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
No comments:
Post a Comment