Indy Eleven vs Rhode Island - 11.35 - USL Playoffs (Conference Quarterfinals)

Summary

- Opponent: Rhode Island FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium Stadium
- Attendance: 7,623
- Final Score: 3-2 L

- Starting XI: Sulte, Musa, Ofeimu, Stanley, Neidlinger, Soumaoro, Blake, Quinn (C), Martinez, Williams, A., Foster

- Substitution: Williams, R. 54' (Williams, A.); White 55' (Soumaoro); Diz Pe 75' (Stanley); Collier 75' (Neidlinger)

- Unused: Oettl, Guenzatti, Wootton

Scoring Summary:
RI - Williams 19' (Penalty Kick)
IND - Quinn 35' (unassisted)
RI - Williams 38' (unassisted)
RI - Williams 52' (assist Kwizera)
IND - Martinez 76' (assist Quinn)

- Bookings:

IND - Martinez 45'+2' (Yellow)
IND - Foster 58' (Yellow)
IND - Musa 69' (Yellow)
RI - Herivaux 81' (Yellow)
IND - Ofeimu 90'+2' (Yellow)

- Referee: Joshua Encarnacion

- Adage goals: One

Thoughts and Opinions

The playoffs of any sport are just different. Teams work hard all year to put themselves into a position to have the best chance at success in the "win-or-go-home" scenario that the playoffs create. Indy used an 9-game undefeated run in the middle of the year and a 4W-4D-2L run to close out the season to give themselves an opening round home playoff game. Notably, Indy picked up a late stoppage time draw against Pittsburgh get a draw, which allowed them to finish even on points with Rhode Island. The August win against Rhode Island was the determining factor in giving Indy the head-to-head tiebreaker, thereby allowing Indy to host today's conference quarterfinal game. Rhode Island made the playoffs in their inaugural season in the USL Championship, in part, thanks to a league single-season record setting number of draws (15). Rhode Island's talented roster kept themselves in most games and rode that consistency to the playoffs. They also went to Louisville and came away with a 5-2 victory, so this was a team that proved they can compete with everybody in the league.

With Taylor Swift looming large (literally and figuratively) as she closes out her United States tour in Indianapolis this weekend, the game received an early afternoon start time. The Swift Era took precedence over the McAuley Era for Indy's evening entertainment, but the earlier start time still allowed Indy Eleven to get over 7,000 people into the stadium, including a couple dozen Rhode Island fans. It was the Williams (this time J.J. and not Augi nor Romario) Era that stole the show for the game as he notched the first hat-trick from an Indy opponent this season in the 3-2 Rhode Island win that sent Indy to an early departure from the playoffs.

Rhode Island likes to play out of the back and utilize the new trend of having one of the defenders do the restart by passing the ball along the six-yard box to the goalkeeper, who makes the decision on whether to continue to pass around the back or blast the ball up the the field. Indy, contrarily, have no interest in playing out of the back, but would rather get the ball out of their half of the field with a Sulte boot. With that style of play, it's important for Indy to get the first, or second, ball off those kicks. Indy had a 39% to 61% disadvantage on aerial duels. It wasn't the only factor, but after some early effort from Indy, Rhode Island began to control the game and winning those balls, forcing Indy to defend for large amounts of time. Eventually, all the possession and corner kicks led to an inadvertent handball in the Indy box. That handball led to a successful penalty kick by Williams, which led to an early lead for Rhode Island on the road.

The goal from the visitors allowed the tactics to change for awhile in the game. Rhode Island knows that Indy's attack frequently relies on long passes over the top to the forwards. With the 1-nil lead, Rhode Island could sit their back five defenders deeper to make it nearly impossible for Indy to do much with the ball in the final third of the field. Midway through the half, Indy drew a foul outside of the box that Blake put around the wall low, which Vegas was able to push wide for an Indy corner kick. In the subsequent corner, the ball was headed out of the box by Holstad, but directly into the general area of where Quinn was positioned. Quinn patiently let the ball drop and emphatically plucked it out of the air towards goal. The ball took a slight deflection off Nodarse, but Vegas couldn't get to the ball bringing the game level, and giving Quinn his first goal of the 2024 season.

With a potential momentum change in Indy's direction, Indy proceeded to immediately concede a second goal. Some efficient passing through the Indy defense and then a ton of effort from J.J. Williams to toe-poke the ball beyond Sulte's reach immediately put the visitors back on top. To be honest, Rhode Island were the better of the two sides to that point, but Indy's regularly effective team defending was atrocious in that moment. Some fireworks in the closing seconds of the half as Indy nearly equalized going into the halftime locker, but for the first home playoff game for Indy in 5 years, the home squad found themselves staring at a deficient that they were going to need to overcome in the second half.

Post 58th Minute - Shots & Crosses

Minutes into the second half, Rhode Island made a run up the left side of the field where Kwizera put a ball into the box that J.J. Williams, again with more effort than what Indy could match, found the ball with his head, and Rhode Island gave themselves a two-goal cushion on Williams' third goal of the game. Coach McAuley quickly made changes to the lineup, bringing on White and Romario Williams for Soumaoro and Augi, respectively. Those two substitutes made an immediate impact on the game with a cross from White that Romario redirected into the Rhode Island goal. However, the goal was correctly disallowed as Williams never got back on side as the ball recycled. Indy adamantly protested but all that they received for their protestations was a Foster yellow card and a bump in their energy as they tried to channel their frustration with the call into a successful goal. With a 3-1 lead, Rhode Island was content to defend. After Foster's goal, the field was drastically tilted in Indy's direction. Eventually, the pressure resulted in a Martinez goal in the 76th minute when Quinn put a ball into the box where Martinez could get his head to the ball and redirect it passed Vegas.

Post 76th Minute - Shots & Crosses

After the goal to bring Indy back to within one, the difference in offensive attempts was even more stark. Indy were fighting for their playoff lives, while Rhode Island were looking to hold onto their lead, knowing they were getting closer and closer to a matchup with Louisville next weekend. The game ultimately went included 10-minutes of stoppage time before a Quinn shot that was well wide signaled the end of action. 

Rhode Island and Indy played three times on the season and ended the year with a 0 Goal Differential, with both teams scoring 6 goals apiece between the three games. The game looked exactly like a matchup between two teams that finished the season with the exact same number of points and were the 4/5 matchup in the playoff bracket. Surprisingly, it also looked like two teams that had a dozen-year rivalry instead of two teams that were meeting for just the third time as the game was chippy, nearly from the start.

With the win, Rhode Island continue their successful first season in the league, but get rewarded for that success by having to play next week in Louisville. Indy, however, have to watch the remainder of the season from their homes and try to figure out a way to come back next year and do something the men's side has never done before; make the playoffs in three consecutive years. When asked after the game how he wants to be able to take the "winning culture" he has tried to build this year with a top 4 finish and a run in the Open Cup, he responded:

"In football, if you stay the same, you're probably getting worse. So we need to improve next year and improve again and just keep improving. And that's where we have to make decisions on the players. ... But we'll fight and we'll scrap to keep this momentum and identity going that we want to be recognized for what we do. And what we do is never give in. We gotta make decisions about players. I've already got a picture in my mind what it looks like so that's going to be easy for me to make them decisions. What I will say, and recognize is the landscape of the USL has changed. Gone are the days where you just return 6 players and we'll see if we can put a squad of 15 together. If you look at everybody's roster now, everybody's deep with probably 20 to 25 players, at least, who all play. So we gotta recognize the fact that there will be some squad building...I can see us making decisions on players but also keeping quite a few back because we've had, like we've said, a really successful season."

Soon, I'll provide my end-of-year recap and 2025 outlook to discuss my thoughts on who might be returning. 

I don't know how many other people saw it, but when the BYB set off their first round of smoke bombs just before the kickoff, it started a, relatively, small fire of one of the banners. If you're looking for bad omens before a playoff game, that might have been one. While we're talking about it. Why the hell doesn't the BYB have a fire extinguisher nearby instead of trying to put out the fire with water bottles? 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

As I stood near the sideline in second half stoppage time waiting for access to the post-game press conference, the ball came into the Rhode Island offensive corner and Quinn made a run over to the corner to defend. His body and face said that he was nearly gassed, but he knew he had to make the play and dug deep to get to the ball. He seemed to be the catalyst for all the offense going forward at the end of the game, distributing the ball from left to right and back again. All that was after he had Indy's first goal and then the assist on the second goal. Quinn has been a true professional this season as he continued to deal with he ongoing injury rehab from last season's injury. For his quality and effort tonight, Quinn gets the final GBGB of the season.

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Tampa Bay Rowdies - 11.34

Summary

- Opponent: Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Location: IMG Academy Soccer Stadium
- Attendance: 496
- Final Score: 3-0 L

- Starting XI: Sulte, Neidlinger, Chapman-Page, Diz Pe, Mines, White, Lindley (C), Guenzatti, Wootton, Williams, R., Collier

- Substitution: O'Brien, J. 62' (White); Martinez 68' (Collier); Williams, A. 68' (Williams, R.); Martinez 68' (Neidlinger)

- Unused: Oettl, Ofeimu, Soumaoro

Scoring Summary:
TBR - Arteaga 9' (Penalty Kick)
TBR - Crisostomo 25' (assist Bodily)
TBR - Jennings 63' (assist Fernandes)

- Bookings:

TBR - Hilton 50' (Yellow)
IND - Chapman-Page 52' (Yellow)
TBR - Munjoma 73' (Yellow)
TBR - Worth 90'+2' (Yellow)

- Referee: Calin Radosav

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Another week and another starting lineup. Only two players remained in the starting lineup from the last game against Birmingham (Sulte & Neidlinger), while the remaining 9 spots were filled by some players who either came in as substitutes or weren't even on the game roster (Lindley & Guezatti). The depth of Indy's squad this year allows for McAuley to make game-by-game decisions to put out the team that he thinks is best for the game, but also to manage legs and minutes. 

It was two former Indy Eleven players though that got the scoring started. Nick Moon took on Mines, then took on Diz Pe, and the two combined to bring Moon to the ground inside the box. Manuel Arteaga stepped up, sent Sulte to the goalkeeper's right, but calmly put the ball to Sulte's left. Indy came into the game with a chance to get to the 3rd position in the table with a win and a Detroit loss, but they put themselves down early to make that an uphill battle. Conceding the 2nd goal in the 25th minute was also well deserved as Bodily and Crisostomo worked their way around and through the Indy defenders. 

Indy, in the early minutes, were chasing shadows as the Rowdies moved the ball around nicely. Probably more impressive than their effort going forward was their defensive effort as they consistently pressed the ball whenever they lost it, giving Indy very little time to make any decisions or plays. The Rowdies were collectively in sync with each other defensively, and Indy had very little answer to get around, or even over, the TBR defensive line. As the game crept towards the halftime whistle, Indy began to have moments of possession, but as we've seen this year, possession in dangerous areas is more important than just possession and Indy weren't in dangerous areas with their possession. 

The two-goal deficit also sent McAuley into tinkering mode, with the midfielders constantly interchanging positions. Neidlinger, who started on the right side of the field, was seen moving into the middle of the field and even onto the left side. McAuley has indicated before that he wanted to get minutes for Neidlinger in the middle of the field to see how he would handle the pressure with guys coming at him from all angles. It looked like with very little to play for, McAuley was giving the young player another chance at learning that part of the game. As a result, White also started pushing more forward, leaving Lindley as the lone holding midfielder. Indy needed to figure out what was working, or could work, because the majority of the first 45 minutes was not a good display for Indy. 

With this Indy team, paying attention to most of the major statistical categories can mean almost nothing as to how a game is actually progressing. Tonight, though, TBR dominated the stats AND were the better team. Once Tampa Bay scored their third, all that was left was for the clock to run out. Oh, McAuley and Indy brought on attacking subs, but the game was never in doubt and Indy finished the regular season with a loss on the road.

The good news for Indy was that the home playoff game was never in doubt, no matter the result. If you were like me and were keeping one eye on the live standings, the spots below Indy bounced around quite a bit as scores moved the #5 - #10 teams around. Indy stayed firmly planted at the #4 spot. While the potential to get to the #3 spot was possible, it was also never in just their hands as they were going to need a losing performance from Detroit. Many times throughout this season, the statement was made that every point mattered. That was most prominently stated with the late late goal against Pittsburgh, when a 10-man Riverhounds team held on until the 90'+7' goal from Romario Williams. Looking at just that single result, without the goal and the subsequent draw, Indy, Tampa Bay, and Pittsburgh would have all finished on 50 points. As a result, Rhode Island would have moved to 4th place, Tampa Bay would have moved to 5th place, and thanks to the 3rd tiebreaker, Pittsburgh would have finished in 6th place if I did my math correctly. If it had not been for that late equalizer by Romario, Indy would be headed back to Charleston in their opening game of the playoffs. Obviously, that might have adjusted how Indy played this game, but that late stoppage time goal proved to be important.

What was a bit disheartening (from a table perspective) from this game was that the 3-goal deficit took Indy's season goal differential to -1. Indy are the only Eastern Conference playoff team with a negative goal differential. Indy's season can be directly traced to their ability to score goals. Obviously, that seems intuitive, but to be able to go 34 games and cumulatively draw all your opponents and still finish in the 4th spot on the table says a lot about the weirdness of this game. The fact that Western Conference winners New Mexico United basically did the same thing may be even crazier. 

It's difficult to call tonight's starting lineup as a "B" roster because all of tonight's starters have starter minutes. However, due to injuries, Guenzatti hadn't played for 6 games, Chapman-Page hadn't played for 10 games, White hadn't played for 4 games, and Diz Pe hadn't played for 2 games. To say these guys weren't at peak condition might be an understatement. More than a third of the starting lineup would normally not have gone more than 60-65 minutes as they worked their way back to full-game health. Three of those four guys played all ninety minutes, with only White coming out due to yet another injury. McAuley knew coming into this game that a result was nice but not vital, and he played a lineup that could get minutes on guy's legs in a non-playoff situation.

With the rest of the night's results, Indy now know they will be playing Rhode Island next Sunday at Carroll Stadium. Indy drew Rhode Island 3-3 at Beirne Stadium in July thanks to a late stoppage goal from RI, while Indy came out ahead 1-nil at Carroll Stadium in August. The next game though will have more on the line as Indy will be looking for their first home & playoff win since 2019, and Rhode Island will be looking for their first playoff win ever in their first season in the USL.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I don't like not giving a GBGB, but I can't think of a single player's performance that stands out for me as being overly worthy.   

Indy Eleven vs Birmingham Legion FC - 11.33

Summary

- Opponent: Birmingham Legion FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 10,540
- Final Score: 3-2 W

- Starting XI: Sulte, Musa, Ofeimu, Stanley, Neidlinger, Soumaoro, Blake, Quinn (C), Martinez, Foster, Williams, A.

- Substitution: Williams, R. 45' (Martinez); Wootton 55' (Soumaoro); Mines 72' (Foster); Collier 80' (Williams, A.)

- Unused: Oettl, Chapman-Page, O'Brien, J.

Scoring Summary:
IND - 14' (OG - Kavita)
IND - Blake 15' (assist Martinez)
BHM - Pinho 54' (assist Mensah)
IND - Wootton 86' (unassisted)
BHM - Zouhir 90' (assist Martinez)

- Bookings:

IND - Williams, A. 79' (Yellow)

- Referee: Matthew Corrigan

- Adage goals: One

Thoughts and Opinions

The season has come down to the wire, but the math had significantly simplified coming into tonight's game against Birmingham. If Indy and Birmingham finished level, Indy would secure their place in the playoffs. If Indy win, they secure they place their place in the playoffs, while also keeping alive their chances of hosting a playoff game. If Indy lost, the playoffs were still in play with a draw/win next week in Tampa Bay, but hosting a game would become a bit more difficult.

Photo: Don Thompson

Standing in Indy's way were Birmingham, a team that doesn't just have one former player on their roster, but three different players, each of who were in the starting lineup tonight. Crognale has anchored the Birmingham defense for nearly the entire time since his departure from Indy, while Tyler Pasher and Stefano Pinho were available to bring the firepower up top and in the midfield. Pinho and Pasher sit in the Top 10 in Indy club history for Goals (Pinho tied for 7th, Pasher alone in 2nd), Points (Pinho 10th, Pasher 2nd), Pasher is 9th in Assists, and the two are in the Top Five in Game Winners (Pinho tied for 5th, Pasher at #1). With those players on the opposing side trying to prevent Indy from securing a playoff position, Indy fans had bittersweet emotions. Our players are #IndyForever, but not during the 90-minutes of the game, and definitely not when those 90-minutes take place at Carroll Stadium with a playoff spot on the line.

Indy took a two-minute stretch in the first half to nearly put the game out of reach. A Quinn centering cross was helped along by Martinez, and then Birmingham's Kavita tried to redirect the ball, but redirected it into his own goal to start the scoring. A minute later, the ball was cycled around to Martinez who went to the endline, but instead of sending the ball into the box with no set target, he pulled the ball back slightly to get a ball to an on-rushing Blake. Blake, instead of one-timing a shot, took a second touch to put the ball into a better shooting position and then put it out of the reach of Van Oekel to double the advantage. The next 30 minutes were played to a nil-nil stalemate, but the damage had been done and Indy went into the locker room in a playoff-hosting position thanks to the other results around the conference. The results from the night maintained that position, putting Indy's playoff hosting fate into firmly into their own hands.

Halftime Shots

Proof that possession and shot differences don't always tell the story of the game, Birmingham held a 57% to 43% advantage in possession and a 12 to 3 advantage in shots when the teams went into the halftime break. However, that possession was skewed into Indy's attacking half and the majority of Birmingham's shots were either in non-threatening areas from distance or were well off target. It's difficult to argue with a 2-goal lead, particularly when you're forcing the opponent into difficult shooting positions. Indy was a little sloppy with their passes towards the very end of the half, but a two-goal lead allows some cushion for some mistakes. However, I'm sure the halftime talk from Coach McAuley was related to the fact that an early second half goal by Indy would likely put the game out of reach, but an early second half goal by Birmingham would change the entire tenor of the game. 

It took less than 10 minutes for that momentum goal to come to fruition. Unfortunately for Indy fans, that goal was provided by former player Stefano Pinho, and Indy found themselves needing to do a gut check to determine if they had it in them to get the full three points. While the draw would solidify a playoff spot, Indy watched Louisville seal the Players' Shield on the Carroll Stadium turf on the last home game and wouldn't have wanted to watch a win evaporate tonight too to prevent the option of securing a home playoff game. That kind of letdowns in back-to-back weekends would start to work against the team's psyche going into the playoffs. 

After the goal, the field tilted to Birmingham's offensive side of the field, forcing Indy to rely on their defending. Indy has generally been a solid team when they're in "park the bus" or "defending for life" mode. Tonight would be no different for most of the second half. While Birmingham, fighting for their playoff lives, continued to pepper shots towards Indy's goal, they continued to do so from outside the box. It wasn't until the 90th minute when Zouhir put a wicked shot on frame from 35-yards away that sent Hunter to his right before the ball knuckled back to the space that Hunter had vacated to give the visitor's a second goal and life in the dying minutes of the game. Indy had managed a third goal through Wootton in the 86th minute, so the Birmingham goal was disappointing given the time in the game, but still maintained Indy's ability to get all three points from the game. A few minutes after Zouhir's goal, he once again put a long-distance shot on frame, but this one was low and Hunter was able to parry it away to solidify the 3-2 win. 

Birmingham had one more shot on target in stoppage time, but shortly after referee Matthew Corrigan blew the whistle and Indy survived Birmingham's late comeback attempt. With the win, Indy have secured their place in the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for just the second time in the team's history, and the first since Martin Rennie's first and second seasons in 2018 & 2019. Indy have only lost once in the last 9 games to put themselves in this opportunity to host a playoff game. After the rough start to the season and the slump after the 8-game win streak, Indy have consistently been getting points to close out the year. If you're looking for downsides, which I'm apt to do, Indy haven't been able to string together wins during the recent run of form. That might be nit-picking though at a place in the season where every point has been valuable and needed.

Photo: Drew Thompson

Indy head to Tampa Bay next weekend with the chance to secure a home playoff game. If I'm doing my scenarios and math correctly, a draw in Tampa Bay secures the home playoff game as it would put Indy at 52 points, Rhode Island can only reach a max of 51 points, and Tampa could only get to 52 if they beat Indy. So a boring nil-nil draw provides at least one more game in Carroll Stadium this year. A 4th place finish would see Indy face off against one of those two teams depending on those teams they finish their seasons. Tampa Bay play Hartford in their makeup game due to Hurricane Helene before hosting Indy at the IMG Academy, while Rhode Island finish at home against Miami, which season results would indicate should be a win for Rhode Island. The Rhode Island/Miami game starts 30-minutes after Indy and Tampa Bay kickoff, so Indy will have to play their final game with the assumption that Rhode Island gets all three points against Miami. Tampa Bay has struggled in recent weeks, so a draw seems doable. However, there is enough talent on Tampa Bay's team that Indy need to head to Tampa looking for a dogfight.  

(Random) Final Thoughts

Indy should have had a 4th or 5th goal late that would have made the end of the game less nervy, but Collier sent his shot from just beyond the penalty spot high and into the BYB, while Romario Williams also had a decent chance, but got a little bit too cute with the ball and never got a proper shot off despite being yards away from the goal. As Coach McAuley tries to create a winning culture (something that every new coach has said they need to do), he indicted post-game that he values the team's resiliency and determination to hold onto results (Louisville game notwithstanding). 

Neidlinger marking Pasher early. "Hey Kid. They tell me your the youngest player in club history to score a goal. I'm second in the club in goals scored. Try keeping up with me." - Pasher (maybe) Neidlinger was pummeled with attacks in the second half as Birmingham sent wave after wave of their attack up the left side where Neidlinger was defending. To his credit, the young professional played really well. McAuley indicated that Logan began to tire late in the game, but nearly caught enough of a second (or third or fourth) wind to get a shot off in the 84th minute that nearly found the goal. 

I never would have thought that (mostly) healthy (or not red card suspended) Lindley, Gibson, Guenzatti, and Diz Pe wouldn't even make the 18 in a game as important as a game that would clinch a playoff spot. The depth of the team this year has taken on a new level.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

His minutes have kind of been all over the place this season, but when he's been asked to play, Wootton plays with a ton of energy and effectiveness. He was rewarded for his ability to step up when needed and rifled a shot past Van Oekel that became the game winner. I like to reward guys when the game rewards them and tonight that was Wootton. While the game-winning goal is better, the GBGB isn't bad either. 

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Indy Eleven vs Detroit City FC - 11.32

Summary

- Opponent: Detroit City FC
- Location: Keyworth Stadium
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 0-0 D

- Starting XI: Sulte, Stanley, O'Brien, J., Ofeimu, Musa, Neidlinger, Quinn (C), Soumaoro, Foster, Martinez, Williams, A.

- Substitution: Blake 71' (Williams, A.); Lindley 79' (Foster); Wootton 87' (Soumaoro); Collier 87' (Martinez)

- Unused: Oettl, Chapman-Page, Mines

Scoring Summary:
NONE

- Bookings:

DET - Murphy 39' (Yellow)
IND - Soumaoro 57' (Yellow)
DET - Diop 69' (Yellow)
IND - Musa 69' (Yellow)
DET - Rodriguez 78'  (Yellow)

- Referee: Gerald Flores

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

In what was the 4th meeting between Indy and Detroit City in the 2024 season, both teams had a lot on the line. With any result other than a loss, Detroit would have clinched a playoff spot. With a win, Indy would clinch a playoff spot. Despite the two teams sitting third and fourth in the table, with the rest of the table breathing down their necks, getting three points was vital to maintain a goal of hosting a playoff game. With the 0-0 draw, Detroit clinched their spot in the playoffs, whereas Indy will have to wait for other results tonight or next week to officially clinch their own place in the postseason. The draw keeps the teams behind them still breathing down their necks.

There aren't many seasons where two teams play each other four times before the playoff starts (not counting the old NASL days or the 2020/2021 seasons), but this afternoon's meeting between Indy and Detroit was the fourth when you count the preseason game held at Grand Park. If you count that result, Indy held a 2W-IL record coming into the game with a +4 goal differential. However, the difference between that preseason lineup for Indy and this game's lineup is stark. Indy had just 3 players start the preseason game also start this game (Stanley, Martinez, and Williams, A.), one player is no longer with the team (Boudadi), and four players today weren't even on the roster then (Ofeimu, Musa, Soumaoro, and Foster). To say this was a different squad facing Detroit than what faced them in late February is an understatement. 

Detroit held a 67% to 33% possession advantage in the first half, which felt much like the game against Kansas City in the U.S. Open Cup for Indy. Afterwards, McAuley described his tactical decisions during that game as feeling confident that the substitutions he could make in the second half gave him confidence that he didn't need the team to consistently press in the first half. He also felt in that game that as long as Indy kept it close, Indy would have a chance. Given the fact that this was the third game in eight days, Indy clearly came in with the intent to defend and then counter, and then see what could happen late.

What happened late was much of the same as what was seen through the entire game. Indy content to defend, forcing Detroit to take long-range shots, none of which ever really threatened Sulte outside of a two-shot sequence in the first half that could put the young goalkeeper up for Save of the Week again. Indy had a late free-kick opportunity that Blake put just a couple yards wide of the goal after getting the ball up and over the wall, but the scoreless draw remained intact. If you were looking for two teams in nearly a lock playoff positions to go toe-to-toe in an offensive display, this wasn't the game for you. If you like a display in grinding out a road result in the third game in 8 days, then you would have loved this game. As someone who would have liked to see a bit more out of Indy to try harder to get the three points, the game felt like a bit of a disappointment. 

Indy return to Carroll Stadium next Saturday for the final home game of the season against Birmingham. Whether they have solidified their position in the playoffs before the game might dictate how the game is played. Though, Indy really need positive results, and probably wins, to be able to lock in a home playoff game, so I fully expect Indy to be more proactive offensively than they were tonight.  

The Game Beckons Game Ball

For his fully extended parry save in the first half that kept this game even (but also probably prevented this game from opening up more - an Indy team chasing a result would have likely made this game go end to end), tonight's GBGB goes to Hunter Sulte. With the clean sheet, Sulte moves into a tie in team history with Evan Newton with 12 clean sheets across all competitions. Only Jon Busch sits in front of him now, but is out of reach for this season. If Portland renews the loan next season, Busch's club record may be in peril.

Indy Eleven vs Loudoun United - 11.31

Summary

- Opponent: Loudoun United FC
- Location: Segra Field
- Attendance: 1,787
- Final Score: 1-0 W

- Starting XI: Sulte, Stanley, Diz Pe, Ofeimu, O'Brien, J., Mines, Wootton, Lindley (C), Foster, Martinez, Williams, A.

- Substitution: Blake 63' (Foster); Collier 63' (Martinez); Musa 72' (O'Brien, J.); Neidlinger 88' (Williams, A.); Soumaoro 88' (Wootton)

- Unused: Oettl, Quinn

Scoring Summary:
IND - Musa 83' (assist Ofeimu)

- Bookings:

LDN - Johnston 16' (Yellow)
LDN - Martin (manager) 36' (Yellow)

LDN - Fauroux 53' (Yellow)
IND - Martinez 53' (Yellow)
LDN - Leerman 58' (Yellow)
LDN - Tingey 63' (Yellow)
IND - Mines 67' (Yellow)
IND - Diz Pe 85' (RED)

- Referee: Abdou Ndiaye

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

After conceding a late stoppage time equalizer on Saturday against Louisville City, Indy headed out on the road to Virginia to face Loudoun United, and in the process, eliminate the "game-in-hand" that they had on nearly every other team. It was also the second of three games in eight days, but the only game of the three against a team behind them on the table for one of the proverbial six-point games. A win would push Indy to 4th in the table by leapfrogging Rhode Island (who Indy hold the tiebreaker against) and Tampa Bay (who has a game-in-hand due to their game against Hartford being postponed due to Hurricane Helene). A draw or a loss would keep Indy in 6th place. As has been repeatedly stated in the last few weeks, the crowded middle of the Eastern Conference table means that every point is important.

First Half Heat Map (Indy going right to left)

With the quick turnaround in games, Indy made 6 changes to their starting lineup. I'm not sure why Lindley has fallen out of favor in the starting lineup in recent weeks (and didn't appear at all against Louisville), but it says something about Indy's roster when you can bring on a two-time top-of-the-league player like Lindley when games are this close together. The influx of different players into the starting lineup didn't seem to bother Indy's attack. Looking at the halftime stats, one might think that Loudoun had the better half. They held the possession advantage and the shots on target advantage. However, my eyeball test skewed everything to Indy's favor in the first half. They had the more effective possession in dangerous locations and more dangerous shots on target. Indy had one shot bounce off the post, a free kick that nearly snuck in before being parried away by Fauroux, and repeated opportunities from corner kicks. Regardless though, the teams went into the locker room with a nil-nil stalemate. The game had the feel that if Indy could put away their first goal, more would follow, but could just as likely have Loudoun score first forcing Indy to chase.

Neither of those things happened. 

What did happen though was that the two teams picked up yellow cards like they were prizes from Oprah. "You get a card. You get a card. You get a card." A total of 6 cards were shown in the second half, including Diz Pe picking up his second red card of the season, one game removed from having to sit from his first red card suspension. It was a terrible decision and was an obvious correct call. Diz Pe has been so good this season at minimizing his terrible mistakes, but Diz now holds the dubious distinction of being the club's leader in red cards.

Post-Goal Heat Map

Fortunately for Indy, that red card happened just minutes after one of Indy's numerous corner kicks finally saw the ball cross over the goal line. Ofeimu recycled Fauroux's poor punched clearance and Musa reacted first to send a gentle looping ball over the Loudoun keeper and defenders to break the deadlock. Indy's lead and Loudoun's man-advantage meant that the final 7-minutes of regulation and6-minutes of stoppage time predominantly took place in Indy's defensive half, but Loudoun couldn't find a shot on target in the waning minutes. Indy held on with good team defending to run the week's points to 4 out a possible 6. 

What also happened was Indy's chances of climbing the table into a playoff hosting position took a massive step forward. The win at Loudoun means that a win in Detroit on Saturday would continue to see Indy leapfrog teams into a first round playoff hosting position. While it keeps getting reiterated, every point is important right now, and the two points lost this past weekend against Louisville would have put Indy tied with Detroit on points. Given the red card late, Indy will take the three points and get back on the bus back to Indy and a current home playoff game within the realm of possibility.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Augi continues to impress right now. Wootton and Lindley looked great in the midfield. But a late-game substitution defender comes on due to an injury and finds the game-winning goal in his 200th league appearance? Yeah, I have to reward Musa with tonight's GBGB. Well done.