Indy Eleven vs Sporting Kansas City - 2024 U.S. Open Cup Semifinal

Summary

- Opponent: Sporting Kansas City
- Location: Children's Mercy Park
- Attendance: 10,812
- Final Score: 2-0 L

- Starting XI: Sulte, Ofeimu, O'Brien, J., Chapman-Page, Stanley, Neidlinger, Quinn (C), Lindley, Blake, Martinez, Williams, A.

- Substitution: Musa 17' (Chapman-Page - Injury); Foster 77' (Neidlinger); Wootton 77' (Lindley); Collier 89' (Williams, A.); Guenzatti 89' (O'Brien, J.)

- Unused: Oettl, Mines

- Scoring Summary:
SKC - 14' Russell (assist Davis)
SKC - 35' Rosero (assist Walter)

- Bookings:

IND - Quinn 19' (Yellow)
SKC - Salloi 69' (Yellow)

- Referee: Rosendo Mendoza

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Planned (but not permitted) BYB tifo - art by Jason Wyrick

The U.S. Open Cup, and a Cup Final, is a special tournament and game where the "little" guy has the chance to take on the "big" guy for a prestigious trophy. More often than not, the little guy never makes it to the semifinal game in this kind of tournament. In the MLS era, ten different lower division clubs (15 different times) have made it to a U.S. Open Cup semifinal game, most recently the Sacramento Republic during their run in 2022 when they made it to the Final. Twenty-eight years of MLS being involved in the tournament since 1996 (minus 2 Covid years), gives 26 tournaments times 2 semifinal games, times 2 teams per semifinal equals 104 teams who have stood at the exact same spot Indy Eleven was standing in before this game started. Which means that just over 14% of the time, one of the teams in a semifinal is a lower division team. Indy Eleven were the lone remaining lower division team in this tournament. 

That's how rare a Cup run is for a lower division team. 

Being a second division team, Indy Eleven technically qualified as the "little" guy in this matchup against Sporting Kansas City, a club that has won the tournament 4 times, the most recent in 2017. As I've stated on this site before (thanks to the history lesson from TheCup.us), the semifinal game isn't the farthest that a team from Indianapolis has made it in the tournament. The Indianapolis Inferno made it to the semifinal game in 1992, when they defeated the Scott Gallagher SC team from Saint Louis by a 2-nil score in the quarterfinal. The Inferno did it, though, in a non-MLS era. Only once since 1996 has a non-MLS team won the Cup (Rochester Rhinos in 1999). 

That's how rare a Cup run is for a lower division team. 

With tonight's 2-0 loss to Kansas City, Indy equal the Indianapolis Inferno's run, bringing Indy's record against MLS teams to 1W-1D-3L, but the run to the Final and a potential Concacaf bid end on a rainy, delayed night at Children's Mercy Park. 

A roughly 2.5-hour weather delay gave Indy plenty of time to build a bus PLUS a bunker and Indy parked that bus IN the bunker in the early stages of the game. Indy had both Stanley and Neidlinger on each side of the center backs, giving Indy a 5-4-1 look in their own half as the conceded possession, trying to keep SKC in front of them. All conceded possession led to a shot off the crossbar in the 11th minute, a goal in the 14th minute from Russell, a shot of the woodwork from a free kick in the 29th minute, and a second goal in the 35th minute. The bunker may have seemed necessary, but Sulte had to feel like he was on the wrong side of a firing squad.

As much success as Indy found in previous Open Cup games, they looked completely overmatched tonight in the first half. An 81% to 19% halftime possession advantage for SKC seems like the people keeping the stats felt sorry for Indy and gave them more possession than they actually had. That's how one-sided the first half was in this game. Whenever Indy did manage to make any brief forays into the SKC defensive half of the game, they were met with missed shots or offside calls, and not nearly enough support for Williams to do much with the chances. The bunker just didn't allow Indy to do much with the ball when they had opportunities. Combine that with Indy's lack of pressure on the ball giving SKC plenty of time to make whatever decision they wanted with the ball at their feet, and it was a long, late night for Indy and their fans.

Indy hasn't been immune to the Cupset over the years, losing on the road in back-to-back seasons to lower division amateur teams, but SKC clearly did not take Indy lightly the way that Indy has periodically done over the years. They came into this game looking to prove that even if their league season isn't going as desired, they were going to hang their hat on a run to the US Open Cup Final as a way to salvage the year and took Indy behind the woodshed for a beating in the first half. Sporting Kansas City came into the game struggling below the Western Conference playoff line with a 7W-6D-14L record, but with a 5W-4D-5L record at home (2-2-9 on the road). The way the first half played out, I don't think it would have mattered where this game was held. 

SKC was just better.

Oh, Indy made a better show of it in the second half, but SKC looked like they took their foot off the gas a little to help that surge in Indy's effort. Plus, and this can't be overlooked, Indy dug themselves a massive hole in the first half and really had nothing at risk by throwing guys forward in the second half. A 2-nil loss or a 3-nil loss still spells an exit from the Cup. I don't know what was said in the halftime locker, but I can imagine some "we're better than this," "I'm not going out like this," and "we have to hold them to a scoreless second half and see if we can pull one back." Had Indy scored a goal with some of their chances, in either half, the end of the game would have been intense. As it was, a stoppage time Sulte penalty kick save kept the loss differential at 2, and the team can look at the performance in the second half as things they can use as motivation for the remainder of the league season. 

Indy can be proud of the Cup run, but there's a reason why only four lower division teams have ever made it to the Final in the MLS era. It takes the right players, the right matchup, and probably some good old fashioned luck to overcome a higher consistent level of talent across the teams. 

Indy head home to league action again when they face the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday at The Mike. Indy need to take the positives of the second half tonight and funnel that towards keeping a team below them in the Easter Conference table behind them. Indy's recent run of league form has been a mix bag that has included very few wins, but the team needs a win badly after the first two games in this 3-game week. The game on Saturday has the feel of the proverbial "6-point game."

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Blake by a wide margin gets tonight's GBGB. Indy had 10 shots with 5 shots on target. Blake had 6 of the shots and 4 of them were on target. His shots forced Melia into difficult saves. Blake looked, at times, like he knew that somebody was going to need to test SKC from long-range and he was unafraid to be that person. With the recent struggles from the Williams duo of hitting the goal from within the box (or within the 6-yard box in the case of Romario), goals are seemingly going to need to come from somewhere else. It looked like it was going to be Blake that provided that tonight, but he just couldn't find a way around Melia. 

Another honorable mention for Neidlinger. Let me remind you that he is AN. ACADEMY. PLAYER. starting in an Open Cup semifinal game. There were some moments where he looked overmatched by his MLS opponents, but he also didn't get completely run off the field. If we're looking for moral victories in this loss, one of them is that this kid is proving McAuley's faith in him is warranted. 

Indy Eleven vs Las Vegas Lights FC - 11.24

Summary

- Opponent: Las Vegas Lights FC
- Location: Cashman Field
- Attendance: 4,532
- Final Score: 3-2 L

- Starting XI: Oettl, Mines, O'Brien, J., Musa, Neidlinger, Gibson (C), Blake, Wootton, Collier, Guenzatti, Williams, R.

- Substitution: Ofeimu 45' (O'Brien, J.); Foster 45' (Blake); O'Brien, E. 63' (Collier); Lindley 72' (Wootton); Henderlong 84' (Neidlinger)

- Unused: Sulte, McCoy

- Scoring Summary:
LV - Ngando 2' (assist Pinzon)
IND - Guenzatti 26' (assist Blake)
LV - Noel 43' (assist Pinzon)
IND - Collier 45'+3' (assist Blake)
LV - Bennett 45'+4' (assist Doody)

- Bookings:

LV - Arozarena 21' (Yellow)
LV - Ngando 34' (Yellow)
LV - Nigro 54' (Yellow)
IND - Mines 58' (Yellow)

- Referee: Trevor Wiseman

- Adage goals: THREE

Thoughts and Opinions

After a weekend off, Indy found themselves having to make hard decisions about tonight's, and the upcoming week's, game(s). Coach McAuley has repeatedly stated that player rotation can often happen within a game, not just how players are used game-to-game. With tonight's game against Las Vegas, an arguably the most important game in the club's history on Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal against MLS side Kansas City, and a game next weekend against Pittsburgh, player rotation finally showed itself the way most people think of rotation. This was a lineup of Indy's "B" side, if you want to call it that. The lineup had guys that have starter minutes at times, but it was clear that McAuley had an eye on Tuesday's game with this lineup. With the stakes so high on Tuesday, more on that in a minute, it's not surprising that McAuley took the route he did with tonight's lineup.

In a different year against a Las Vegas side, that might have been acceptable. This, however, is a different Las Vegas team and when they get a goal in the 2nd minute, Indy had a steep hill to climb. Don't think the Lights didn't take notice that this lineup for Indy was not the normal starters for Indy. Coming off their own loss, which ended an 11-game undefeated streak, Las Vegas didn't need extra motivation, but seeing Indy's lineup probably provided a little extra desire to come out quickly to pay Indy for the potential perceived disrespect. Knowing that if they could put Indy down early, a shuffled lineup would struggle to get back into the game.

Yet, McAuley kept saying that the lineup against LV would be one that he thought could still win the game. Despite the absolute worst start for the group, Indy did get back into the game through a set piece recycle where Blake put the ball over the defense to Guenzatti, who settled and then slotted the ball under Arozarena for an equalizer midway through the first half. As the half progressed, Marion Crowder on the telecast described the first half with "response." Las Vegas found a second goal just before the 45 minute mark. Indy, to their credit, found a response and a 2nd equalizer in the 45'+3'. Las Vegas then rounded out the scoring in the half with their own equalizer in the 45'+4' to send the teams to the locker room after a hectic first half with 21 combined shots, 8 combined shots on target, and 5 goals.

The fireworks of the first half didn't translate to the second half, which was done in a much more measured approach for both teams. McAuley made changes at halftime to save legs for a couple players that are likely going to be in the starting lineup on Tuesday, while also giving some run for other guys in that situation. Las Vegas had a lead without a ton of pressure from Indy so they didn't have to push the issue as much, though they were definitely more the aggressor than Indy. The Match Center showed Indy without a single shot in the 2nd half. In some ways, Indy looked like they were playing for a draw that they didn't have. Thanks to the results of the teams around them in the table, the loss didn't drastically affect Indy's placement. Detroit leap-frogged Indy due to their crowded August schedule, but Indy still have a game-in-hand on Detroit. 

While you would love to see Indy play its best team in all games, the game against Kansas City on Tuesday is clearly an important game for the club, with a lot at stake with a win. As the USL documented this week, a win could either lead to a home game in the tournament final or a spot in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. 

Here’s how:

The starting point is that the winner of the U.S. Open Cup earns a berth into the CCC.

However, if the winner has earned a CCC spot through a different qualification process, the runner-up gets the spot allotted to the Open Cup.

So, if LAFC – who recently secured a CCC spot by advancing to the 2024 Leagues Cup Final – defeats the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday night to advance to the Open Cup Final, then the Open Cup CCC berth would automatically be given to the other finalist.

So, all Indy Eleven needs to do is defeat Sporting KC on Tuesday night then hope LAFC gets the job done.

With a potential CCC spot on the line, I'm okay with the decision. A crowded middle of the Eastern Conference makes Indy's spot in the table tenuous, but sometime you have to make one decision that could help the club in the long term and hope that it doesn't hurt you in the near term.

Hopefully this is a case of Indy losing the battle, but winning the war. It will be unfortunate if Indy lose the battle, then lose the war as a result, but plenty of games left in the season to see how this week's decisions pan out. Indy, and a drastically different lineup, will take to the field in three days in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Sporting Kansas City.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

I want to give Guenzatti the GBGB purely for his effort, but he was also rewarded for that effort with a goal, so it makes it easier for my reasoning. Seba has often done the yeomen's work this season trying to connect the defense to the forwards, being team first when he can clearly still score goals. However, his effort tonight was wasted at times because his running mate up top (Romario...) does not put in the same kind of effort. While Guenzatti could be seen trying to press the back line of Las Vegas, a tactic that worked well in the first half to get Indy back into the game, Williams was often not putting in any effort in that regard. The goal helps, but Guenzatti gets tonight's GBGB because he put in a lunch pail shift and I appreciate the effort.

Blake gets an honorable mention because his 45-minutes was stellar. He had the assist on both goals and at times in that half of play looked like the best player on the field for Indy at finding his teammates in places to make them successful. It's good to have him back in the lineup.

The youngster gets an honorable honorable mention. Neidlinger is deserving of his minutes on a pro team as a teenager. Every minute of every game is making him a better player and he deserves to be o the field.

Indy Eleven vs New Mexico United - 11.23

Summary

- Opponent: New Mexico United
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 10,013
- Final Score: 3-1 L

- Starting XI: Sulte, Ofeimu, Chapman-Page, Diz Pe, Neidlinger, Stanley, Wootton, Quinn (C), Guenzatti, Williams, R., Williams, A.

- Substitution: Collier 60' (Guenzatti); Blake 60' (Williams, A.); Henderlong 79' (Williams, R.); O'Brien, J. 80' (Chapman-Page); Gibson 80' (Quinn)

- Unused: Oettl, Mines, Musa

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Neidlinger 28' (assist Wootton)
NM - Swartz 53'
NM - Rivas 64' (assist Bruce)
NM - Hurst 75' (assist Hurst)

- Bookings:

IND - Quinn 27' (Yellow)
NM - Rivas 27' (Yellow)
NM - Houssou 27' (Yellow)
NM - Ryden 45'+2' (Yellow)
IND - Diz Pe 61' (Yellow)
IND - Chapman-Page 78' (Yellow)
NM - Hurst 90'+4'(Yellow)

- Referee: Adam Kilpatrick

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Ugh. Quinn and Blake get back to healthy and the team loses Lindley and Martinez to injuries sustained last week. The team definitely needs a "next man up" attitude right now, and Indy has talent on the bench, but it would be nice to see an injury report that didn't have at least three starter-level players on it. 

The teams weren't want for offense early in this game as both had opportunities within the first five minutes. Indy put a shot on target within the first two minutes and a long-range shot from Romario Williams that found the field suites on the east side of the field after a deflection from a New Mexico player. Indy would have liked nothing more than a quick goal to give the visitors something to think about after their flight from the Land of Enchantment. 

However loose you thought Ricardo Fierro's whistle was last game against Rhode Island, Adam Kilpatrick's while was 180-degrees. Both teams had legitimate complaints for calls, many of them not called. To be fair, he did seem consistent with his lack of calls, but it has to be nearly impossible as a player to know game-to-game how it's going to be called. Those lack of calls boiled over to a rash of yellow cards in the 27th minute when emotions boiled over and a bunch of pushing and shoving finally forced Kilpatrick's hand to do something to bring the tenor back in check.

Indy may be struggling to get the full roster fully healthy, but the injuries have led to the emergence of Academy product Neidlinger, who is looking calmer and calmer as the minutes continue to increase for him. The calmness and continued faith in him from McAuley was rewarded today with a goal in the 28th minute to get the scoring started. With the goal, Neidlinger became the youngest goal scorer in club history. Conversely in the experience category, Romario Williams missed a couple of sitters from within a yard of the goal line. Despite a few chances that should have been scored, the youngster's goal still took the home team into the locker room with a 1-nil lead against the Western Conference leaders. 

Eighteen crosses in the first half, 8 shots (3 on target), 22% long passes, and it looks like Indy is getting back to the way they played during the undefeated streak. Press the other team's offense, and when possession is pulled back, go forward as quickly as possible and put chances into the box to give the team a chance to score. 

I wouldn't call either guy a heavyweight, but Bruce vs Chapman-Page is the kind of matchup that tests a referee's conviction on how they are going to call a game. Neither player are going to back down and both are extremely physical with their play. Nearly every time the ball went in their direction, the referee likely had an opportunity to call a foul on one of them. To get New Mexico on the board, Bruce finally found some space away from Chapman-Page, and was able to get the ball to Swartz who sent a rocket past Sulte. Eleven minutes later, the United doubled their score, and eleven minutes after that, New Mexico found a third. Just like that, Indy's missed chances in the first half had come back to haunt them to hand them a loss. 

Indy's up-and-down run-of-form has been buoyed by the 8-game undefeated streak that preceded it, but a quick look at the table shows that the teams below Indy aren't going away. Indy remained at 4th in the table, the key spot to have a home playoff game, but Birmingham, Rhode Island, and others are nipping at their heels. Unless Indy can find some wins in the coming games, their precarious perch at the top of the table is going to come tumbling down. While Indy now have nearly two weeks off before their next game to potentially get a few bodies healthy, unfortunately, their next game is in Las Vegas, who are currently on an 11-game undefeated streak, getting 5 wins in the run. So it's not like Indy has a cupcake game coming up to get them back to winning ways. Indy also are looking at a 5-game stretch of home and away before finally getting a couple matches in a row at home. 

In and of itself, there's nothing terrible about losing to the best team in the Western Conference. However, when you had chances in the first half to put the opponent away but couldn't do it, and then continue to concede multiple goals in a game, the confidence that the undefeated streak created may be starting to wane. 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

The Academy product, Neidlinger, picked up his first professional goal and is looking better and better with each game. It looks like he is now one of McAuley's favored players and given McAuley's history with Academy teams around the world, it's probably no surprise that he has been given those kinds of players minutes. His professional goal is much cooler, but I'm going to give him his second GBGB award of the season. 

Photos - Don Thompson Photography

Cancer survivor, honorary captain, and goal scorer Bagner!

Indy Eleven vs Rhode Island FC - 11.22

Summary

- Opponent: Rhode Island FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium
- Attendance: 8,091
- Final Score: 1-0 W

- Starting XI: Sulte, Ofeimu, Chapman-Page, Diz Pe, Lindley, Stanley, Neidlinger, Quinn (C), Martinez, Williams, A., Guenzatti

- Substitution: Wootton 15' (Lindley - injury); Williams, R. 66' (Martinez - injury); Blake 86' (Guenzatti); Gibson 90'+4' (Williams, A.)

- Unused: Oettl, Mines, O'Brien, J.

- Scoring Summary:
IND - Guenzatti 34' (assist Wootton)

- Bookings:

IND - Martinez 37' (Yellow)
RI - Stoneman 44' (Yellow)

IND - Guenzatti 50' (Yellow)
IND - Diz Pe 90'+5' (Yellow)

- Referee: Ricardo Fierro

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Let's start with the good news. Quinn was back in the starting lineup for the first time in nearly 11 months and Blake was available off the bench. That still leaves King and Collier officially on the Injury Report (no word on Musa), but getting Quinn and Blake back are positive steps in the right direction. Collier was warming up before the game so he might be back soon too. 

Onto the bad news. In the 15th minute, Lindley went out with his own injury. Midway through the second half, Martinez went out with an injury after pressing the Rhode Island keeper. So 2 steps forward, maybe 2 steps back when it comes to the injury front for Indy. Additionally, Indy came into this game after a 5-nil thumping from Charleston, marking the second time this season that they have conceded 5 goals. Indy hadn't won a league game since San Antonio in mid-June. Thank goodness for a Cup run. Rhode Island, on the other hand, came into the game on an 8-game undefeated streak including a 3-3 draw against Indy and a 5-2 drubbing of league leaders Louisville...IN Louisville. To say that the teams came in trending differently is understating it.

Indy came out of the gates swinging, getting their first corner kick within the first 45 seconds thanks to Rhode Island clearance header. Indy pressed hard and high up the field forcing all the early action into the Indy offensive third of the field. However, around the 7-minute mark, a counterattack from Rhode Island forced Diz Pe into a foul that gave the visitors a free kick attempt from just outside the 18-yard box. The wall did its job, but Rhode Island's ability to get goal scoring opportunities was in full display. Rhode Island had a stretch in this undefeated run where they scored at least 3 goals in 5 consecutive games. 

Half - Shots and Crosses

I've talked recently about Indy getting away from what created the Indy undefeated streak earlier this year. The early part of this game was a return to those streaking days. Within the first 25 minutes, Indy had 15 crosses. That is completely in line with the McAuley "you don't score goals if you don't create chances" mentality. Indy turned their high press into turnovers, and immediately tried to turn those into crosses, shots, or goals. Indy was struggling to get those crosses on target, but it felt like some good shots were coming. 

In the 34th minute, those opportunities finally came to fruition from a quick throw-in deep in Rhode Island's half to Wootton, who immediately put the ball into the box. The ball found Guenzatti, who promptly side volleyed the ball out of the air, beyond Rhode Island goalkeeper Lee, and into the goal to start the scoring. This was Guenzatti's first goal in ten games and the team's first in four games. The goal finally got Indy off the snide, but the game became very disjointed after the goal with two yellow cards and several fouls. The teams went into the halftime locker even in yellow cards, but Indy up on the scoreboard thanks to Guenzatti's strike. 

The fouls and the effort from Indy continued into the early part of the second half, as the game continued to be played in Rhode Island's half of the field. After the first 15 minutes of the second half, Rhode Island began to tilt the field slightly in their favor, but the fouls began to take the toll on the continuity of the game. The final totals had Indy with 24 fouls to Rhode Island's 13. You can say I'm not being impartial, but there is no way that Indy were that much more physical than Rhode Island, but the whistle seemed to go one way more than the other. Indy had at least one, but probably two, legit arguments for penalty kicks that weren't given late in the game. 

The second half was disjointed due to the injuries (Diz Pe and Nodarse came together just before the 80th minute that sent Nodarse to the bench under apparent concussion protocol, but took several minutes for the trainers to access both players), as well as the constant whistle from the referee. In a game that felt like one of those proverbial "six-point games" as the Eastern Conference has started to take on the look that generally begins to show itself around this time of year; a few clear cut leaders, a few (or in this case this year, one) clear cut not going to make the playoff teams, and a crowded middle. Before tonight's result, 4th place to 10th place was separated by just 6 points. While Indy needed the win for the confidence boost, to stay firmly in 4th place, and to keep the leaders within arms reach, it was also important to try and put some distance between the teams below them in the table. 

Coach McAuley was pleased with the effort and the result, but wasn't overly thrilled with the number of wasted chances and/or poor finishes from the players. A little bit more clinical finishes and Indy could have walked away with this game without having to fight until the 90'+8' to secure the clean sheet. 

Indy return to action on Sunday against New Mexico United who are coming off two home losses to Las Vegas Lights and Louisville City. New Mexico are going to want to rectify that trend so that they can keep their position at the top of the Western Conference. 

 

The Game Beckons Game Ball

There were some good games by several guys, much different than how the Charleston game finished. Quinn looked really good in his first start and full-game minutes since his injury last season. Neidlinger continues to look like he is getting more and more comfortable at this level. He still had some moments where you can tell he misjudged the speed of the game, but overall, he doesn't look flustered very often. 

However, Guenzatti gets tonight's GBGB for his goal tonight, which by itself in a vacuum was spectacular, but I also want to reward Seba for his season-long effort. With the adjustments that have been required in the roster due to injuries, Guenzatti has dropped back further into the midfield than where a goal scorer like he is would prefer to be, but you can't fault his effort, leadership, and ability to move the ball between the lines. So yeah, he scored the game winner, but it's just the cherry on the top of his play for the entirety of the season.

Photos - Don Thompson Photography