Indy Eleven vs RailHawks - 02.30

- Opponent: Carolina RailHawks
- Location: Cary, North Carolina
- Attendance: 7.232
- Final Score: 3-1 L
- Starting XI: Cardona, Franco, Janicki, Norales, Frias, Pena, Steinberger, Ceballos, Smart, Mares, Brown
- Substitutions: Lacroix 73' (Steinberger), Ring 73' (Ceballos), Kleberson 83' (Pena)
- Unused: Dawson, McKinney, Miller, Wojcik
- Goals: Ceballos 24'
- Bookings: Pena 33' (Yellow), Mares 90' (Yellow)
- Adage goals: One

A little over a month ago, I started a recap of the Edmonton game like this:

I saw something on Twitter recently that I didn't favorite so will never be able to find again, but in essence it went like this (paraphrasing for this topic):
1) Start Microsoft Word
2) Find Indy Eleven recap templates
3) Open "Indy Eleven lose due to defensive and adage goal" article.

For some reason, it still applies to this week's game against Carolina. After 30 games, "you are what you are" and the Indy Eleven is an inconsistent team. Two weeks in a row, they basically dominated two of the better teams in the league. Then they go on the road against one of the worst teams in the league and they, themselves, get dominated. Down by 2 goals within the first 16-minutes and I'm sure there were a large contingent of fans that checked out at that point. They may have still been watching, but this team hasn't shown that they can overcome that kind of deficit.

So let's look at the highlights:


Under siege from the beginning and a goal in the first 10 minutes on a cross where the back post went completely, and inexplicably, unmarked. Two Carolina players went to the back post, from the opposite side of the field, through a group of Indy Eleven defenders and nobody went with them. It's impossible to blame one guy for that goal because that's just poor team defense.

The second wasn't much better.

You know what? Why don't we just put this game to bed after pointing out a couple good spots of the game?

There was a Dawson sighting on the bench in something other than street clothes. Makes me continue to wonder about the potential departure of Nicht and what the future GK role will look like next season. Also finding his way onto the field for the first time this season was player/coach Kleberson. Good for him. An achilles injury is a difficult one and he worked hard to get back. It also makes me wonder about his role next year.

[Sidenote: I plan on discussing all of this in an upcoming post...]

As far as I know, Frias didn't get an official credit for an assist on Ceballos' goal, but he should get credit for a well left-footed strike that just barely stayed out after hitting the underside of the crossbar. He had an equally well struck ball in the 62nd minute that nearly fooled Gilstrap. Started right and then bent back left and Gilstrap just managed to keep his body in front of it.

"You are what you are" and the Eleven finish as the 9th place team in the Fall and the Combined tables.