Indy Eleven vs Detroit City FC - 11.32

Summary

- Opponent: Detroit City FC
- Location: Keyworth Stadium
- Attendance: -
- Final Score: 0-0 D

- Starting XI: Sulte, Stanley, O'Brien, J., Ofeimu, Musa, Neidlinger, Quinn (C), Soumaoro, Foster, Martinez, Williams, A.

- Substitution: Blake 71' (Williams, A.); Lindley 79' (Foster); Wootton 87' (Soumaoro); Collier 87' (Martinez)

- Unused: Oettl, Chapman-Page, Mines

Scoring Summary:
NONE

- Bookings:

DET - Murphy 39' (Yellow)
IND - Soumaoro 57' (Yellow)
DET - Diop 69' (Yellow)
IND - Musa 69' (Yellow)
DET - Rodriguez 78'  (Yellow)

- Referee: Gerald Flores

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

In what was the 4th meeting between Indy and Detroit City in the 2024 season, both teams had a lot on the line. With any result other than a loss, Detroit would have clinched a playoff spot. With a win, Indy would clinch a playoff spot. Despite the two teams sitting third and fourth in the table, with the rest of the table breathing down their necks, getting three points was vital to maintain a goal of hosting a playoff game. With the 0-0 draw, Detroit clinched their spot in the playoffs, whereas Indy will have to wait for other results tonight or next week to officially clinch their own place in the postseason. The draw keeps the teams behind them still breathing down their necks.

There aren't many seasons where two teams play each other four times before the playoff starts (not counting the old NASL days or the 2020/2021 seasons), but this afternoon's meeting between Indy and Detroit was the fourth when you count the preseason game held at Grand Park. If you count that result, Indy held a 2W-IL record coming into the game with a +4 goal differential. However, the difference between that preseason lineup for Indy and this game's lineup is stark. Indy had just 3 players start the preseason game also start this game (Stanley, Martinez, and Williams, A.), one player is no longer with the team (Boudadi), and four players today weren't even on the roster then (Ofeimu, Musa, Soumaoro, and Foster). To say this was a different squad facing Detroit than what faced them in late February is an understatement. 

Detroit held a 67% to 33% possession advantage in the first half, which felt much like the game against Kansas City in the U.S. Open Cup for Indy. Afterwards, McAuley described his tactical decisions during that game as feeling confident that the substitutions he could make in the second half gave him confidence that he didn't need the team to consistently press in the first half. He also felt in that game that as long as Indy kept it close, Indy would have a chance. Given the fact that this was the third game in eight days, Indy clearly came in with the intent to defend and then counter, and then see what could happen late.

What happened late was much of the same as what was seen through the entire game. Indy content to defend, forcing Detroit to take long-range shots, none of which ever really threatened Sulte outside of a two-shot sequence in the first half that could put the young goalkeeper up for Save of the Week again. Indy had a late free-kick opportunity that Blake put just a couple yards wide of the goal after getting the ball up and over the wall, but the scoreless draw remained intact. If you were looking for two teams in nearly a lock playoff positions to go toe-to-toe in an offensive display, this wasn't the game for you. If you like a display in grinding out a road result in the third game in 8 days, then you would have loved this game. As someone who would have liked to see a bit more out of Indy to try harder to get the three points, the game felt like a bit of a disappointment. 

Indy return to Carroll Stadium next Saturday for the final home game of the season against Birmingham. Whether they have solidified their position in the playoffs before the game might dictate how the game is played. Though, Indy really need positive results, and probably wins, to be able to lock in a home playoff game, so I fully expect Indy to be more proactive offensively than they were tonight.  

The Game Beckons Game Ball

For his fully extended parry save in the first half that kept this game even (but also probably prevented this game from opening up more - an Indy team chasing a result would have likely made this game go end to end), tonight's GBGB goes to Hunter Sulte. With the clean sheet, Sulte moves into a tie in team history with Evan Newton with 12 clean sheets across all competitions. Only Jon Busch sits in front of him now, but is out of reach for this season. If Portland renews the loan next season, Busch's club record may be in peril.

Indy Eleven vs Loudoun United - 11.31

Summary

- Opponent: Loudoun United FC
- Location: Segra Field
- Attendance: 1,787
- Final Score: 1-0 W

- Starting XI: Sulte, Stanley, Diz Pe, Ofeimu, O'Brien, J., Mines, Wootton, Lindley (C), Foster, Martinez, Williams, A.

- Substitution: Blake 63' (Foster); Collier 63' (Martinez); Musa 72' (O'Brien, J.); Neidlinger 88' (Williams, A.); Soumaoro 88' (Wootton)

- Unused: Oettl, Quinn

Scoring Summary:
IND - Musa 83' (assist Ofeimu)

- Bookings:

LDN - Johnston 16' (Yellow)
LDN - Martin (manager) 36' (Yellow)

LDN - Fauroux 53' (Yellow)
IND - Martinez 53' (Yellow)
LDN - Leerman 58' (Yellow)
LDN - Tingey 63' (Yellow)
IND - Mines 67' (Yellow)
IND - Diz Pe 85' (RED)

- Referee: Abdou Ndiaye

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

After conceding a late stoppage time equalizer on Saturday against Louisville City, Indy headed out on the road to Virginia to face Loudoun United, and in the process, eliminate the "game-in-hand" that they had on nearly every other team. It was also the second of three games in eight days, but the only game of the three against a team behind them on the table for one of the proverbial six-point games. A win would push Indy to 4th in the table by leapfrogging Rhode Island (who Indy hold the tiebreaker against) and Tampa Bay (who has a game-in-hand due to their game against Hartford being postponed due to Hurricane Helene). A draw or a loss would keep Indy in 6th place. As has been repeatedly stated in the last few weeks, the crowded middle of the Eastern Conference table means that every point is important.

First Half Heat Map (Indy going right to left)

With the quick turnaround in games, Indy made 6 changes to their starting lineup. I'm not sure why Lindley has fallen out of favor in the starting lineup in recent weeks (and didn't appear at all against Louisville), but it says something about Indy's roster when you can bring on a two-time top-of-the-league player like Lindley when games are this close together. The influx of different players into the starting lineup didn't seem to bother Indy's attack. Looking at the halftime stats, one might think that Loudoun had the better half. They held the possession advantage and the shots on target advantage. However, my eyeball test skewed everything to Indy's favor in the first half. They had the more effective possession in dangerous locations and more dangerous shots on target. Indy had one shot bounce off the post, a free kick that nearly snuck in before being parried away by Fauroux, and repeated opportunities from corner kicks. Regardless though, the teams went into the locker room with a nil-nil stalemate. The game had the feel that if Indy could put away their first goal, more would follow, but could just as likely have Loudoun score first forcing Indy to chase.

Neither of those things happened. 

What did happen though was that the two teams picked up yellow cards like they were prizes from Oprah. "You get a card. You get a card. You get a card." A total of 6 cards were shown in the second half, including Diz Pe picking up his second red card of the season, one game removed from having to sit from his first red card suspension. It was a terrible decision and was an obvious correct call. Diz Pe has been so good this season at minimizing his terrible mistakes, but Diz now holds the dubious distinction of being the club's leader in red cards.

Post-Goal Heat Map

Fortunately for Indy, that red card happened just minutes after one of Indy's numerous corner kicks finally saw the ball cross over the goal line. Ofeimu recycled Fauroux's poor punched clearance and Musa reacted first to send a gentle looping ball over the Loudoun keeper and defenders to break the deadlock. Indy's lead and Loudoun's man-advantage meant that the final 7-minutes of regulation and6-minutes of stoppage time predominantly took place in Indy's defensive half, but Loudoun couldn't find a shot on target in the waning minutes. Indy held on with good team defending to run the week's points to 4 out a possible 6. 

What also happened was Indy's chances of climbing the table into a playoff hosting position took a massive step forward. The win at Loudoun means that a win in Detroit on Saturday would continue to see Indy leapfrog teams into a first round playoff hosting position. While it keeps getting reiterated, every point is important right now, and the two points lost this past weekend against Louisville would have put Indy tied with Detroit on points. Given the red card late, Indy will take the three points and get back on the bus back to Indy and a current home playoff game within the realm of possibility.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Augi continues to impress right now. Wootton and Lindley looked great in the midfield. But a late-game substitution defender comes on due to an injury and finds the game-winning goal in his 200th league appearance? Yeah, I have to reward Musa with tonight's GBGB. Well done.

Indy Eleven vs Louisville City - 11.30

Summary

- Opponent: Louisville City FC
- Location: Carroll Stadium 
- Attendance: 10,780
- Final Score: 2-2 D

- Starting XI: Sulte, Neidlinger, Ofeimu, Musa, Stanley, Martinez, Soumaoro, Quinn (C), Blake, Foster, Williams, A.

- Substitution: Collier 75' (Martinez); Williams, R. 75' (Foster); Wootton 81' (Blake)

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

Scoring Summary:
LOU - Dia 12' (assist Gleadle)
IND - Williams, A. 45'+3' (assist Foster)
IND - Williams, A. 68' (assist Blake)
LOU - Morris 90'+4' (assist Mares)

- Bookings:

IND - Quinn 4' (Yellow)
IND - Foster 20' (Yellow)
LOU - McFadden 29' (Yellow)
LOU - Bench 30' (Yellow)
IND - Bench (Yellow)
LOU - Serrano 44' (Yellow)
LOU - Adams 85' (Yellow)

- Referee: Alyssa Nichols

- Adage goals: None

Thoughts and Opinions

Indy came into the game trying to keep pace with the teams in the crowded middle of the Eastern Conference table. Louisville waltzed into Indy with games to spare to win the league's Player's Shield for the best record in the league and #1 seed throughout the playoffs. It could be argued that the game was more important to Indy for league standings and trying to erase the result of the two teams' game earlier this season when Indy went to Louisville and came away as 5-3 losers on national television. However, clinching the Players' Shield on their closest geographical rivals home turf had to be in the Louisville players' minds whether they would admit it publicly or not. 

The historical and recent record was working against Indy, and Indy just couldn't push Louisville enough to get a win. They tried. Indy even had a 2-1 advantage into the closing minutes of the game. A 90'+4' equalizer by Louisville meant that the points were shared and Louisville could celebrate their first ever Players' Shield on the Carroll Stadium turf in front of a dejected Indy fanbase. 

Indy had a relatively strong start to the game with a significant part of the play taking place in Louisville's defensive half of the field. However, when the clock turned over the 10-minute mark, LOU showed their class and had three great opportunities on goal. By the 12th minute, they made good on one of those chances and put themselves ahead, forcing Indy to play from behind.

It was Marvel night at The Mike and it would have taken some superheroes to get a win against LOU after going down within the first 15 minutes. Doing their best Captain America impression, Indy picked themselves up and didn't back down. Their forays into LOU's defensive half continued, but they just couldn't do anything with the ball in that area until stoppage time of the first half when Augi Williams received a pass from Foster and then proceeded to put Ordonez on skates before getting a shot low and away from Las to even the score going into the locker room. Despite Indy having an 8-2 disadvantage in shots in the half and a 3-1 shots on target disadvantage, the teams were level. Indy managed one single shot on target, but managed to go into the locker room with a clean start coming out of the locker room. 

Much like the first half, Indy managed to come out of the halftime locker room and spent large chunks of time in the LOU defensive half, with slightly more effective final touches than in the first half. LOU is so dynamic going forward though that they still their own fair share of attempts. As the game closed in on the 70-minute mark, a long pass over the top from Quinn was headed forward by Martinez. Blake ran down the ball, looking from the ball to the middle of the box to see if anybody was making a run, as he tried to get to the ball first. Blake one-timed an inch perfect cross along the 6-yard box that Augi Williams redirected past Las to give Indy a lead, giving Williams his 5th goal in two games.

Indy just couldn't hold onto the lead. After going down a goal, and faced with the situation of losing the game, LOU ratcheted up the pressure, desperate to get at least the equalizer. Final game stats indicate LOU had a 3.21 xG to Indy's 0.79 xG. LOU finished the game with 32 shots (a season high for them), 8 on target, and 47 crosses. With a team like Louisville, you can only withstand that kind of barrage for so long. Indy tried. They blocked 16 of Louisville's shots and had 44 clearances. Yet, all of that effort was negated when Soumaoro missed a clearance header that former Indy player Dylan Mares redirected with his own header back towards the middle of the box. Jake Morris put a shot through traffic past Sulte, and despite the good performance from Indy, the points were shared in the dying minutes of the game. Indy defended about as well as they possibly could for 22'+4' after their goal, but eventually the barrage of shots and crosses and chances had to break in Louisville's way and they were able to get just enough out of the game to secure the Players' Shield. 

Indy's injury list continues to grow and Diz Pe's red card last game certainly wasn't helping their cause in this game requiring continued squad rotation on the backline, but there is enough talent on this Indy team to at least compete with Louisville occasionally. This "rivalry" is about as one-sided as it gets, but tonight was one of those nights where Indy showed they can compete with the best team in the league. Some Indy fans aren't going to like that I said that, but that's a statement of fact. Louisville is the best team in the league, and despite a couple of hiccups along the way this season, have continued to show that they are they top team game after game. With the 2-2 draw, Indy were on the wrong side of this year's LIPAFC and The Barrell stayed firmly entrenched south of the Ohio River. 

The physicality of the game was evident early and never slowed down throughout the first half, but did seem to settle a bit in the second half. Between the two teams, six players or coaches saw a yellow card shown their way before halftime, but only one card was handed out in the second half. To me, the most egregious offense in the first half was when Totsch put a ball solidly, and purposefully, into the Indy bench from about two yards away and somehow didn't get a yellow card. The Indy bench jumped up out of their seats in protest and players on the field all came nose-to-nose, but ultimately nobody was booked for any of the activity. For some of the cards that referee Alyssa Thompson passed out, that offense deserved a card more than some of the other ones she dealt out.

Indy have little time to wallow in the result as they head to Loudoun on Tuesday. After Loudoun's 2-nil defeat of Hartford tonight, Loudoun sit just 3 points behind Indy. Depending on how the Birmingham v North Carolina match concludes on Sunday evening, Indy could find themselves having slide from a 5th place in the table to 7th place thanks to Rhode Island's defeat of Tampa Bay tonight. The good news for Indy is they still basically hold their playoff lives in their own hands, with the final four games against Loudoun, at Detroit, at home versus Birmingham, and on the road to finish the year at Tampa Bay. Indy absolutely have to get some wins out of those games, and the other results will ultimately determine their position, but the two points lost tonight in stoppage time somewhat loosened their grip on a playoff spot. Three full points tonight would have been massive.

The Game Beckons Game Ball

Just like last game, this game's GBGB is easy. Augi's first goal tied him for 5th all-time in the league in scoring with teammate Guenzatti, but his second goal gave him that position out-right. Five goals in two games is a really good run, and Indy are going to continue to need his goal scoring touch right now as they traverse the final four games of the season. 

A goal scorers mentality can be a fragile thing, but seeing the ball go into the goal often flips that mentality and they suddenly expect to score every shot they shoot. Augi accounted for 2 of Indy's 3 shots on target. Two shots on target, two goals. Against Miami last week, Williams was responsible for half of Indy's shots on target, and 10 of Indy's 24 shots. 

Photos - Don Thompson Photography