Photo credit: Kevin Johnston/Soc Takes

INDIANAPOLIS — The stakes were elevated between Futsal Indy and Grand Rapids ABK, two squads knotted up atop the National Futsal Premier League (NFPL) table with four points apiece, entering Saturday’s contest at Park Tudor High School. And with raised stakes generally comes raised intensity.

Futsal Indy defended its home court with a gritty 6-2 victory over ABK to snag an important three points and sole possession of first place. After earning a draw and a loss in the first two weeks of the season, Futsal Indy (2-1-1) appears to be gelling now with back-to-back wins, one of which avenged the team’s lone loss to FC Tryzub.

“They are definitely getting better,” said club founder and president Rana Hoffbauer. “We had a team meeting (after the loss) and everybody talked, because I think we weren’t initially on the same page because there were so many different backgrounds coming in together. And once the guys all got together and kind of hashed things out, they started playing really well as a team.”

Grand Rapids ABK built an early 1-0 edge to give Indy a brief moment of pause. But from there, it was all Futsal Indy. The hosts netted six unanswered goals to put the match well out of reach. A late ABK strike stopped the hemorrhaging and saved some face, but did little else.

Marcelo De Matos was a workhorse for Futsal Indy. The Brazilian exhibited calmness and confidence on the ball, and explosiveness in tight spaces when he needed to. De Matos tore up the Mayor’s International Futsal Cup this past summer in leading his native country to the title. NFPL sides will quickly get acquainted with his name — if they aren’t already. He finished with a goal and an assist Saturday.

“I played for three years professionally,” De Matos explained. “Unfortunately in Brazil, the salaries are not very good so you have to have like a private sponsor. It was a different time. So, I had to do another thing at that time (to make a living), but the experience was very good.”

Photo credit: Kevin Johnston/Soc Takes

Junyor Zanelatto also turned in a performance worthy of man of the match consideration for the hosts. After assisting on a goal in the first, he notched a brace in the second stanza on two impressive individual efforts, one of which was a blistering free kick near mid court.

“Junyor, he brings energy,” Hoffbauer added. “He’s actually the one that brought all these players together. He is our player-coach. Jana (Novaes-Miknus) is our assistant coach. She manages the bench and he runs all of our trainings, and he gets everybody pumped up. And he teaches them how to play.”

Danilo Carnelos also delivered an impactful shift off the bench for Futsal Indy, making big plays on both ends of the court. He scored once and blocked several ABK shot attempts from testing goalkeeper Enrique Orozco.

Futsal Indy gets next weekend off before welcoming the Ann Arbor Mudpuppies to town Feb. 9. Grand Rapids ABK, meanwhile, will look to climb back up the NFPL table when it hosts the Mudpuppies on Feb. 2.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Image credit: UPSL

INDIANAPOLIS — We left off at the end of 2018 wrapping up the first full year of the Old Bhoys. January has not been slow at HQ, and as the second half of the month comes into focus things are starting to crystallize. With the first player evaluations completed, the club has secured a venue for an invite-only session in February. This, along with our ongoing conversations with local collegiate coaches will help round out our roster as we pursue the second season of the UPSL in the Midwest. Summary offers have been made, and roster build out is underway. The goal at HQ is to have outlined everyone the club wants to have in place agreed to terms by early March. And by terms, these are player agreements that allow every player at our club to retain their amateur status. In providing a platform for local players — including current collegiate athletes — maintaining compliance with the NCAA and NAIA is a must. As we confirm player signings, stay tuned to Twitter and our website (as well as Soc Takes’). I’m excited to bring this club a positive result in 2019, as well as our first club victory in league play.

Speaking of league play, the Old Bhoys have confirmed their commitment to compete in the UPSL for 2019 spring season. Dues have been paid, and planning (i.e. scheduling) is ongoing.  As part of the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago, the UPSL held their Midwest Conference summit. Old Bhoys Soccer Club was represented by its head coach, who in addition to almost 25 other clubs (!), listened to league sponsorship updates and general league happenings before getting down to Midwest Conference-specific concerns. For 2019, the teams in the Midwest will compete in a single-tier format, with intra-conference promotion and relegation to be implemented for the 2020 spring season. Divisions also took shape within the conference, and it’s a new cast of characters for the Old Bhoys’ opponents this year.

In 2019, the Old Bhoys’ UPSL slate will include the following squads, starting with the returning UPSL clubs:

• RWB Adria – Founded in 1959, Adria is a former national amateur champion and finished 2018 as the Central Division champion with 22 points in 10 matches.
• Joliet United – Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, Joliet United returns to the UPSL after their inaugural season in 2018. Finishing a rough first season in the Central Division, Joliet is looking to build long term and will pose a steady and able competitor for your Old Bhoys.
• St. Louis Maritsa – Missouri’s only UPSL side has proven their mettle, with an ongoing run to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup continuing in April traveling to Texas for their fourth-round qualifying match. Finishing second — with some controversy — in the former West Division, Maritsa is legit and will challenge for the Midwest Conference playoff spot from our division.
• FC Diablos (Illinois) – A new club to the UPSL for 2019, the FC Diablos will compete in the South Division. Based in Bloomington-Normal, Ill., this should create a potential I-74 derby with your Bhoys from the Circle City.
• Springfield FC – The second new club for the UPSL’s spring season, Springfield FC hails from their club namesake town in Illinois. Formed in 2011, this will be Springfield FC’s first season in this competition.

What a difference a year makes. The longest away match will be St. Louis, with every other club within 3.5 hours.

Scheduling is underway among clubs and should be finalized by the first bit of February. Season ticket pricing will be announced soon, as well as single-game pricing. Our aim is to build a special atmosphere at our home venue. While we haven’t come to terms with any specific venue, this is an ongoing process. Regardless of where we call home for 2019, we (the club) want to connect with any and every supporter possible. Again, this club is a reflection of the community and is built by its soccer infrastructure. From local colleges, youth clubs or local men’s leagues, the Old Bhoys continued aim is to create a platform for local players and supporters to connect. Can’t wait to do that with everyone this season!

In addition to the work that goes into the on-the-pitch product, Old Bhoys HQ is continuing to work on its sponsorship base and is looking for ways to actively engage with local organizations to help grow community through sport. As mentioned in my last post on this page, the primary — and most immediate — need currently is to secure primary and secondary sponsors to fully incorporate on our kit and to support the operational forecast for the club. It continues to be the least glamorous part of lower-league soccer, but it’s extremely crucial and is more directly tied to the ability of the club to function as we aim to strengthen the local businesses and organizations that support Indianapolis and Indiana. If you want your company logo on our gear, or believe in what we’re trying to accomplish at Old Bhoys, drop us a line. We’d love to be able to give back in a relevant and meaningful way that raises interest in your organization as it does ours. The benefit of working at this level is that we can frankly customize any approach. If you have an idea for getting your organization’s name out in the community, let’s talk! I bet we can collaboratively find a way.

Like what you’re reading? Let the good folks at Soc Takes know, or drop me a line: [email protected]. Look forward to hearing from you! As always, COYOB!

Follow Andy on Twitter: @Andy_H_1980.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

CINCINNATI — Just a few days after Sporting KC suffered a 5-0 trouncing in Concacaf Champions League play at Monterrey, Peter Vermes’ side was tasked with heading to Nippert Stadium to take on expansion FC Cincinnati.

An early Darren Mattocks penalty conversion by the hosts was canceled out by a strike from SKC youngster Gianluca Busio on the other side of the interval, and the teams settled for a 1-1 draw.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Follow Jamie on Twitter: @JamieSmed.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

INDIANAPOLIS — It had been three years since the Indy Eleven exited the U.S. Open Cup with a tournament win in tow. After embarrassing road losses to amateur teams the past two years — the Michigan Bucks in 2017 and Mississippi Brilla in 2018 — Indy finally got off the USOC schneid Wednesday night at the Sellick Bowl on the campus of Butler University.

It took playing three-fourths of the match down a man against the Lansing Ignite of USL League One to do it, but Indy overcame adversity to sneak away with a 1-0 result and advance to the next round of the 2019 Open Cup.

The Eleven didn’t roll out their best XI for the occasion, but surprisingly did start quite a few regulars, including No. 1 goalkeeper Evan Newton. Indy head coach Martin Rennie shed some light on his thought process in selecting the lineup with a league match looming Saturday.

“Really I think it was just a mark of respect for Lansing because I’ve watched a lot of their games and I saw them play in preseason and I know their coach well,” Rennie said. “And I think they’re a really good team. I think that they pass the ball very well, they’ve got a lot of energy and they’re dangerous. So, we didn’t want to come unstuck and we felt like if we didn’t have a strong team that it would be difficult.”

Newton had been on fire recently, racking up clean sheets and league accolades like clockwork; however, ’twas not Newton’s grandest night in between the posts Wednesday evening.

Less than 20 minutes into the match, Lansing forward Elma Nfor got in on goal alone with only Newton to beat. The Indy backstop came recklessly flying out of his box in desperation and viciously collided with Nfor about 20 yards out. Unfortunately, it resulted in a nasty head, neck or spine injury to Nfor, who received treatment for several minutes before finally being stabilized and carted off.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

That’s about when things got weird.

The incident appeared to warrant a red card, but center referee Adam Behrens initially issued Newton a yellow. As play waited to restart while Nfor was medically tended to on the pitch, Behrens conferred with his linesmen and evidently had a change of heart.

Five minutes after flashing a yellow at Newton, Behrens waltzed back over to Newton, this time reaching into his back pocket. A second yellow wasn’t issued; rather, the amarilla was switched to a roja and Newton was sent off.

Indy backup ‘keeper Jordan Farr was called upon, and thus received the first minutes of his professional career in a meaningful match.

“When it happened, I was like, ‘OK, I’m just going to start putting shin guards on, who knows? I feel ready to go, let’s see what happens,’” Farr explained. “I put my shin guards on and gloves, and then the fourth official came over to our coach and said it’s going to be a red card. And so it gave me like plenty of time to actually prepare and get ready, which is not common I think when this happens, but it’s just wild that it happens six games into the season.”

Up a man, the Ignite didn’t immediately dominate the run of play. In fact, for the remainder of the half, the two sides played on about level terms. It continued that way until the 57th minute, when a lightning-quick sequence put Indy on the board first.

A gorgeous long ball from deep-lying Tyler Gibson found the head of Paddy Barrett near the edge of the 18, who wisely directed a header toward the six-yard box. Thomas Enevoldsen elevated and hammered the ball home off his noggin for the match’s first goal past Ignite goalkeeper Kyle Ihn. Smoke was cued.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

Perhaps a 3-nil preseason result in favor of Indy when the clubs met earlier this year dissuaded the visitors from pushing numbers forward, but whatever the case, the Ignite simply didn’t threaten enough in the final third given their man advantage. An organized Indy midfield and back line, anchored by Farr behind them, held firmly until the final whistle to secure Indy’s advancement.

As for Nfor’s health, the Lansing Ignite issued a statement Thursday confirming that he’d undergone all the necessary tests and been released from the hospital — most excellent news.

Newton, of course, will be unavailable for Indy’s next Open Cup fixture unless his red card somehow gets rescinded, opening the door for Farr to draw his first start.

“At the moment, in that Open Cup game I plan to play Jordan and that’s about all I really know,” Rennie said. “Because I would imagine Evan will be suspended for that.”

The Eleven will host the Charleston Battery at 7 p.m. Saturday back at Lucas Oil Stadium in the USL Championship regular season. Details on their next Open Cup contest are to be determined.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Photo credit: Kyle Eliason/Soc Takes

The following is a story by guest contributor Kyle Eliason:

MINNEAPOLIS — This past weekend, 90-plus owners of National Premier Soccer League clubs gathered at the W Hotel in downtown Minneapolis for the league’s Annual Owners Meeting. A member-owned and operated organization, those assembled discussed the NPSL’s plans for live-streaming its games, the process of vetting and approving expansion teams, setting minimum standards for facilities, updating the league’s bylaws, electing league officials and reviewing official disciplinary policy.

The proceedings were closed to the press and public, but Tulsa Athletic owner and NPSL board member Sonny Dalesandro and NPSL director of membership development Dina Case sat down with Soc Takes that Saturday to discuss the weekend and its goals, as well as the NPSL as a whole.

“We’ve tried to make it as valuable as possible for the members that are here. Really focusing on improvements and how to grow the game,” Dalesandro said. “That’s the biggest objective for everyone here — grow the game in America and provide opportunities for players and our coaches and our staff.”

Dalesando, a restaurateur by trade, wore his passions on the rolled-up sleeve of an untucked dress shirt, forearm tattoos visible, along with a Minneapolis City SC scarf. The latter, given Dalesandro by the host club of the weekend’s events, was removed in deference to his club’s supporters back in Tulsa before he and Case stood for a photo.

Case, who spoke to practical concerns of running a national amateur league, was dressed in business casual, wearing a black open-front cardigan.

The pair (pictured above) identified one of the league’s main focuses — and challenges — as helping different types of clubs all grow as businesses. Among its ranks are clubs with national aspirations, those with local, supporter-driven cultures, teams that serve as senior extensions of youth academies that exist first and foremost to continue player development, and even the odd outfit with an arguably higher calling.

“Buxmont Torch is a faith-driven club,” Dalesandro noted. “And Detroit City supporters will proudly hold their middle finger up. If fans want to get behind something and have that represent their tribe, beyond safety, we don’t want to have much of a hand in what a club’s personality should look like.

“It’s a mixed bag and it’s a lot of fun. I’d love to see a Buxmont-Detroit City final.”

Photo credit: Daniel Mick/NPSL.com

Asked how smoothly a large number of clubs with different philosophies worked together, Dalesandro was candid.

“When you have a meeting with 100 people, you’re going to find some differences between personalities. At the core of it we share in the belief that we have this allowance to express ourselves. We butt heads on a lot of stuff.

“I was in the South regional meeting today and it was very calm. Everyone was doing their stuff. I popped into the Midwest to ask a few questions and it was very passionate. They were going at each other. We’re all going to get it worked out. It’s just funny — literally from one room to the next — there’s a difference. Yet again, at that core, I think we all share a belief.”

Complicating matters is the competition facing the NPSL on a pair of fronts. From above, the United Soccer League, and at eye level, the United Premier Soccer League.

Starting with the latter, another national amateur league that is organized into regional conferences, the privately owned UPSL has expanded its roster of clubs at a rapid pace over the past few years. It now boasts over 300 teams, at times absorbing whole regional leagues to expand its footprint.

Asked if the NPSL felt it was now in competition with the USPL for markets, Case shared the league’s view.

“There’s always going to be potential competition in any market,” said Case. “Our philosophy on expansion is about bringing in the best business partners, and not worrying about what other leagues do.”

Case said that while she’s kept busy with the number of inquiries from clubs looking to join the NPSL, the league also actively encourages its members to recommend clubs they believe would make for strong business partners.

Dalesandro added his thoughts.

“I don’t think we want to be a league that ever says no to a good, viable candidate who loves the game and wants to bring that to their community. We want to be innovators in what we do.

“If we can bring this game to western Kansas and 500 people a game go out and they have something to do in the summer and we’re growing the game in those areas, that, to me, is incredibly important.

“Soccer’s going to be in New York. If we wanted to add another team in New York, Dena could probably do it in two phone calls. At the same time, we don’t have a team in Denver or Chicago right now. We want good groups from those places to know we’re the door to knock on.”

And while keeping a steady hand at the wheel is the NPSL’s plan with regard to the competition from other amateur leagues, a bolder course has been charted, at least in part as a response to competition from the professional ranks.

Dalesandro, elaborating, chose his words carefully and avoided mention of the city of Chattanooga, Tenn., where Chattanooga FC is drawing four- and occasionally five-figure attendances for games, and USL League One plans to place a new professional team — the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

Adding to the bad blood in the Scenic City, Roberto Martino, a real estate agent from Utah and the Red Wolves’ owner, hired Sean McDaniel away from Chattanooga FC’s front office to serve as his USL team’s general manager.

“I hope (NPSL director of media relations) Gary (Moody) doesn’t choke me, but there are some predatory habits in this country right now,” prefaced Dalesandro. “It’s really sad when you see a team that, in a way, gets punished for being successful. And I mean that in the sense of people will look at a market that’s doing well, and then another league will come in and approach people, kind of ape what they’re doing, and plop a pro team down.”

The recently announced Founders Cup — a nationwide tournament intended as a scalable trial run with an eye toward establishing a full-season national league — is one way the NPSL is responding to the challenge posed by professional leagues sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation.

The NPSL’s current summer-season format reflects the extent to which a majority of its clubs are reliant upon college players, with college programs releasing players in the spring and recalling them in the fall.

The Founders Cup, it is hoped, will help the most commercially successful and commercially ambitious clubs in the NPSL fulfill their goals from within the league.

“Having a short season, if you have a successful business model, can be problematic,” said Dalesandro. 

“For us to try and create a mechanism for those teams to have more and be more impactful in their communities is really exciting, and is something that’s necessary. I think it can really change the overall dynamic, across the board, in U.S. soccer.”

Initial reports of the NPSL’s interest in fielding a full-season league with paid players called the prospective venture “NPSL Pro.” But the NPSL is currently sanctioned by the United States Amateur Soccer Association, and is not recognized as a professional league by the United States Soccer Federation.

Dalesandro was asked if that had caused any friction between the NPSL and USSF.

“I think (the USSF) has made a couple situations unnecessarily difficult when it comes to nomenclature,” he replied in a measured tone.

Thus, the NPSL’s official line is that it is an amateur league with amateur teams, some of which pay their players. The Milwaukee Torrent and Elm City Express, as examples, both paid their players last season, with the latter winning the 2017 NPSL championship.

Photo credit: Daniel Mick/NPSL.com

Dalesandro touched on expansion and a desire to grow the game across markets of all sizes, and how the NPSL is looking to establish two tiers of competition under its umbrella. He also noted success stories in the amateur ranks that drew professional competition into markets organically approached U.S. soccer’s third rail.

“What I can say is,” he paused. “We believe in a system where the justice of where a team should be is through what the ball does, and not what the wallet does — responsibly speaking. If you’ve got a men’s league team that can’t be beaten, they can’t be playing MLS-level teams. I don’t mean to throw too much hyperbole.

“What we try to do as a league is to be conformists, when you step away. Because what the rest of the world does with this game is promote a competitive system. I think that mindset aligns with a lot of the people who are members of our league.”

Changing gears as the interview wound down, and speaking for himself, the Tulsa Athletic owner bemoaned the lack of cooperation between different organizations across the landscape of U.S. soccer. Dalesandro referred to how helpful famous soccer executive Peter Wilt had been in answering questions Dalesandro had when launching Tulsa Athletic, noting Wilt was overseeing the Indy Eleven’s inaugural season and surely had enough on his plate without taking calls from Oklahoma.

“I think that the animosity between some organizations is so unnecessary and there’s not enough dialogue,” Dalesandro added. “My phone is on. If someone from USL League Two or the UPSL wants to call me, personally, I’m happy to talk to anyone. Our country has to get away from that infighting between entities in our game. If there are shared best practices that make the game better across the board, those are the kinds of things that (the NPSL is) focused on.

“The animosity has to go away. Our country missed a fucking World Cup. And a major part of it is because people are so scared to challenge or change systems in a healthy way that it’s come at the expense of the American player, and for the World Cup, the American spectator, too. There needs to be a new way of approaching conversation between people involved with the game. And this group is a good group with that.

“If you’re a men’s league team from Maryland, a four-time (Premier Development League) champion or a pro team, whatever we can do to make the game better. Let’s go.”

Follow Kyle on Twitter: @kreliason.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday was the first home game of the season for the Indy Eleven, playing against the Hartford Athletic. Although a rainy day, it wasn’t enough to deter the record-breaking crowd that attended the match. A total of 20,251 tickets were sold for the game, the most in Indy Eleven history. The enthusiastic crowd was seated all around the stadium, a sign of the growing interest in the team.

Indy did not disappoint its fans, securing a 1-0 victory against the visiting Athletic. However, the match did reveal a lot for the team to work on.

Going into the game, there were a couple of changes in the Indy lineup. Players like Alex Grognale and Nico Matern started the game in place of a few regulars. Kenney Walker, who started the previous two games, was out due to appendix removal. Otherwise, the lineup generally stayed the same.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

In the first half, fans saw a lot of back and forth between the two teams. Dane Kelly led the attack for the Indy offense, only to be pushed back repeatedly. In another play, Neveal Hackshaw made a beautiful run up the left side in an attempt to cross it to his teammate. Other runs and passes up the middle led to some missed opportunities in front of goal. The Indy side seemed unable to finish it to the back of the net.

It wasn’t until just before the half ended that there was a change on the scoreboard. In the 40th minute, Ayoze dribbled up for a cross into the middle for a finish — not by an Indy player. The ball bounced off the chest of Hartford defender Nikolaj Lyngo and into the goal, an unlucky end to the half for the Connecticut-based team, and the second in as many games. In the last match, defender Sam de Wit scored the winning goal for Louisville City FC.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

Coming back into the game after halftime, the Athletic seemed like they had found their rhythm. They started off strong, forcefully pressing the attack into Indy territory. Indy was taken by surprise and struggled to keep up the first couple of minutes. They soon regained their footing, however, and the half fell back into the same rhythm of the first.

The second half also saw a sharp rise in physicality between the players, a sign of the growing frustration on the field. Both sides were feeling the pressure. Indy was unable to finish, and Hartford was down by one thanks to one of its own. Three yellow cards were handed out in quick succession to Ayoze, Tyler Gibson and Matern on the Indy side, much to the annoyance of Indy fans in attendance.

Subs were brought on late, including Alioune Diakhate, who made his debut in last week’s match against the Charlotte Independence. He subbed in for Kelly in the 90th minute.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

Although optimism is high for the team, there were still a few criticisms over the night’s performance.

“We definitely could have had a few more,” goalkeeper Evan Newton reflected afterward. “The first half, we had the game by the throat and we were playing well. In the second half, I think we kinda took our foot off the pedal a little bit.”

“We need to be more clinical in front of the goal,” head coach Martin Rennie said.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

Kelly too admitted his frustration with the lack of finishes after the game, but remained optimistic.

“I’m a striker, so I’m going to get chances,” he said. “I’m going to score some, I’m going to miss some. Today’s just one of the days that I just couldn’t find the net.”

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

In the end, Indy still gained three points from the match.

“I believe we’re one of the best teams in the USL,” Rennie said. “And if we’re putting our chances away, then everybody else will think that as well.

“At the end of the day, it’s a win and I’m happy with it.”

Follow Claire on Twitter: @ItsASchmidtThng.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Indy Eleven manager Martin Rennie somewhat prides himself on being cryptic about his lineups and tactics, especially during the preseason.

The first time I interviewed him and inquired about his coaching philosophy shortly after he took the job, he told me he didn’t want to give away too much before the regular season started, which was many weeks away. He’s also a stickler at times when it comes to formations. It doesn’t matter what the USLsoccer.com match center shows nor what the bird’s-eye view from the press box leads you to believe. If you try to pin him down with a question about a specific formation, he generally deflects it with something like, “No, that was just our usual, 4-4-2, 4-3-3.”

In a sense, I get it. It’s quite common for lineups to completely change from offense to defense, and even more common to tinker with everything as a match wears on. For example, Gregg Berhalter religiously played a 4-2-3-1 while at the helm of Columbus Crew SC, but when his side transitioned from offense to defense it essentially morphed into a 4-2-2-2.

#CrewSC using the 4-2-2-2 against the club that feted it for a bit under Jesse Marsch? Afful is playing very high up the pitch but otherwise it kind of looks like it, early on here at least. lol #CLBvRBNY

— Kevin Johnston (@KJboxing) November 4, 2018

Again, I get it from the coaching side of things. That said, after observing Indy’s 0-0 draw against Nashville SC with a keen eye Saturday afternoon at Arad McCutchan Stadium, I’m ready to face the “2019 Martin Rennie Challenge” head on. If Saturday truly was a regular-season dress rehearsal of sorts, which Indy’s gaffer hinted at, it was crystal clear how he intends to set up his squad.

“I think more so than other preseason games, this was more of like kind of putting our team together a little bit with an eye towards next week,” Rennie said after the match. “So, I think we certainly learned some good things and see some things we need to work on, but overall it was a performance I was happy with and I think there’s a lot more to come.”

Spoiler alert: his lineup involves an influx of central defensive midfielders. Pics or it didn’t happen, right?

The most accurate and pedantic way to label it is a 3-4-2-1. For the sake of not being a pedantic dimwit, let’s call it a 3-4-3. A 3-6-1 might also suffice, but — OK, I’ll stop, 3-4-3 it is. Here’s exactly how the Eleven took the pitch Saturday, which I have every reason to believe is precisely — or very close to — how they’ll line up this Saturday against St. Louis FC in the regular-season opener:

One thing to note is that there was quite a bit of side swapping between Tyler Pasher and Ilija Ilic, as the arrow indicates. Rennie has either deliberately asked them to switch flanks often to constantly give the defense a different look, or given them the green light to roam about the attack more so than other players and it’s happening naturally as a result of that extra freedom.

Up front, Dane Kelly was consistently central on the last defender, ever a threat with his finishing ability and pace. Pasher and Ilic were clearly playing a little deeper.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of this particular setup was central midfielder Matt Watson essentially playing as a right wingback. Rennie vaguely indicated that he’s pleased with what he’s seen from his captain in the role.

“I think he looks good in that position and we’ve got other guys who can do it as well,” he said.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

With extra bodies in the midfield, Indy mostly controlled the middle of the park against Nashville SC, but it’ll be interesting to see how this group does defensively on a faster surface with more pressure coming their way. Saturday’s preseason match featured a patchy pitch and 40-degree temperatures, so neither side appeared too comfortable nor sharp in the final third.

Of course, none of this is top-secret intel. The Indy Eleven Live Twitter account put the starting XI out there for public consumption, it was simply a matter of observing and connecting the dots. But the sometimes-guarded Rennie finally provided a glimpse Saturday — after mixing in several trialists in all his prior preseason lineups — as to what we might see from Indy early in the season.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Photo credit: Greg Rakestraw/ISC Sports Network

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Usual suspects Kevin Johnston and Nipun Chopra return to the airwaves with ample U.S. women’s national team, Indy Eleven and FC Cincinnati chatter in Episode 6 of Soc Takes TV presented by Sogility on the ISC Sports Network.

WATCH HERE

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Photo credit: Jamie Smed/Soc Takes

With the rise of advanced analytics in soccer, expected goals (xG) has become a go-to metric for examining the quality of both clubs and individual players beyond base accumulation stats (goals, assists, etc.).

Inspired by Ben Mayhew of Experimental 3-6-1, who utilizes similar statistics for the English Football League, the below table and charts are an examination of the attacking, defensive and overall quality of MLS clubs, regularly updated throughout the 2019 season.

Entering the first international break of the MLS season, most teams have played three or four matches (except Toronto FC, which has played two), representing roughly 10 percent of each club’s MLS matches this year. While still a small sample size, some trends are beginning to form for some clubs in terms of offensive and defensive performance. These trends are still easily reversible with a change in form, but if continued, could indicate where a club ranks among its peers.

All xG totals are sourced from American Soccer Analysis’ xG Interactive Tables.

Here is a small glossary of the terms for clarity:

GP – Games Played
ShtF – Shots For
ShtA – Shots Against
GF – Goals For
GA – Goals Against
GD – Goal Differential
xGF – Expected Goals For
xGA – Expected Goals Against
xGD – Expected Goal Differential
GD-xGD – Goal Differential minus Expected Goal Differential
ShtF/g – Shots For per Game
ShtA/g – Shots Against per Game
GF/g – Goals For per Game
GA/g – Goals Against per Game
GD/g – Goal Differential per Game
xGF/g – Expected Goals For per Game
xGA/g – Expected Goals Against per Game
xGD/g – Expected Goal Differential per Game
ShtF/GF – Shots For per Goal For
ShtA/GA – Shots Against per Goal Against

Follow Colton on Twitter: @cjcoreschi.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Here’s a six-way Venn diagram of every professional soccer city in the U.S. — from MLS, the USL Championship and USL League One — plus all the pro sports towns from the other four major American sports: the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.

Follow Colton on Twitter: @cjcoreschi.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related