Game Beckons: Indy Eleven vs Eddies

Monday, May 9, 2016

Indy Eleven vs Eddies - 03.05

- Opponent: FC Edmonton
- Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Attendance: 7,415
- Final Score: 1-1 D
- Starting XI: Busch, Palmer, Falvey, Janicki, Vukovic, Gordon, Ring, Paterson, Ubiparipovic, Braun, Zayed
- Substitutions: Mares 62' (Ring), Larrea 62' (Paterson), Reinoso 74' (Ubiparipovic)
- Unused: Cardona, Lacroix, Miller, Franco
- Goals: Janicki 22'
- Bookings: Palmer 68' (Yellow), Larrea 71' (Yellow)
- Adage goals: None

Usually by the time I sit down to write about that week's game, I have an idea in mind of the direction of the recap. Then it's just a matter of watching the game again to confirm or deny my initial impressions and solidify what I want to write and start typing. This week's game against Edmonton did not follow the same pattern. I couldn't put my finger on what I wanted to discuss. There was a very nondescript nature to the game, other than the physical nature at which Edmonton played. Edmonton, playing their second game in four days, was content to knock the ball around their defensive third and as I heard Brad Hauter indicate in my review of the telecast, "turn a 90 minute game into a 60 minute game."

Then I remembered that just as the game was getting started, I asked my dad, my photographer, to try and get some shots of Braun. I just had a feeling that he might come into play. Which is why he was able to capture these moments.

That's the aftermath of VanOekle absolutely gifting the Eleven a goal with a bad pass that Braun intercepted just two minutes after Janicki had scored on what was a glorified corner kick. Yet, Braun chose to try and shoot on goal instead of passing to his left where Zayed was ideally placed to put the ball in the net. VanOekle made the inital save, Watson helped clean up the rebound, and the Eddies remained just down a goal. Thirteen minutes later and Edmonton equalized on a well placed ball over the backline that was gently redirected over the outstretched arms of Busch.

I have written a lot on this site the last three years about stealing points and turning losses into ties and ties into wins. I've also written that just a few key moments in a game can decide it. So far this season, the Eleven have been experts at stealing points and making those key moments come in late game theatrics. The thing is that those key moments can happen at any point in the game and can also happen for the opposing team. I think that missed goal was one of those moments. If the Eleven score at that moment, just a couple minutes after putting the first goal on the scoreboard, the Eddies probably do not equalize for the draw.

As Doug Starnes noted on Twitter:

Probably feels like a loss for both teams. Braun needs a goal like nobody's business. May see a different foil to Zayed soon. #INDvFCE
— Doug Starnes (@GrassInTheSky1) May 8, 2016

It's hard to think of a 90 minute game coming down to a dozen seconds worth of action, but that could have changed the entire tenor of the game. Though, if we're honest with ourselves as Indy Eleven fans, Jon Busch had the exact same affect on the game at the very end of the game when he completely bailed out the entire backline who watched a ball go over them and completely stopped on the play as they expected an offside call. I've watched that same play be called offside in the past, but you can't just stop on the play. Appeal for the offside call, but keep playing. Busch did that and kept a tie a tie instead of turning a tie into a loss.

Thanks to some favorable results in the other games this weekend, the Eleven find themselves squarely in the mix for the Spring Season title. As much as this team is completely different than the past teams, I recalled having this feeling in the Spring of last year where a win would have put the team in first or second place and the team couldn't get it done. The same scenario was in affect for this game and the result was the same. Will this team be able to get done what last year's team couldn't do? I guess we'll find out on Saturday against Ft. Lauderdale.

Pretty pictures: