Indy Eleven

2016 US Open Cup Round 3: Indy Eleven rally to avenge last year’s loss to Louisville City

June 12, 2016 by Mike Carney

On a beautiful night under the lights at Michael A. Carroll Stadium, the Indy Eleven got their US Open Cup revenge on Louisville City with a come-from-behind win on Wednesday night. The Eleven will now advance to play the Chicago Fire of MLS in the next round.

Louisville took control early as Chandler Hoffman scored in the 21st minute from a George Davis IV through ball at the top of the 18. The Eleven did not get on the scoresheet until the 58th minute when a poor clearance by LCFC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh allowed Omar Gordan to collect the ball and fire a low shot into the back of the net. The Eleven sealed the win in the 68th minute as substitute Éamon Zayed was able to redirect Duke Lacroix’s cross into the back of the net on a counter attack.

This was only the second loss of the season for Louisville City. They should take reassurance in the fact they were on the brink of eliminating a team from a higher league and that they dominated the game for long stretches. Louisville City controlled possession in the first half and in front of goal through their traditional 4-2-3-1 formation. By having three central midfielders Louisville was able to play numbers up and force the Eleven to chase the game early. Indy adjusted their formation to a 4-2-3-1 in the second half, eliminating the mismatches Louisville exposed in the first 45 minutes. This did not stop LCFC from creating chances to score and perhaps their best opportunity came in the 67th minute when Hoffman fired a free kick past Keith Cardona but was denied by the crossbar.

It is also encouraging for Louisville that they played well with their captain and defensive midfielder, Aodham Quinn, on the bench. Guy Abend and Paolo DelPiccolo were able to frustrate the Eleven when they tried to play the ball through the middle. On the offensive side, Abend and DelPiccolo distributed and cleared the ball, helping Louisville generate counter attacks going forward.

Dealing with multiple injuries and even one player with an Open Cup suspension, the Eleven entered this match with an extensively altered lineup. In the early stages of the bout this was most evident on the defensive side of the ball where it took players time to settle in and establish confidence in one another. After poor communication resulted in Louisville’s opening tally, Nemanja Vukovich, who was at center back instead of his usual role on the left, did well as captain to settle the back line and stop the bleeding.

Victory for Indy Eleven would be achieved through a remarkable display of coaching from Tim Hankinson. The veteran manager began the game relying heavily on second-stringers in the usual 4-4-2, began to shake things up as early as the 41st minute when he brought on regular starter, Justin Braun. In the second half he revealed more of his plan, putting in front man Eamon Zayed and moving Omar Gordon back into his accustomed position on the wing. Proving that he can play just about anywhere, Vukovich switched with Daniel Keller and moved into the midfield in the 56th where he dominated possession and helped the wingers create chances.

Having shifted formation, individuals, and played “gotcha” with Louisville through his lineup, Hankinson finally opened his hand to reveal a late, blistering attack which overwhelmed Louisville City for the win. Indy Eleven now remain the only undefeated pro club in the United States.

Indy Eleven’s next US Open Cup tie will be with the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park on June 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

2015 US Open Cup Round 3: Louisville City scores two late OT goals to pull off sloppy road upset of Indy Eleven (video)

May 29, 2015 by Brandon Gee

With a late start due to the sky unleashing watery hell on Indianapolis’ Carroll Stadium, another USL-NASL matchup ended in dramatic fashion as Louisville City FC scored a pair of goals in added extra time to upset Indy Eleven, 2-0.

The wet artificial turf at Carroll definitely set the tone for play early on as struggles with the first touch and errant passing left Indy with little offensive momentum. Louisville seemed to handle the conditions somewhat better and held most of possession in the first half.

Louisville’s push toward the net earned them several corners in the first half, but solid marking by the Indy backline led by Greg Janicki and quick play by Kristian Nicht kept the visitors at bay. Indy’s offensive chances were few and far between except for highlights like Wolciech Wojcik sending a rocket on the Louisville net in the 13th minute, forcing City keeper Scott Goodwin to make a diving save. Goodwin won TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament with the Carolina RailHawks last year.

One had to feel for Indy’s Don Smart, who made numerous offensive advances only to be fouled outside the box, tripped up by the wet artificial turf or, when he could maintain ball control, sent a number of balls arcing into the space between the six-yard box and the penalty spot only for there to be not an Eleven player within 20 feet. His night ended early as he was subbed out in the 58th minute for Charlie Rugg.

Louisville remained in control to start the second half as Indy still seemed like they were fighting to just get solid footing.

Frustration mounted as time rolled on. In the 60th minute, Magnus Rasmussen declined to move forward even though he had a good 10 feet between himself and the nearest Eleven defender. After sending a shot wide right, he was loudly reprimanded by his captain Guzman.

City made two key subs in the 65th minute with Matt Fondy setting up on the right and Kareem Dacres on the left. Both players elevated the offensive pressure as Dacres’ skills with the ball and Fondy’s ability to evade defenders gave City formidable scoring chances. In the 85th minute, Indy nearly capitalized as Rugg made a run down the right side and sent a cross in to a streaking Bryan Brown. Unfortunately, as the ball entered the area, Brown and his trailing defender, Tarek Morad, both went tumbling to the ground as the ball continued toward the opposing sideline. The referee apparently didn’t see any infraction occur and play continued.

As the game went into extra time, it felt as if someone was going to get to be the hero and the win for their side. Fondy again charged down the right side and nearly gave City the go-ahead goal while Indy fought back and worked a sequence of shots before Louisville’s Goodwin was finally able to clear it out of his space.

In the first half of overtime, it finally came together for the Eleven. Employing runs down the flanks, Indy was able to speed past the midfield and sent numerous crosses into the Louisville 18. Louisville’s major chance in this frame was Fondy nearly scoring in the 98th minute as Indy’s Erick Morales went down in his own 18-yard area. As players slowed down awaiting a stoppage from the ref, Fondy slipped down the area’s left line and fired a shot on net. Nicht was forced to make a quick diving save to his left corner. Indy turned up the pressure on City’s backline, sending crosses into traffic, which forced City keeper Goodwin to make several saves on direct shots. We would go on to the back half of the overtime period still scoreless.

After the break, play opened up for both sides as fatigue set in for the midfield. The clubs traded runs down the flanks for decent scoring chances only to send them wide of the nets. Finally, as play collected outside Indy’s 18, Louisville popped the ball out of the congestion to Nate Polak at the left of the arc. Polak sent a rocket to the far side of the Indy net, just outside Kristian Nicht’s reach to give the USL upstarts a late 1-0 lead in the 115the minute. The goal sent City’s 100 or so supporters at the top of the stands into a frenzy as the rest of the nearly 7,000 fans sat in stunned silence.

As the Eleven quickly tried to regroup for the equalizer, the ball would end up back in Louisville’s possession. A Juan Guzman shot was knocked away by Nicht, but Sydney Rivera pounced on the rebound, sending it past the Eleven keeper for some insurance and as time ran out, a 2-0 victory.

The win is another milestone for the USL expansion side as they become the first team from the state of Kentucky to defeat a professional side in the tournament’s history. Louisville can now shift its focus to league play for a couple of weeks. When the Open Cup resumes on June 16, Louisville City gets its biggest challenge yet this season, traveling to Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. for a match against the four-time Open Cup champion Chicago Fire.

HIGHLIGHTS: LOUISVILLE CITY AT INDY ELEVEN

2014 US Open Cup Round 4: 9-man Columbus Crew get OT penalty kick to get past Indy Eleven 2-1 (video)

June 18, 2014 by Brandon Gee

After finding themselves down to nine players, the Columbus Crew found a way to hold off the upset bid from their NASL foe, the Indy Eleven, with a converted penalty late in extra time.

After an early goal by the Crew’s Bernardo Anor in the 4th minute, the hosts were in good shape until the 34th minute when Adam Bedell was sent off for a bad tackle. Indy wouldn’t level the match until the 62nd minute, as the match ended up going to overtime. In the extra frame, Columbus’ Daniel Paladini was shown the team’s second red card. However, the MLS side caught a break as their NASL opponents were called for a foul in the box and Jairo Arrieta put the Crew in front to stay to give them their first win over a second-tiered club since 2010.

Before a crowd of 1,913 at the University of Akron’s First Energy Stadium, the match started out with the Crew exploiting gaps in the Eleven defense and the Crew struck early. In the 4th minute, Ben Speas put a corner kick over the box and Anor was there to head the ball past Indy keeper Kristian Nicht.

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Following the gaffe, the Eleven’s backline tightened up, particularly Fejiro Okiomah, who made a number of defensive clearances over the next ten minutes. The Crew’s continued pressure broke through again as Adam Bedell headed down a cross from Hector Jimenez in the 15th minute after a scramble in front of the Indy goal but had it called back due to offsides. Though the Crew dominated possession through the first half, Indy had a number of solid scoring chances, including a header by Chris Estridge in the 20th minute that saw Crew keeper Steve Clark dive and knock the ball away as it was headed to the lower left corner.

The dynamic of the first half changed in the 32nd minute, when Bedell went in on a dangerous challenge to Indy’s Estridge. Initially, the referee issued Bedell a caution but after conversing with the fourth official, decided to rescind the yellow card and give a red instead. The referee clarified that the yellow was rescinded due to Bedell’s challenge being particularly high, putting the targeted player at serious risk. The Crew were now down to 10 men with nearly two-thirds of the game still to play.

Momentum swung Indy’s way in the second. Don Smart came on for Mendes to start the half and provided an instant spark to the Eleven attack. Minutes into the half, Smart sent a shot through the Crew goal box that nearly sent Clark tumbling in order to get into position and later set up Blake Smith for the equalizer in the 62nd minute, a pass to the top of box that Smith took, evading a defender before slotting it past the keeper. Minutes later, Nicht made a huge save for the Eleven as Ethan Finlay streaked around his defender and put a shot to the lower right side that Nicht kicked away.

Being up a man, Indy dominated possession through most of the second half and forced the Crew backline to defend a number of chances. Indy’s Ben Spencer nearly had the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute before being called back due to offsides as the match stayed tied after regulation time.

In the first extra time, possession balanced out with the teams trading chances but neither scored. Into the second period, Paladini’s flagrant elbow in the 110th minute earned the Crew midfielder a straight red, putting Columbus down two players late in the match. Perhaps fatigue caught up with the Eleven, but the Crew didn’t appear to be rattled by the latest infraction, defending aggressively and tying up possession.

In the 113th minute, Columbus worked the ball to the Indy end, where it ended up at the feet of Finlay, who attempted a run from the left side of the box. His defender Brad Ring made the unfortunate mistake of taking Finlay down in the area, with a penalty awarded to the Crew as extra time dwindled away. Arrieta scored on the PK and put Columbus up for good.

Columbus now awaits the winner of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds/Chicago Fire match to see where they’ll be playing in next week’s Fifth Round matchups.

REPLAY: INDY ELEVEN AT COLUMBUS CREW

2014 US Open Cup Round 3: Indy Eleven treat big home crowd to win over Dayton Dutch Lions in Open Cup debut (video)

May 29, 2014 by Ben Simmons

Expansion NASL club Indy Eleven exorcised nearly two months worth of demons Wednesday night, brushing aside USL PRO side Dayton Dutch Lions 5-2 in front of 9,181 fans at Michael A. Carroll Stadium to earn a historic first US Open Cup win in club history.

Blake Smith, on loan from Montreal Impact, turned in a virtuoso performance for the home team, bagging a hat trick and recording assists on a pair of goals by former Indiana University standouts Mike Ambersley and Dylan Mares. To its credit, Dayton responded to a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 deficit with a valiant comeback attempt, finding the net twice within eleven second-half minutes through Aaron Schoenfeld and Matt Walker.

With the resounding victory, Indy Eleven advances to the Fourth Round, where they will meet the Columbus Crew in Akron, Ohio on June 17th.

“We get to face Columbus, a high quality opponent, in the next round,” said Eleven coach Juergen Sommer. “That will be a good test for our athletes to see where we are. We’re pleased.”

Having delighted the Indy Eleven faithful with its most significant result of the season last Saturday, a 1-1 draw on the road against the New York Cosmos, the Hoosier club sustained its newfound momentum in its US Open Cup debut against the Dutch Lions.

After an early scare, the Eleven bossed possession and camped out in the attacking third throughout most of the first half, jumping out to a comfortable 3-0 halftime advantage.

“Blake Smith was fantastic tonight,” Sommer. “I wish we could have saved a few for Saturday, but I’m really happy for the guys.

“I felt that going into last week, you could see it kind of building in preparation and training before New York.”

Playing a team from a lower division for the first time in its history, Indy made full use of its wide array of attacking weapons, but, as in weeks past, looked shaky at the back; the mixture unsurprisingly added up to a scoring feast.

The first of many goals on the night came in the 26th minute, as Smith froze the retreating Dayton defense just outside the top of the box before curling a spectacular left-footed shot beyond Dutch Lions goalkeeper Bradley Stuver and into the top-left corner.

Only four minutes later, the Impact loanee and the Eleven had their second. Ben Spencer, another on-loan attacker, sprung the offside trap and showed off vision beyond his years to find Smith, who deftly cut in from the left and slotted into the far corner with his right boot. The man of the hour, who tormented the Dutch Lions’ defense all night, set aside scoring duties to turn provider for Ambersley in the 43rd minute to give the hosts a glossy 3-0 lead.

By the time the halftime whistle sounded, Indy had scored more goals than it had managed in any other match in 2014. Picking up where they left off, the suddenly jelling squad proceeded to double that previous high (two) within seconds of the restart. Smith again unlocked the defense, this time setting Mares up for his first goal in an Eleven shirt.

Instead of capitulating, though, the Dutch Lions regrouped and fought their way back into the contest. After Schoenfeld converted a 66th minute penalty to deny keeper Kristian Nicht his first shutout at Indy Eleven, Matt Walker fired past the German from the middle of the box in the 76th minute, temporarily sparking doubt about the NASL club’s ability to hang on to a massive lead.

Ultimately, Smith capped his remarkable night with a cool left-footed finish on a one-on-one with Stuver. The midfielder’s third goal, made possible by a tremendous through ball by Don Smart, prompted a two-backflip celebration Smith called his “trademark” after the match.

“It’s up there,” Smith said when asked how his performance ranks with other moments in his professional career. “Obviously I came from the MLS and scored some goals there, but to be loaned out here to get some more games and confidence was a good opportunity for me, so I took it with excitement.

“To come out here and help a team that has yet to get a victory, I’d rank this pretty high. It was very important, very special.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY