WESTFIELD, Ind. — Indy Eleven signee Ben Speas has a bit of an appetite for the spectacular.

At North Carolina, he slalomed through a pack of defenders before producing a game-winning golazo in the NCAA final. For Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew SC, he scored a beauty in a friendly against Premier League side Stoke City FC. He’s incredibly dangerous from distance, sneaky in the box, and also a gifted creator for teammates.

Speas was back to his old tricks last season, finishing off a brace for Minnesota United FC with a flicked pass over a defender — to himself. Oh, and the final victim of the play was the best goalkeeper in the North American Soccer League in 2016, Matt VanOekel. No big deal.

So where will Indy Eleven’s shiny new weapon line up?

Speas can play as a central attacking midfielder, second forward or winger, but typically mans the middle of the pitch. That’s exactly where Sinisa Ubiparipovic started toward the end of last season in Indy’s 4-4-2 diamond.

Eleven coach Tim Hankinson hinted at a possible solution to the dilemma: play Speas at left midfield.

“Ubi’s more comfortable centrally,” Hankinson explained. “He doesn’t have quite the flexibility that Speas has. Speas can play — if we talk about playing the diamond that we finished the season with — either side, and play centrally.”

When asked if Speas might receive some minutes as a second forward, Hankinson didn’t rule out the possibility.

“All of those are things that we will test in the preseason. In many ways, when Dylan left to go to Miami, it meant we needed a player that — not necessarily has to have the same qualities — but someone that we felt was not going to be an experimental player. We wanted someone with experience.”

Minnesota United FC/NASL

In addition to experience, Hankinson finds Speas’ natural tendency to drift inward very appealing from a tactical standpoint. It creates space for left back Nemanja Vukovic to do what he does best: join the attack.

“Also, as you know, Vukovic likes to get up the sideline on the left,” Hankinson added. “The fact that Ben doesn’t necessarily like to hug the sideline as a winger, but likes to come inside, kind of opens that door up for Vuko. Which is, in a way, the way Dylan played that position. He was a left midfielder but we really never saw him wide. He was more tucked in a bit. So we think (Speas’) movement off Ubi, with Ubi feeding those kind of runs in the box will create goal-scoring opportunities.”

Minnesota United FC/NASL

While the starting left midfield spot is still very much an open competition, Speas appears set to audition first. If he can string together a few quality performances in the preseason, the gig will be his to lose. Speas’ deficiencies as a defender might get exposed at left mid, but the dynamism he brings to the Eleven offense is intriguing.

Beyond the 26-year-old’s knack for the supernatural, his tendency to drift inside meshes well with Hankinson’s vision and perfectly compliments Vukovic’s skill set.

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PRFC’s latest signing, Jairo Puerto. Photo credit: La Prensa

Jairo Puerto will be wearing orange next year. The 28-year-old winger was announced as PRFC’s latest signing this morning by the club. PRFC have a wealth of talent in attacking options — the likes of Sidney Rivera, Jorge Rivera, Giuseppe Gentile, Walter Ramirez and Jordi Quintilla. Puerto, a San Francisco-born Honduran international, is capable of playing as a right winger as well as a striker, and will be an asset to Adrian Whitbread’s team.

Soc Takes spoke with Whitbread about the signing:

“The Jairo Puerto signing has been a process that Marco Vélez brought to our attention through the Honduran Men’s National Team assistant coach who then communicated with our technical director Neil Sillett. We then began the process of looking at film at speaking to the player. We were very happy with what we saw and heard from him. He brings another attacking option to our team as well as international experience. We are very excited to get him on the island subject to ITC clearance because we know he is a strong addition to our squad this season,” Whitbread told us.

Whitbread previously informed Soc Takes that he expects to have his squad close to finalized by the time the CFU Championships kick off early next month. The fact that Puerto has experience in the CONCACAF Championship, having played 8 games in the tournament for RCD Espana, likely helped convince PRFC to move for him. Puerto has played 133 league games and scored 12 goals.

PRFC now boast one of the most front-loaded squads in the NASL, so surely the team’s focus for the next 3-4 signings will be defenders and holding midfielders.

This will be Puerto’s first non-Honduran club team in his career. He’s previously played for Marathon, CD Honduras, Olimpia and RCD Espana. Photo credit: AP

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Poltronieri (17) juggles with teammates at a recent training session. Photo credit: Indy Eleven

INDIANAPOLIS — Soc Takes has learned that once-Costa Rican U-20 international Brandon Poltronieri and ex-Bayern Munich youth product Jason Plumhoff have signed contracts with Indy Eleven. Poltronieri and Plumhoff are primarily midfielders, although both are capable of playing other positions; Poltronieri as a left back, while Plumhoff has played in attacking midfielder positions.

Both players have previous experience in the NASL. Poltronieri played for the Atlanta Silverbacks and Ottawa Fury, while Plumhoff played for both FC Edmonton and Jacksonville Armada FC.

Indy Eleven’s squad has been decimated by injuries of late, including injuries to (bae) Don Smart, Ben Speas and (Super Striker) Nemanja Vukovic.

The signings have been completed and both players are expected to be available for Saturday’s home game against FC Edmonton.

You can follow Nipun on Twitter @NipunChopra7.

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The NASL held a conference call Thursday afternoon regarding its federal antitrust lawsuit against the USSF.

NASL chairman and New York Cosmos owner Rocco B. Commisso, Winston & Strawn LLP co-executive chairman Jeffrey Kessler and NASL interim commissioner Rishi Sehgal were the speakers. Each made opening remarks before taking questions from media members.

LISTEN HERE

Thumbnail image credit: NASL

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Photo credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/Indy Eleven

INDIANAPOLIS — Known more for his offensive qualities than his actual defending, Indy Eleven left back Nemanja Vukovic has proven a very useful weapon darting up the left flank in his two seasons with the club. His numbers speak for themselves.

But as Indy slumped in the NASL fall standings, culminating in an embarrassing 5-nil loss at North Carolina FC on Oct. 1, it became apparent that some changes might be in order. Head coach Tim Hankinson decided to shake things up a bit against Puerto Rico FC on Wednesday.

“Vuko has not been on his defensive game,” Hankinson said. “That was very evident in our Carolina result, where we give up five and a lot of stuff is coming down his way. Even when we played in Edmonton, they know he over-commits offensively and they were playing a longer service and catching him in transition to (Sainey) Nyassi, which got the goal for them there. So teams are starting to figure out how to try and take advantage of him.”

Hankinson started Daniel Keller at left back against PRFC, sliding Vukovic up the pitch to play as a left winger in a 4-2-3-1. Later in the match, Vukovic swapped flanks with midfielder Don Smart and looked dangerous cutting in from the right. The result was a 2-1 Eleven victory.

While it’s unfair to definitively state the move worked — Indy was significantly out-passed, out-possessed and out-crossed — there did seem to be more of an openness to the Eleven attack in the middle and final thirds. The left side of the defense also seemed a little more cohesive with an anchor fullback instead of a get-forward fullback.

“Keller is a true defender,” Hankinson explained. “He’s not going to cheat. He’s not going to worry about his offensive game.”

Photo credit: Matt Schlotzhauer/Indy Eleven

But the decision to make the switch wasn’t completely related to masking Vukovic’s deficiencies. It was also a chance to take fuller advantage of his attacking traits by freeing him from some of his defensive obligations.

“The team kids Vuko a lot that he plays left midfield, not left back,” Hankinson added. “And so we said, ‘Let him play midfield.’ Let him bring the attacking aspects of his game and encourage him to go forward.”

It’ll be interesting to see if the Vukovic-on-the-wing experiment is something that Indy continues to dabble in.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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Andy Craven and the Craven Crew will be supporting OKC Energy once more. Photo credit: MLSsoccer.com

Soc Takes understands that OKC Energy have signed Andy Craven as a trade deal for Danni Konig; as first reported by Soc Takes. The 25-year-old striker heads back to OKC Energy having made just three appearances for FCC. His final appearance against Bethlehem Steel resulted in him being given a four-game suspension; Craven has served one of those already.

Soc Takes understands the deal is finalized, but due to his suspension, Craven will miss games against Phoenix Rising, Orange County SC and Portland Timbers SC.

The swap deal was apparently the last bit of red tape to finalize the Konig deal, which would mean Konig will be available for FC Cincinnati’s home game against Orlando City B on Saturday.

You can follow Nipun and Soc Takes at @NipunChopra7 and @SocTakes on Twitter.

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Photo credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/Indy Eleven

The Indy Eleven host United Soccer League side Swope Park Rangers on Thursday at Grand Park with kickoff set for 2 p.m. ET. While some things matter in the preseason and some don’t, here are three subplots to follow tomorrow and throughout Indy’s preseason:

Ubi’s form and the possible death of the diamond midfield

In Indy’s preseason opener against Butler, Brad Ring and Gerardo Torrado started in the central midfield. Perfectly harmless — it’s preseason, right? Eh, not so fast. The rest of the field players in the starting XI looked like a group of projected starters.

For central attacking midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic, it means he’s either not currently in form enough to run with the ones, or coach Tim Hankinson is temporarily burying his 4-4-2 diamond for a conventional 4-4-2. The latter seems the likely scenario since Ubiparipovic was deemed fit enough to play 45 minutes last week. And in his shift, he didn’t exactly look like a spry gymnast.

Henderson’s debut and role

Eleven supporters at the Butler match had hoped to see the debut of midfielder Craig Henderson, whom Indy inked in the offseason. It didn’t happen.

Unfortunately, a minor knock prevented the New Zealander from suiting up, but it sounds like that decision was mostly precautionary. He might give it a go Thursday. Whether Hankinson prefers deploying Henderson as a wide midfielder or centrally remains to be seen.

Trialists’ performances

A pair of former Butler players, Vincent Mitchell and David Goldsmith, are trialing for Indy, along with a few ex-Indy Eleven NPSL players — Jeffrey McClure, for one. Mitchell also impressed as a goal-scoring machine during a brief tenure with the NPSL side last season.

The Eleven have jobs available at the end of the roster, so one or two of the former Butler-NPSL guys might just end up with a contract offer.

But don’t be surprised if the Eleven find an out-of-contract player to bring into the fold in the near future, possibly from Latin America. A recent venture down to a player showcase in Mexico turned up empty, but coach Hankinson hinted that the team is still canvasing the countryside for a quality Latin player to add to the roster.

“We went down to a combine, looking at 40 free agents,” Hankinson told Indianapolis radio show Casillero Deportivo. “We did not select a player from that. We felt that the quality we were looking for needed to be a little bit higher, so our pursuit of an additional player for the team from Mexico continues.”

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @KJboxing.

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Photo credit: USL

CINCINNATI — The Chicago Fire knew nabbing a win at Nippert Stadium in front of an expected crowd of 30,000-plus on an unfamiliar pitch wouldn’t be a cakewalk. They couldn’t have been more correct.

After 90 minutes and 30 more of stoppage time, FC Cincinnati prevailed over Chicago in a scintillating penalty shootout. The win sets up a date with Miami FC in the next round of the U.S. Open Cup.

“I’m proud of our team,” said Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch. “It was fun. We had some great moments against big stars.”

After the Fire dominated the first half and the early part of the second half, FC Cincinnati came storming back with authority. The hosts not only played Chicago on level terms late, but seized all the momentum behind the stellar play of goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt and substitute midfielder Jimmy McLaughlin.

Both clubs featured similarly strong lineups — each missing a key attacking option — but not pulling many punches otherwise. David Accam, who makes a living torching defenders up the left side, was unavailable for Chicago after getting called in for Ghana national team duty.

About that time. 🙌🏆

Here is your #cf97 starting XI and bench pres. by @UIHealth. Tonight’s #USOC2017 clash kicks off at 7 pm CT on @espn! pic.twitter.com/sPCMNnyiuF

— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) June 28, 2017

The leading scorer for the home side, Djiby, sat with a sprained ankle, but went through a light workout before the match. Cincinnati came out in a 3-5-2 that played more like a 5-4-1, the same setup Koch trotted out that caused Columbus Crew SC problems in FC Cincy’s Cup win in the previous round.

Here’s your @DunkinCincy #FCCincy side set to take on @ChicagoFire tonight in the @opencup! #CINvCHI pic.twitter.com/I6714GyveB

— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) June 28, 2017

The Fire produced the first excellent chance of the match in the 16th minute when Bastian Schweinsteiger played a short pass in tight space through to Arturo Alvarez, who delivered a low cross into the six-yard box. Dutch forward Michael de Leeuw slid to get on the end of it, but FC Cincy defender Matt Bahner stepped in front to make a timely, goal-saving clearance.

The “Men in Red” continued to threaten in the final third, but Cincy’s sturdy back five remained well organized throughout, even as Chicago dominated possession in the midfield.

In the 69th minute, McLaughlin found a seam on the left flank to create a chance for the home side. His service found forward Danni Koning’s head, but a slightly mistimed jump prevented Konig from directing the header with any pace.

McLaughlin was easily the hosts’ most dynamic player, making an immediate impact upon entering in the 66th minute. He later got in behind the defense a second time after burning Fire defender Johan Kappelhof, but Matt Lampson made an excellent save to preserve the nil-nil scoreline.

WATCH: Corben Bone lead the attack for FCC vs the Chicago Fire in the 91′. #CINvCHI pic.twitter.com/TomZbzGDjQ

— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) June 29, 2017

Korben Bone nearly provided some magic in stoppage time for FC Cincinnati when he found himself one vs. one against Lampson, but the Fire ‘keeper again made a huge stop. Ultimately it was Lampson’s counterpart, Hildebrandt, who would produce the magic.

After a scoreless extra 30, Hildebrandt saved three Fire penalties, only allowing one in on Schweinsteiger’s attempt. Hildebrandt’s teammates, on the other hand, buried three of their own to lift Cincinnati to its second-consecutive upset and clean sheet against an MLS side.

Talk about CLUTCH! #MITCHSAYSNO

Relive all of @mitchhilde PK saves vs @ChicagoFire pic.twitter.com/zu9BkDUNRw

— USL (@USL) June 29, 2017

The official attendance at Nippert Stadium was an astounding 32,287, which goes down as the second-largest crowd in U.S. Open Cup history.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @KJboxing.

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Photo credit: Indy Eleven

Winston Churchill said, “The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.” In Indianapolis, all we unfortunately have is an “empire of the mind.”

Like ancient Rome, Major League Soccer, so confident in its continual expansion, revealed in December of 2016 that it planned to add four teams to reach a total of 28 franchises. Your Indy Eleven were the twelfth and final city to submit their application — twelve cities in a royal rumble to gain a spot in the top flight of American soccer.

By most opinions spread around the Internet, which means they must be true, Indy is at best fifth in line for this coveted spot. Recently on the Soc Takes Pod, Grant Wahl from Sports Illustrated said: “If we’re being honest, I think Indianapolis is viewed as a long shot.”

Twelve cities vying for four spots, two teams added in 2020, and two teams to be added in 2021, all to be decided in the next 16 months or so.

INDY’S BID

Among the initial thrill and excitement of the possibility to move up in the world of soccer, there have always been the real-world facts that follow the MLS bid around like a Minnesota Dark Cloud.

What we know is that Indy’s bid included a solid investor group of Ersal Ozdemir, current owner of the Eleven and CEO of Keystone Realty Group; Mickey Maurer, chairman of the board of National Bank of Indianapolis and IBJ Corp; Jeff Laborsky, president and CEO of Heritage; Mark Elwood, CEO of Elwood Staffing; and Andy Mohr, founder and owner of Mohr Auto Group.

Ersal Ozdemir (left) with Indy captain Colin Falvey. Photo credit: Indy Eleven

The ownership group brings some serious cash to the table, no doubt about that. And serious money will be needed with expansion fees for teams joining MLS in 2020 estimated to be up to $200 million. The MLS bid is a long-term investment in the future of not only the sport of soccer, but in Indianapolis as a city. But don’t let your sticker shock wear off quite yet, there are more hefty price tags to come with this deal.

One of the many requirements that MLS has to join the league is a stadium. In Indy, our bid was 100 percent contingent on us building a soccer-specific stadium.

Our current stadium plans are the same plans we have had for over two years, except the cost has gone up. Current estimates for the 20,000 seat empire of the mind come in at $100-120 million, give or take some change.

Assuming we are going with the same plan we had in 2015 to build the stadium — because why not, it worked so well the first time — the investment group would pay for a “significant portion.” The rest would be worked into the state budget, then paid back through a collection of stadium user fees.

To do this, Ozdemir and Eleven president Jeff Belskus have to convince somebody in the Indiana House of Representatives to author a stadium bill. If, and when that bill comes to fruition, it would have to pass out of committee before moving on to a full vote in the Indiana House of Representatives. After those hurdles, it would have to survive the Indiana Senate. Previous GM and eternal hero Peter Wilt pointed out to us that a second iteration of the bill did make it through the Senate, but on the last day of a conference committee, the House and Senate could not compromise on a deal.

The Indiana Business Journal published a story last January about Indy Eleven’s additional attempts to pass a bill for public funding. Those attempts were met with stern opposition from Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville.  Kenley still chairs the committee which does not bode well for Indy Eleven.

Wrapping the stadium bill into the budget means it needs to be done during a budget year. The snafu here is that the state budget needs to finalized by April 29. So this all needs to happen quickly, and with no time for any marketing or PR campaign to back it up.

Even though the Indy Eleven stadium was to be funded by “user fees” and not direct taxes, there is a national unwillingness to accept the need for publicly funded stadiums. In St. Louis, even with a strong PR campaign and public support for professional soccer, fans still voted against taxes to be used for a stadium, possibly ruining their MLS bid in the process.

When asked about the status of this nonexistent bill, an Indy Eleven team official responded, “Discussions regarding a potential stadium plan are still ongoing between Indy Eleven officials — including members of its perspective [sic] MLS ownership group — and City and State government representatives. To respect the privacy of these conversations we will not provide any additional details at this time.”

My response to that is while Dr. Seuss says, “Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living,” currently there is only fantasy in thinking we are getting a stadium anytime soon.

The odds of getting a stadium bill passed in a non-budget year become much, much worse. Since Indiana writes a budget every two years, 2019 will be the next big chance.

While the action on the field is heating up for Indy Eleven, it seems inaction is the tactic being most used by the ownership group to get a stadium. President John F. Kennedy once said, “There are risks and costs to actions, but they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.”

The question we should be asking is when we will see some action regarding a soccer-specific stadium in Indianapolis?

Follow Brandon on Twitter @BrandonxxEvans.

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