Indy Eleven vs Hartford Athletic - 11.26

Summary

- Opponent: Hartford Athletic
- Location: Trinity Health Stadium
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 0-0 D

- Starting XI: Sulte, White, Ofeimu, Diz Pe, Mines, Soumaoro, Blake, Quinn (C), Stanley, Williams, R., Foster

- Substitution: Collier 67' (Blake); Lindley 67' (Quinn); Guenzatti 83' (Williams, R.)

- Unused: Oettl, Musa, O'Brien, J., Wootton

- Scoring Summary:
NOPE

- Bookings:

IND - Blake 59' (Yellow)
IND - White 72' (Yellow)

- Referee: Thomas Snyder

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Regardless of how this season finishes, the one thing that won't be said was that Coach McAuley was afraid to try different lineups. Recent additions to the team Foster, White, and Soumaoro all found themselves in the starting lineup while stalwarts Lindley and Guenzatti started on the bench. When one of the frequent recent contributors in Neidlinger didn't even make the trip (though to be fair he could be with UIndy), it's clear that a good portion of the team Indy put on the field tonight weren't even on the roster when they made their run earlier in the season. A player early in the season, who will remain nameless, told me that because of the system that McAuley was trying to implement, in some ways there is an aspect of plug-and-play with players, and the system shouldn't be affected. However, the number of guys that have come and gone for this year's roster now puts it as the second highest number of players in a season. At some point, a plug-and-play system still needs some consistency.

With a nil-nil draw, Indy and Hartford had a fair result based on the way the game was played, but a result that I think only Hartford should be happy with given their injury situation. Indy, if we're honest, should do better, even on the road. 

Is Indy a playoff team? Maybe. Thanks, mostly, to an undefeated run that banked a ton of points. Will the team host a playoff game? Based on the recent form and on tonight's result, probably not. In the Eastern Conference, there are four teams that have negative goal differentials. Indy at -4 is the best of those teams. Miami is, well, the train wreck that is Miami this year with a -38 GD and already eliminated from the playoffs with 7 games remaining. The second worst was Hartford with a -17 GD. Hartford came in with injuries and a shuffled lineup, that was exacerbated by a 27th minute Ngalina injury that forced him out of the game early. With all that in mind, Indy managed just 2 shots on target, both in the first half, one from distance from Blake that went straight to Ribeiro and a Foster shot that Ribeiro stopped that likely would have been a goal by Romario Williams if Foster had just passed the ball across the frame. Indy only had 2 shots in the second half ,that didn't happen until the 87th and 89th minutes, neither of which were on frame! Coach McAuley has preached all season that you don't score goals if you don't shoot. Against a bunkered Pittsburgh team that was down a man is one thing. Pittsburgh is a good defensive team that limits the space available to shoot. Against a depleted Hartford team that frequently concedes goals is quite another, more concerning, issue.

"But [fill in player name] gives it right back" was a frequent refrain from the telecast crew as it related to both teams. This was just a sloppy game from both teams and a draw was a fair result. It's also the kind of result that isn't going to really help either team. It's slightly better for Indy than it was for Hartford, but the bunched Eastern Conference is going to necessitate victories, and victories soon. Indy's opponents in the month of September are not the world-beaters in the league. Indy have to find better performances and results than they did tonight, or that playoff position is going to find itself in the same position as Eleven Park; sitting idle while others in the league keep moving forward.

Indy return to The Mike next weekend to play El Paso, the only other team in the league that has struggled nearly as much as Miami. Indy is at the point in the season when draws aren't going to get it done. Indy have 1 win in their last 11 league games, and have been held scoreless 5 times in that stretch. McAuley routinely said that the team would put itself in position to score goals. That happened early, but the well has seemingly run dry despite having some of the league's perennial scorers. Stop me, Indy fans, if you've heard that story before.

A draw on the road isn't the worst of things, but things need to get better (and of the three point variety) soon.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Uhhhh. There is literally not a single player on the field tonight that stood out for me as having a good game. No. There really wasn't. I normally reserve a non-awarded GBGB for the really bad losses, but as the telecast announcers kept repeating, "good luck finding the highlights" for this game. If they (and I) can't find any highlights, I don't think I'm going to work hard to find a GBGB winner.