super form. That girl was Mia Hamm, who became my number one soccer hero/shero, closely followed by the rest of those early teams and the man who coached so many of them internationally and at the University of North Carolina where he has coached the women’s team since 1979, amassing an unmatched win rate of over .900. So there I am, nearly 30 years later, fireside in a cozy barrel chair across from Anson, who was on my phone, video chatting live from his North Carolina home as a contributor to United Soccer Coaches’ Coaching Through Covid series. The day’s topic was “Keeping it Positive in an Unpredictable World” and Anson was joined with a long-time colleague, Dr. Colleen Hacker, former U.S. Womens National Team Mental Skills Coach. Soccer broadcasterDean Linke hosted. It felt so intimate, but in reality, I was in an audience of 1,500 people tuned in from all over the place. Here are some elements of the conversation that stuck out to me. Please forgive me (and let me know) if, in condensing and weaving together these words, I’ve somehow lost or adulterated their original meaning. On a Positive Note
On the subject of positivity, Colleen Hacker advised her audience not to confuse being positive with being a fanciful pollyanna. Positivity has direction; it is literally charged. Hacker sees coaches setting the stage for positive change when they practice the three “P”s: 1) meeting players/colleagues on a personal level, 2) aiming to be productive and 3) purposeful.
“We coach people. Not soccer. We’re coaching people who play soccer,” Hacker said. “Sixty-five percent of your success is going to be about relationships.”
The skills that separate good from great players are 1) intrinsic motivation and 2) mental toughness, Hacker noted, citing psychologist Martin Seligman, whose theories of learned optimism and learned helplessness promote positivity and wellness. “These are controllable factors,” she said. “Mental toughness is not an inborn trait, it’s a skill that improves when targeted.”
For 40 years Hacker has been breaking down the came into a 4+1 system: Technical + Tactical + Psychological + Physical (+ Teamwork). Each of those four aspects can be strengthened individually. So, she said, “Get to Work!”
In their own ways, both speakers asked: Do we as coaches and players want to be people who make excuses or people take care of business?
At 69 years old, Anson has a torn labrum in his hip, his knee can bum out, he has slipped disks “and I still love to play,” he said. “If you love the game, you stay involved with it. You’ll find your game.”
The Fitness Test
Boxers have a saying: You don’t get ready, you stay ready.
The same holds true if you show up to play for Anson Dorrance. During the early days of the U.S. National Team, he needed players with the discipline to train on their own. He told them to arrive at training camp fit. The one girl who failed the test was sent home immediately. The legend of that unfortunate player has cemented the culture for that team: no young woman has ever failed the fitness test again. Coaches can inspire their players to stay ready right now by advising them to Control the Controllables (CTC). “You can control your effort and your attitude,” Hacker said. “I’m spending a lot of time trying to control the controllables. Be where your feet are: in the now.”
Other controllables include: how long, how well, how hard you work out; how much time you take to rest and sleep; what you do to ensure quality sleep; the nutrient quality of what we put in our bodies; how well we stay hydrated. During this time of separation, “focus on what you can do: fitness, wellness, mentality,” Dorrance said, noting even a 1% improvement is an improvement.
These two books are mainstays in my soccer library! My players still hear about the Pelé series Mia describes in her book.
Get Hooked on Books
An author in his own right, Coach Dorrance said, “So much of my inspiration comes from books.” *
His team leadership council is intimately familiar with concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl’sMan’s Search for Meaning, in which the power of positive thinking is tested in the face of death and cruelty. If Frankl could use positivity to inspire strength and hope, even as everything he loved in life was murdered, any of us should be able to muster some optimism, Dorrance suggested.
“You can control your attitude in any situation,” he said. “It’s the last of the human freedoms. It’s a choice you get to make every morning when you wake up…. Every champion player is a reflection of choices they make every morning.”
Do you bring passion and joy to the game as a player, as a coach?
Hacker, also an author, referred to a study comparing a group of kids who colored for rewards with a group that colored for fun. The kids who colored for rewards did not color on their own in free time, whereas those who colored for fun would. Colleen extrapolated the idea for soccer: “If the only reason you’re working on 1v1 is for my praise: I have a problem, you have a problem and we have a problem,” she said. “Where one finds joy, one can find mastery.”
Like the coaches have been asking of the USWNT since its inception: “What do you do when no one is watching?”
Love drives great players to make tough decisions morning after morning. While others sleep or party, champions are digging deeper within themself to sow the seeds of success. Hacker references legendary tennis player and feminist icon Billie Jean King and her book Pressure is a Privilege: Lessons I’ve Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes.
The epigraph of Hamm’s Go For The Goal invokes Dorrance’s vision.
The Vision of a Champion (Spoiler: She’s not wearing a crown.) Anson talks about Tobin Heath nutmegging him a million times — “along with every other coach she’s had.” Those nutmegs illustrate Tobin’s pure love of the ball. She derives joy from a good nutmeg. While joy is essential to building a great game, individual drive sets great players apart. One early morning, Coach Dorrance was surprised to find Mia Hamm at a city park doing sprints, unaware of his presence, simply training for training’s sake. He wrote her a note, acknowledging and appreciating her work ethic. “I knew she was going to ascend,” he said. Years later, Mia Hamm published a book called Go for the Goal. She sent him a copy with his note tucked under the cover.
Watching Hamm hunched over, out of breath, covered in sweat without any awareness that she was being watched, that scene will endure forever in her coach’s mind as his “vision of a champion.”
Growth is what we desire as players and coaches, correct? Yes, Even know when we may feel as if we are in suspended animation.
“Do today well. Do now well,” Hacker said, noting that while a person can’t control the future or the past, if one can make tough, difficult decisions, even in little increments, “you will grow.”
As we coach through COVID, Hacker encourages us to remember, “We’re not just trying to get through this, we’re trying to grow through this.”
Staying Positive and other episodes in the “Coaching Through Covid” series are archived at unitedsoccercoaches.org/coaching-through-covid/. The series home page also has a schedule of future sessions along with registration information.
* Training Soccer Champions by Anson Dorrance and Tim Nash.
* * Catch Them Being Good: Everything You Need to Know to Successfully Coach Girls by Charles Salzberg, Colleen Hacker, and Tony DiCicco.
Gracias to the Economist for highlighting the high level of play in our women’s game and the galling inequality in valuation between the sexes in the game.
From The Economist Espresso: Tackling inequality: the Women’s World Cup
The Pitch Bitch will no longer be on a solo mission. In mid-April, she joined forces with long-time Indy Eleven-centered soccer conglomerate Bloody Shambles, which now is hosting the Pitch Bitch’s creative contributions.
Need to catch up? Following below are the pieces she’s shared so far. We’ve got 12 more 2018 home games to go! If you need/want more, check out James Cormack, the Pitch Bitch and Guy-Jo Gordon getting their podcasting pipes warmed up. The Bloody Shambles crew plans to record again tomorrow night ahead of Indy’s 1 p.m. away game Sunday against New York Red Bulls II. The Pitch Bitch loves to join the faithful Brickyard Battalion flock to watch away games at Union Jack Pub, 924 Broad Ripple Ave.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Time To Hit The Reset Button – Indy Eleven V Bethlehem Steel FC REVIEW
Zach Steinberger scored Indy’s solitary goal against Bethlehem Steel in a 1-2 loss.
A disappointing week — with an early exit from the U.S. Open Cup, the only open, true test of soccer champions offered in this country — morphed into a disappointing weekend for Indy Eleven with a 1-2 home loss on Saturday to Bethlehem Steel.
In post-game comments, Indy head coach Martin Rennie was ready to push the reset button. His tired team was ready for a refreshment of minds, bodies, and spirits. He was the first to admit that the squad’s teamwork, passing and movement were off, that too many opportunities were given away because of rushed play. And, he said, he offered no excuses for himself or his team regardless of their recent grind of several games on the road with several talented players benched to injury. (Click here to read the whole post at BloodyShambles.com.)
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Pleasure And Pain Aplenty, Parting Shots From A Rough Ride – Indy Eleven V FC Cincinnati REVIEW
Ayoze from the spot gets his first goal for Indy Eleven (Photo: Clyde Townsend)
Minute 5, Cincy’s Corben Bone is not shut down as he streamed into Indy’s left defensive channel and launches a cross into the box where his striker Emery Welshman escaped a brief interaction with Brad Ring, somewhat akin to a do-si-do, before what looked from the press box to be rather incidental, off-balance contact with Carlyle Mitchell. To the ref it looked like a PK. Cincy midfielder Kenney Walker nails his shot. 1-0.
The hosts redoubled their efforts to regain the upper hand. It did not take them long.
Hungry Indy striker Jack McInerney worked for his meat, feasting on his interception of a Cincy pass in the 24th minute, Cool Jack Mack drives a shot toward Spencer Richey that sent the visiting goalie into full panic mode. In diving to block McInerney’s first effort, Richey set his rival up for a rebound shot. McInerney, a veteran of MLS and the U.S. Men’s National Team, embodied cool, calm, collected focus and, with ease, guided the ball into the net. 1-1. (Read the whole post at BloodyShambles.com.)
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Soaring Like Eagles, Indy Eleven’s Power Animals Emerge – Charlotte Independence V Indy Eleven PREVIEW 4/28/2018
Indy Eleven going through final preparations before heading to Charlotte tomorrow.(Photo: Pitch Bitch)
Today’s soccer story is not about individuals. It is about a team. About vision. About internalizing identity. Today’s soccer story is about what Indy is — and what it aspires to be.
Thanks to an upbringing among the hippies and woodland folk of Bloomington, Indiana, and the surrounding country, the Pitch Bitch is inclined to look toward her natural environment for signs and signals — for messages.
Today, the message was power — in the form of first an eagle and then three hawks. These magnificent creatures will bookend this soccer story. [I had so much fun writing this piece. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading the rest of it at BloodyShambles.com.]
———
Finally, we’re going to be podcasting throughout the season. In our first experiment, I talk a little about my soccer background — and Guy-Jo Gordon gives us a rundown on the futsal-driven community building an Indiana crew has partnered with in Cuba. (Guy-Jo is currently in Cuba and with his local partners has organized and hosted a new futsal tournament for men and women players.)
So where do we stand today, May 23, as we head into Memorial Day Weekend?
Indy Eleven faces the New York Red Bulls II at 1 p.m. on the road this Sunday, May 27. The next home game will be at 7 p.m. against the Charleston Battery on Wednesday, May 30 at Lucas Oil Stadium.Tickets start at $15 at IndyElevenTickets.com or by calling (317)685-1100.
Currently, the team’s record stands at 4-2-3 (WLWWDLWDL) with nine USL regular season games played so far. On the road, the team is unbeaten. All three losses have come at home: once to Bethlehem Steel and twice to Cincinnati F.C. Cincy currently sits at the top of the USL Eastern Conference standings, boasting 20 points collects in 10 games. Indy has 14 points in 9 games played. (In professional soccer, a win worth 3 points, a tie is worth one and a loss is worth nothing.)
An unchecked Emmanuel Ledesma (near the Honda sign in the background) launched the perfect cross to forward Emery Welshman, who deserves credit for clearing two Indy defenders and an outstretched Fon Williams as he delivered his header into the net.
If you must lose, Indy, at least be killed by a beautiful goal. There is no shame in that.
By Rebecca Townsend
Photos by Clyde Townsend
Indianapolis, Indiana (April 2, 2018) — Indy Eleven lost its home opener to FC Cincinnati 0-1 on Saturday night.
Victory is usually delicious — and claiming it in the first match between American soccer squads playing in Lucas Oil Stadium would have been tasty indeed. But that honor will go to the Queen City, Indy’s neighbor to the southeast — one of a slate of regional rivals gained with the offseason change to the United Soccer League.
The top two tiers of 70,000-seat Lucas Oil were shrouded behind curtains. Below, a crowd of 17,535 stuffed the lower-tier seats surrounding the field, suggesting that Indy Eleven’s previous record of 11,048 people, which packed the team’s previous home at IUPUI’s Michael Carroll Stadium, was capped by the capacity of stadium, not by the limits of the local market.
Over 1,000 of Saturday’s spectators were Cincinnati folk of various manner, decked out in orange and blue —many armed with loud instruments, uncouth language and banners featuring evocative satirical symbolism involving Indiana’s former governor/current U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
Cincinnati fans heckle former governor Pence and Indy’s Brad Ring as the stoic veteran considers throw-in options.
In Indy’s North American Soccer League years, the closest opposing team was probably North Carolina. Now at home in the United Soccer League, Indy game nights promise much more drama with teams such as FC Cincinnati, Louisville City FC and Saint Louis FC arriving with caravans of fans in tow, thrilled at the chance to party in Indy. The Pitch Bitch is here to help grow that party. More on that later on, but first: time to hash out the nitty gritty of the game.
Though the caption to this particular photo is essentially, “WTF, Pasher?”, Tyler Pasher wasted no time making his presence felt on the field Saturday as he served Indy attackers with SO MANY opportunities to score. Continued efforts on Pasher’s part should yield positive results.
The first name that comes to mind — and to the Pitch Bitch’s game notes: Tyler Pasher, a defender with great foot skills, capable of dribbling at great speed into enemy territory, shaking off defenders to his left and right before striking a lovely cross “into the mixer” of the 18-yard box where goal scorers lurk ready to strike. He first delivered just such a play about three minutes into the match — and continued to both bring the ball up field himself and share with this teammates in ways that satisfied the Bitch that he is certain to be part of many goal-scoring combinations to come.
Note to far-side runners when Pasher is breaking down the flank: Make sure one of you remains — or breaks — truly wide. On at least one occasion during the match, a Pasher cross overshot two runners streaming to the goal centrally. Perhaps instead of stacking up runs where two Indy guys are running in one top of each other in front of the goal, one guy can fade further toward the far sideline and collect Pasher’s lovely dish instead of watching it roll out of bounds.
In terms of constructive criticism for Pasher (a native of Elmira, Canada, who will turn 24 later this month): Young man, please do not attempt to dribble off the goal box when there is an FCC player standing there willing and able to stick you. That could have been a goal. You know what else could have been a goal? That awesome cross you made to McInerney’s head and was unlucky to be rejected by fate — in the form of the post. Keep up the good work, sir. The Bitch predicts it will pay off.
Other defensive issues noted, but not associated with any names in particular: 1) Stabbing at balls when no other defensive buffer was in place aside from the keeper. 2) Allowing attackers to turn on goal when a more aggressive approach could have slowed them. The first instance is a case of too much aggression. The second, not enough.
When a defender finds himself the last field player back — and an attacker is salivating for a goal because he is facing his defender, ready to shake that last obstacle before opening a shot —the trick for the D is to keep dancing, remaining an obnoxious obstacle, the D that can’t be shook. Of course, attackers sometimes get a little too cocky, or aggressive, or so dangerous that one must step in — and, at times, take them out. But taking an attacker out is a calculated risk, whereas stabbing at a ball, missing and leaving your keeper in a one-on-one situation is just sloppy. Talented attackers know how to exploit such weakness with devastating effects. (Luckily for Indy, the Cincy shot that resulted from this particular play amounted to nothing thanks to Owain Fon Williams.)On the flip side, not closing down the space on an attacker receiving the ball with their back to your goal, allowing them time to turn toward the goal without feeling a defender breathing down their neck, that’s a critical lack of aggression.
Now to some observations on defenders Reiner Ferreira and Karl Ouimette, who were teammates on the 2017 NASL championship-winning San Francisco Deltas.
The second of a pair of credible aerial threats from Indy, this one featuring left back Reiner Ferreira, a product of Brazilian and Portuguese soccer leagues before claiming the 2017 NASL championship with the San Francisco Deltas.
Ferreira delivered a version of so-called professional foul when he took out an FCC player attempting to dust him down the sideline in a rush on the Indy goal. Ferreira may have thought the hard tackle of his opponent necessary so as to avoid possibly leaving Fon Williams in a one-on-one, but the move resulted in consequent injury and Ferreira ended up watching from the sideline with his left foot in a boot as Brad Ring stepped in to play his position. Did his tackle prevent a goal? Maybe. Was it worth it? Let’s see how long this boot stays on.
When it comes to fouls, Ouimette is one to watch. Some of his antics can hardly be mistaken as necessary roughness. (The Bitch witnessed Saturday the use of a choke hold on an opposing players in an attempt to gain position during an incoming corner kick.) Time will tell whether this level of aggression will become a problem in terms of penalties called against Indy.
Cincy’s Welshman, shown here a step ahead of Ouimette, will get a threatening header on this incoming free kick. He will get a head on this ball — and Fon Williams will save it. But a few minutes later, he will be in a similar position, a step ahead of Mitchell and behind Ferreira, and will meet a Ledesma cross, using his head to make it a goal.
The defense generally did a good job with mobility and pressing into aggressive attacks — attacks that made credible threats on goal, attacks that could have easily altered the score line.
“Could have” can either be an inspiration or a curse moving forward. It will be a matter of the relative patience, cooperation and ambition of the Indy team. What kind of team will they be? Will players seek self improvement or sow discord? The roster is stacked with talented, experienced players, many of whom did not see playing time Saturday. Indy head coach Martin Rennie’s weekly roster-writing chores can’t be easy. And checking egos to keep a collective eye on team victories can’t be easy either, but humility will be rewarded. The meek shall and inherit the earth and the selfless players will succeed if they allow the pure joy of expressing their talent to drive their performances, even if their efforts are only used to lift teammates to higher levels in practice.
Looking at the plays leading up to FCC’s goal, here are some things that could have gone differently.
A minute or so before Emery Welshman’s header gave Cincinnati its game-winning goal, Indy forward Eugene Starikov (previously a member of the New York Cosmos) was on the attack, positioned in the midfield. While most of the action was unfolding in front of him and to his left, Indy fullback Ouimette sprang into action to offer an overlapping pass option down the open right flank. Starikov began dribbling to avoid defense in front of him, but then was shut down from behind. He was able to disrupt Cincy’s efforts to counter at that point, but as Indy tried to re-establish its attack, Pasher tried to dribble into midfield defense instead of using his open drop pass.
Ouimette’s cardio-intensive effort was wasted, leaving the poor Indy defender to haul ass to help shut down Cincy’s counter-attacking shot, which was indeed repelled just in time for Ouimette to clear it out of danger. But by this time, Cincy’s goal-scoring juju was churning. Cincy sent the ball out to its left flank, where it was crossed immediately back to Ledesma on the right. Indy was not able to pressure Ledesma quickly enough to prevent his beautiful service to Welshman’s head. Though Ouimette and Carlyle Mitchell were around Welshman inside the 18-yard box, he slipped their grasp — and he deserves credit for an outstanding goal.
If you must lose, Indy, at least be killed by a beautiful goal. There is no shame in that.
Captain Matt Watson, a UK native and a 12-year veteran of the MLS, USL and NASL, offered tenacious pressure from the midfield Saturday. But Cincy keeper Evan Newton met no challenge he could not conquer on Saturday.
Indy midfielder Matt Watson responded to the FCC goal with a shot of his own,forcing Cincy keeper Evan Newton into action. But Newton was on point, rejecting that and all further attempts of the evening —including a Jack McInerney penalty shot, awarded around the 38th minute.
The Pitch Bitch appreciated the play of starting midfielders Zach Steinberger, a graduate of Butler University, and Nico Matern, a 6-foot Buxtehude, Germany native, who played for Indiana Wesleyan and earned National Christian College Athletic Association All-Team honors. Steinberger exhibited indefatigable hustle in trying to open attacking options through the midfield and Matern carried himself with an air of composure as he worked to neutralize Cincy attacks.
The only constructive criticism for Matern involves a beautifully placed ground pass that he launched from the Indy midfield with the hope of covering maybe 30 yards and avoiding several Cincy players before hitting his attacking teammateready to take off on the opposing flank. The idea is laudable because ground passes are great when they make it. But while Matern’s pass was on the correct trajectory across the turf, it was all but impossible to put enough speed on a pass that far. The inevitable interception could have been avoided with a well-timed chip over midfield chaos into the path of the breaking runner.
No one wants to watch a long-ball game, with long, high crosses bouncing back and forth between defensive thirds, but switching fields with a chippy cross is a great wave to upend an opponent’s defensive groove. It’s what Cincy did to Indy in the two plays before they scored.
The Bitch is excited to see the passing chemistry of the entire group grow as they learn to trust each other and anticipate the ebb and flow of their respective rhythms.
Last-minute substitutions Soony Saad, a product of the University of Michigan and the MLS franchise Sporting Kansas City, and returning Indy forward Justin Braun continued to tests Newton’s limits up until the match’s concluding moments.
Cincy keeper Evan Newton met every challenge presented to him Saturday, including Jack McInerney’s penalty kick.
Newton passed the test this time.
The Bitch would like to see what would happen in a Cincy rematch with Braun and Saad starting up top along with McInerney. Or perhaps a Braun, Saad, Speas combo up top.
To think about all the players yet to be featured, the gifts yet to be shared, the combinations and chemistry yet to be seen … Indy is just getting started.
Lucas Oil will be a good home for the season, even as the futbol faithful remain committed to a world-class grass field housed in a stadium befitting Indiana’s great soccer tradition.
Much talk will be had over the coming year on whether this team can survive, if owner Ersal Ozdemir will continue to bleed millions of dollars a year if a stadium deal does not materialize.
The Pitch Bitch knows the market is here to be had — that the capacity to grow this team — and the women’s team that we desperately need for the health both the men’s and women’s sport —is just beginning to be coaxed from its dormant state and into a vibrant economy. Solid commitment, work ethic and refusal to quit in the face of adversity can see this team capture the heart of the city and grow into a world-class legacy club.
One way or another, the soccer deal needs to be done in a way that makes Hoosiers proud, that builds on a powerful and honorable tradition we’ve grown here. Let no one and nothing stand in the way.
The Eleven travel to play North Carolina FC on April 7. The team’s next home game is April 14, when they will host Nashville SC at noon. All home games will be at Lucas Oil Stadium. People who believe that growing the professional game in Indiana is good for the state can put their money where their mouth is by purchasing tickets (which start at $15 for single games and $9 per game with a season ticket). Spread the word.
[The goal is scored in the 26th minute, the 38th minute of the video.]
USL game summary IndyEleven 0:1 FC Cincinnati Saturday, March 31, 2018 Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
A North Carolina FC defender and David Goldsmith leaving it all out on the field. Note in the background Indy defender Marco Franco (who is in a three-way tie for team goal-assist leader with Ben Speas and Justin Braun). Franco pulled some fancy footwork, faking Carolina defense deep in enemy territory, to set up Goldsmith’s shot opportunity.
Visiting soccer squad North Carolina FC sliced through home team Indy Eleven’s defense, starting from midfield, three minutes and 47 seconds into the last game of the season at Michael Carroll Stadium.
The 40-degree afternoon took on an extra chill as a collective shudder shook the spines of the faithful. How ugly was this match going to get?
Thankfully for the fans: not too ugly or gut wrenching due to the team’s continued, cool-headed pressure. A connecting pass from Gerardo Torrado at the top of Indy’s 18 to David Goldsmith in the midfield, who turned and dished it out immediately to Ben Speas in the left-side channel, set up Speas’ perfect pass, feeding a hungry Zayed, on point for a one-touch equalizer at the far-side of the net. The definition of beautiful penetration.
Striker Eamon Zayed controls Speas’ feed for an inside-of-the-right foot tap into the near-side net, breathing the air possibility back into the game for the home team. The goal marked 26 goals in two seasons for Eamon Zayed, the team’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Indy’s starting 11 worked well together to control several viable North Carolina threats and launch many promising attacks of their own. Don Smart was unlucky to have a first-half shot from inside soar high over the goal. (Delivered with perhaps too much power when a heavy dose of finesse was needed to tame the unruly ball, Smart’s opportunity was enabled by a ricochet off the Carolina keeper, who deflected a Zayed shot well set up by midfielder Tanner Thompson — a standout player from Indiana University.) Indeed, when we look at the whole field, the players deserve credit for playing tough defense as a unit — as well as aggressive on the attack. Everyone was involved in all aspects of the game. And while there certainly were errors, they were overshadowed by positive examples of connective chemistry and organized support.
Zayed captured amid one of several tasty opportunities on goal.
Back-line defenders, for example, coordinated the play that pushed Indy Eleven to a 2-1 advantage 20 minutes into the second half.
Defender Nemanja Vukovic lines up one of his legendary, killer freekicks. This one delivered to the far-side of the box where fellow defender — and Indiana native — Cory Miller met it for a one-touch goal.
The Vukovic/Miller freekick/cross/weakside run/one-touch to far-side netting combination that pushed Indy to a 2-1 lead elated the stands — and illustrated one of the most beautiful aspects of being able to watch the development of professional soccer: an international player from Montenegro (Vuko) connecting with a young man who grew up less than 30 miles from the stadium (Miller) to develop goal-scoring chemistry. Long-paying will be dividends of exposing a local audience to the concepts of international cooperation and the possibilities found by individuals who commit themselves to disciplined training.
Exposing local children to concepts of international cooperation, teamwork and individual commitment to training (where they see local players who work hard achieve success on the field) are some of the ancillary benefits of supporting the development of local professional soccer.
The thrill lasted up until the final minutes of the game. But fate held a consolation prize for the visitors (the No. 3 occupant of the NASL’s eight-seat ranking table while Indy is No. 8), who were able to see a corner kick (perhaps deflected off an Indy player’s attempted head clearance) find the back of the net to equalize.
Minutes later, the ref blew the whistle marking the conclusion of both the match and Indy Eleven’s fourth season on the field.
We don’t know what our roster will look like in 2018 — we’re not even sure about the shape of our league within a shifting landscape at the national level — but we do know we’ve seen some great soccer and have much potential to nourish in the years to come.
What does the future hold?
We know that Gerardo Torrado and Sinisa Ubiparipovic are retiring. But beyond that, this is where the business-side of the operation gets busy sharpening their pencils, negotiating the additions and subtractions to the roster, all while a tremendous amount of uncertainty swirls through the U.S. soccer community in terms of league structure and team development. [The inability of the U.S. Men’s National Team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and the North American Soccer League’s suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation lead the narrative underscoring unrest and dissatisfaction with the status quo at the men’s pro level.]
We also know that despite insults from outsiders — and those who would judge our local attempts at a professional game as no more than gussied up amateurism — Indiana has seen — and played — some great games. Our future progress may happen in fits and starts; it undoubtedly has been hampered by our politicians’ inability to be early adapters when it comes to enabling the construction of a soccer-specific stadium that will allow Indianapolis to host world-class matches as part of the city’s sports-centered development strategy. But our progress is inevitable.
For four seasons, thousands of fans have continued to pack the stands and support the team, through good times and bad. Typically, we don’t see business ignore the willingness of so many people to pull out their wallets, which provides hope that despite league drama, Indy will persevere.
Plus, local love of the game continues to inspire new generations to become best friends with their soccer balls. Somewhere at this very moment in Indiana, a kid is working on individual footskills, others are juggling in a group, or taking each other on in cocky displays of creativity and speed. This is Indiana soccer at the grassroots, a deep-seeded passion that has driven us for generations and will continue to power us in the years ahead: the willingness to work to be the very best we can be — as individuals and as teammates. This combination leads the Pitch Bitch to posit that future success for Indiana soccer at all levels is pre-ordained, an inevitability that no amount of greed or ego will ever upend.
(Photos by Rebecca Townsend, who apologizes for the exposure and graininess, but hopes her humble equipment captured enough of the game’s spirit to convey the story.)
A final shoutout to my husband and daughter, who have been dedicated Indy Eleven season ticket holders since the beginning, faithfully holding down their seats behind the East-End Goal through blazing heat, bitter cold and driving rain. Thank you guys for supporting local soccer — and indulging the incurable, lifelong need of your wife and mother to be involved the sport. You guys are the best and I love you!
Thanks to the Indy Eleven media team for this Scoring Summary:
NCFC – Billy Schuler (Danny Barrow 4’)
IND – Eamon Zayed (Ben Speas 20’)
IND – Cory Miller (Nemanja Vukovic 65’)
NCFC – Billy Schuler (Lance Laing 89’)
Discipline Summary:
NCFC – Danny Barrow 19’
IND – David Goldsmith 88’
IND bench: Keith Cardona (GK); Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Cory Miller, Christian Lomeli, Adrian Ables
North Carolina FC lineup (4-5-1, L->R): Brian Sylvestre (GK) (Macklin Robinson 32’); Paul Black, Connor Tobin, James Marcelin, Kareem Moses; Austin Da Luz (Lance Laing 79’), Tiyi Shipalane, Bolu Akinyode, Daniel Barrow (Nazmi Albadawi 64’), Marcel Kandziora; Billy Schuler
NCFC bench: Saeed Robinson, Jonathan Glenn, Brad Ruhaak, D.J. Taylor
The Pitch Bitch (aka Rebecca Townsend) welcoming Puerto Rico FC players to Indianapolis ahead of their Oct. 4 match against Indy Eleven, which kicks off at 7 p.m. at Michael Carroll Stadium in Downtown Indianapolis. (From Left: defender Phanuel Kavita of D.R. Congo, attacking midfielder Jordi Quintillà of Spain, Rebecca Townsend and Ramón Soria Alonso, also of Spain. Attendees at the match will have plenty of opportunity to contribute to hurricane relief — and show their support in person as the Puerto Rican team takes to the field.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana has a chance to show Puerto Rico that Hoosiers are in solid support of hurricane relief by packing Michael Carroll Stadium at 7 p.m. Wednesday night, Oct. 4, Downtown Indianapolis, when Puerto Rico FC and Indy Eleven face off.
Indy will be passing the bucket — and driving web traffic — to Puerto Rico FC owner Carmelo Anthony‘s hurricane relief fund. In a piece published in the Players’ Tribune, Anthony makes a straight-forward, heartfelt pitch for major assistance — and makes a contribution of his own to get things started:
“The entire island is dark. But even if we can’t hear it, there’s more than 3 million people down there calling out for help. Imagine your house being powerless for just one hour. Just one day. Just one week. Imagine the young kids you have in your life — your son, your daughter, your nephew, your granddaughter — imagine them being scared and hungry for just one day.
“Puerto Ricans are facing the possibility of six months of that kind of struggle. I think about my own family in that situation and I can’t even wrap my mind around it. I can’t grasp it. I know there’s so many different things going on in America and in the world right now that need our attention, but damn … I need your help. I need the help of anybody reading this. We have to help the people of Puerto Rico get the supplies they need to survive day-to-day until their country can be built up again.
“I’ve set up a YouCaring donation page to aid the relief efforts. Any help you can give will get directly into the hands of those who need it — you have my word. I’ve been doing community work on the island for the past 10 years, but this is another level. I’m starting with an immediate $50,000 donation, but I need your help in this fight.”
The night before the match, Indy Eleven hosted a dinner in honor of the visiting team and to help draw attention to relief efforts.
“We’re chatting about their day-to-day situation, their worries with their families,” Indy Eleven captain Colin Falvey said of his discussions with players and team officials. “Right now they’re in a bad, bad situation. For me, the futbol will take care of itself tomorrow night: tonight we’re all about embracing them into our city and showing the support of our club.”
Falvey added that he expects Wednesday’s match “to be a high-tempo, intense fight between two very good teams,” noting that since a coaching change at Puerto Rico he sees their team as “playing a different style of futbol, a more attractive style.”
Local soccer blogger and fan extraordinaire Nipun Chopra, PhD, has been at the forefront of local hurricane relief efforts aimed specifically at helping members of the Puerto Rico FC family effected by the storm. With the help of 133 people over the past 12 days, Chopra’s GoFundMe campaign has, to date, collected $15,923 of the fund’s stated $20,000 goal.
“Tomorrow night we continue our fundraising efforts for Carmelo Anthony’s hurricane relief fund,” said Indy Eleven’s media liaison Scott Stewart, encouraging people to come out to the game. In addition to the online donation options, he added, “There will be a bucket brigade.”
For more information on Puerto Rican relief efforts — and tickets for the Puerto Rico FC/Indy Eleven matchup — can be found at IndyEleven.com.
For more insight into the level of devastation the people of Puerto Rico — and many other Caribbean islands are facing post-Maria, as well — check out this slideshow from NBC news: https://www.nbcnews.com/slideshow/hurricane-maria-lashes-storm-battered-caribbean-n802936.
The Jacksonville Armada’s Jack Blake (shown here pressuring Indy Eleven defender Marco Franco) deserves congratulations for his relentless attack in Indy Aug. 26. (Photo courtesy of Trevor Ruszkowski/Indy Eleven)
Jacksonville finds Indy’s soft spots
Hungry for revenge after Indy Eleven’s 2-0 win during their previous meeting on July 15, the Jacksonville Armada took to the field on Aug. 26 in Indianapolis with a weapon — in the form of Jack Blake — locked and loaded to unleash a hat trick before the hosts could respond with two goals of their own.
A beautiful Justin Braun through pass from the Indy midfield split Jacksonville’s defense as Ben Speas sprinted onto the ball, closed in on the goal from left side and eluded Jacksonville’s waiting keeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell by slotting a smooth shot out the keeper’s reach into the far side of the net.
Indy’s second goal came in extra time when David Goldsmith, breathing down the weak side of his opponent’s goal, received a cross from Ben Speas streaming up the right flank about 40 yards away and, with one flawless flick of the head, brought the hosts within one goal of a draw.
Those goals marked uplifting moments in a performance that was otherwise defined by a handful of hopeful offensive sparks that failed to materialize in goals and a series of defensive lapses that ultimately left the hosts defeated 3-2.
Goal-fest
All constructive criticism aside, the Armada, in general, deserve credit for showing up ready to play. And both Patterson-Sewell and Blake, specifically, deserve congratulations for their individual performances. Patterson-Sewell absorbed several point-blank scorchers from Indy attackers throughout the match, while Blake began his bonanza at the 28th minute. He who broke to the center of the 18 and received a pass from Bryam Rebellón (who had shaken Daniel Keller in the upper right flank). Blake’s one-touch re-direct bounced off the inside of the left post and ricocheted off the right post into the net.
The crowd’s collective heart skips a beat. There’s still time to equalize, but we weren’t first on the board. Near the end of the first half, Blake’s free kick from about 30 yards out bends into the upper right corner of the net.
Jacksonville, 2. Indy, 0.
Tanner Thompson kept the Armada’s defense on its heels several times throughout the match. Promising chemistry seems to be building among Thompson, Speas, Goldsmith and Zayed, as well. (Photo courtesy of Matt Schlotzhauer/Indy Eleven)
In an effort to maintain mental toughness, Indy’s players were probably trying not to let thoughts cloud their minds of a game earlier this year in which the Armada beat them 4-1. Indeed, heads held high, the Eleven kept coming at Jacksonville. Throughout the first half, Tanner Thompson charged with impressive and explosive changes in speed and JAX had repeated troubles keeping him marked. In the first half’s stoppage time, Thompson again broke down the flank and launched a cross across the face of the goal about five yards out as Goldsmith again controls it and delivers a shot into Patterson-Sewell’s arms.
Still, at halftime, the visitors maintained a 2-0 lead. And at 62 minutes, Blake earned his hat trick off a free kick.
Though video cannot prove or disprove his observation, the Pitch Bitch’s husband and East Goal correspondent/season ticket holder Clyde Townsend reported that Bush had the kick’s trajectory within his sights, but that an unexpected deflection off a defender’s shoulder shifted it out of the keeper’s reach.
English youngster Jack Blake completes his hat trick with his SECOND free kick of the night! pic.twitter.com/Iqs0R69UnP
After entering the match as a second-half sub and contributing an assist on his team’s first goal, Braun fell to the ground requesting an immediate sub after what looked to be a fairly innocuous encounter with Blake, but proved to be more serious trouble with his ankle. The resulting medical response took several minutes and Braun was eventually removed on a stretcher. A bummer in the (hopefully temporary) loss of a great forward, but it provided several more minutes of stoppage time in which the Eleven’s offense swarmed the Armada’s goal. But no equalizers emerged.
The game was a painful affair in a very literal sense for Justin Braun. (Photo courtesy of Matt Schlotzhauer/Indy Eleven)
Despite the final score, the team’s attacking efforts offered the silver lining of this game. Especially considering proven assets such as Nemanja Vukovic (with his lethal freekicks) and lightning fast wingman Don Smart were both on the bench for the evening (Smart with an injury/Vuko listed as an uncalled substitute), the number of credible threats the team managed to generate engendered the Pitch Bitch’s continued faith in the squad they are building.
Get Miller back in the action
Many of Indy’s players have significant depth and ability to play on both ends of the field. But on the subject of positions, the Bitch is mystified by Coach Hankinson’s use of Daniel Keller on the back line. She likes Keller’s toughness and solid technical ability — but as a midfielder. He is not shining on the backline the way he does further up the field. An honest critique of his defense last night must include a note that his marking was at crucial times too lax and that possession was too often squandered to the opponents — in one case to three attackers who were poised to counter with a 3-1 advantage at the top of the 18.
In terms of ability to mark man-to-man, clear the ball from areas of immediate threat and deny ambitious attackers desirable position, Cory Miller has a proven edge. Last night marked his formal return to the roster after 10 months of nursing an ankle reconstruction. But he remained on the bench — even as Hankinson subbed defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe.
After the game, the Bitch found Miller on the field and remarked the team could have used him. She asked if he’d been given any indication on when he could expect playing time.
Cory Miller returned to the roster, but the experienced defender remained on the bench during Jacksonville’s onslaught. Moving forward, perhaps Coach Hankinson will test Miller’s ability to stop the defensive leaks. (Photo by Rebecca Townsend)
Though he’s known as the Big Bald Assassin, Miller exhibits a stoic calm off the field. He smiled and says he aims not to obsess too much over playing time, that he just focuses on doing the best he can do.
Years ago, in a Q&A that followed Miller offering his personal testimony during an Indy Eleven Christian faith night, the Bitch asked him to cite one of his favorite passages of scripture.
Miller recalled the metaphor Jesus offered his disciples: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit…”
As she prepared to leave the field Aug 26, the Bitch reminded Miller that the quality of his fruit was apparent — and that she hoped others would soon see his proven back-line anchoring abilities.
Parting shots
In addition to tighter tracking, the team can work to improve squandered possessions on the defensive half and sloppy clearances. The Pitch Bitch’s game notes include lines such as: “Who are you passing to?” and “Lapses on D leave incoming balls unchecked as they fall to an attacker’s feet just a few feet from the mouth of the goal.”
Coach Hankinson’s subs for the evening seemed to indicate his search for more offensive juice with Justin Braun, Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Adrian Ables replacing Gerardo Torrado, Kwame Watson-Siriboe and Éamon Zayed, respectively.
Hopefully, hindsight will prove that if he wants a winning scoreline, the place to start subbing is with the back line.
With the evening’s loss, Indy Eleven dropped to the bottom of the North American Soccer League’s eight-place table. The team has accumulated just four points in the fall season. By comparison, league leader, Miami FC, has 12 points (and three former Indy players: University of New Mexico product Blake Smith, attacking great and Indiana native Dylan Mares and the solid Jamaican defender Lovell Palmer).
Indy’s next home game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2 when the San Francisco Deltas visit.
A beautiful first-half strike from forward Eamond Zayed could have changed the momentum of the match against Edmonton. Alas, ’twas not to be. The shot ricocheted off the visitors’ goal frame — and with it went Indy’s hopes of controlling the game. (Photo courtesy of Indy Eleven. P.S. This photo was taken during a previous match, but provides a nice view of Zayed on the attack.)
A sad start to the fall season at home
FC Edmonton creams Indy
Indy Eleven may have been expecting an easy Aug. 5 game against visiting FC Edmonton after a dominant 2-1 win when the two teams met in Canada just six days earlier. Instead, the home team spent much of the first half on its heels, absorbing wave upon wave of attack from an aggressive Edmonton.
By the second half the Eddies were finding so many holes in the Indy field it looked like Swiss cheese — and the visitors walked away victorious with three goals to Indy’s one.
Though match statistics clocked Indy as the dominant possessor during the first half, the home team created few legitimate threats, though a couple shots could have given the home team the first points on the board — and changed the tone of the game to Indy’s favor. Alas for the home team, none of their efforts found the net.
Still, Indy managed to hold the Eddies at bay for the game’s first 45 minutes. But the opening minutes of the second half saw Edmonton’s Tomi Ameobi head a ball inside the 18 to his teammate Pedro Galvao, who managed a perfectly placed shot, forcing Indy goalkeeper Jon Busch to smother the ball as it skidded toward the right corner of the box.
Just minutes later, during another near-range threat from Galvao in which he was brought to the ground, a subsequent penalty kick for the Eddies was ably finished by Dustin Corea (after much fuss among the two teams in the background and an ensuing yellow card issued to Indy midfielder Gerardo Torrado).
The match barely re-started before Edmonton again broke the defense with another goal — this one accomplished as Albert Watson receives a teammate’s corner kick with a powerful on-target header. Busch correctly read the the threat, but it came in with such speed and power that, even as the keeper caught the ball, he received it just inches on the wrong side of the goal line.
Just as the crowd’s collective spirit began to fade, at 67 minutes, Vuko (aka Montenegrin defender Namanja Vukovic) re-energized the hometown crowd and gave his team a shot to get back in the game when he nailed a brilliant, unstoppable freekick from about 25 yards out.
Hope that Indy might shift the tide in its favor lasted about five minutes. A third goal for Edmonton in the 73 minute left the Pitch Bitch wondering why Lovell Palmer (an effective defensive force during the team’s previous match) was left on the bench as swarming Eddies left Busch outnumbered in his box, forced to defend an all-but-impossible situation. The Bitch is happy to see defensive anchor and team captain Colin Falvey back in action after being sidelined to injury, but must it really be an either Falvey or Palmer situation? The team clearly needed more assistance in absorbing Edmonton’s pressure. To be fair to Indy, the third goal was set-up by an illegal play by Ameobi, who used his hands to control the ball before passing it on to Daryl Fordyce. Fordyce’s cross to the far post set up Corea for the final kill shot. The Indy defenders’ frustration at the officials for missing the call probably contributed to this final collapse.
By the 80th minute, Pitch Bitch was out of her seat and out of her mind at Indy’s in ability to stop the bleeding as Edmonton continued to unleash threatening plays, including a ball played straight across the full face of the goal.
As the game’s final minutes faded away, an ambulance driving by on New York Street, which runs the length of the stadium, gave cause for pause: Stop here, buddy, she thought. We need help.
Indy Eleven now sit at sixth place in the North American Soccer League’s eight-seat table. The team’s next match will be at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 12 on the road against Miami FC. A road match against the New York Cosmos takes place the following weekend. The teams returns to Indy’s Michael Carroll Stadium Aug. 26 for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the Jacksonville Armada.
Here are the match highlights courtesy of NASL:
The Pitch Bitch (aka Rebecca Townsend) has two lifelong passions: soccer and journalism. She was pleased to see the establishment of a professional soccer team in her home state of Indiana in 2013 (on her daughter’s 10th birthday, nonetheless) and is honored to contribute to its chronicling.
The second of a pair of credible aerial threats from Indy, this one featuring left back Reiner Ferreira, a product of Brazilian and Portuguese soccer leagues before claiming the 2017 NASL championship with the San Francisco Deltas.
Hoosier Shangrila 