Photo credit: Butler women’s soccer

INDIANAPOLIS — A double binary star system exists when two stars orbit around the same center of mass. Sounds a bit like a successful central defensive midfield tandem, doesn’t it? That’s precisely the luxury the Butler women’s soccer team has circling the middle of the pitch this season.

Senior Brenna Pawelkowski and junior Madison Toth showed their synchronized chemistry in leading the Bulldogs to a 1-0 win against Eastern Michigan on Friday evening at the Sellick Bowl. The game winner came on a beautiful corner kick service and header from sophomore Amanda Kowalski to redshirt sophomore Annika Schmidt in the 60th minute, but the story of the night was the efficiency and field generalship of the holding midfielders.

Pawelkowski and Toth bossed the middle third, regularly disrupting the Eagles’ attack and cleanly distributing to spark their own offense. The duo was never spaced too far apart. A 20-yard rope could’ve been connected to each’s waist and the result might’ve been the same.

Junior Paige Monaghan, listed as a forward on the official team roster, continued to impress in her new role as a wide midfielder. She started at right midfielder before shifting to the left flank to begin the second half. Later she returned to the right to keep the Eastern Michigan defense off balance. Monaghan was equally dangerous on both sides of the pitch.

For the Eagles, No. 10 — literally and figuratively — Sabrina McNeill stood out as a constant thorn in the Bulldogs’ side. The diminutive 5-4 attacker packs a skill set well beyond her stature that was on full display Friday. But with the binary star pairing of Toth and Pawelkowski orbiting around her, McNeill found space relatively difficult to come by.

The Bulldogs (3-1-1) will return to the Sellick Bowl on Sunday to face Cleveland State for their third consecutive home match after starting the season with three straight road games. And speaking of three, they’ll also carry a three-game winning streak into the contest.

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Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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Photo credit: Aaron Gunyon/Soc Takes

INDIANAPOLIS — A ranked team and an undefeated team met Friday; the No. 21 Butler Bulldogs hosted the Western Michigan Broncos at the Sellick Bowl.

The unbeaten side remained so at the final whistle, while the ranked team likely played its way out of the top 25 in next week’s rankings. Western Michigan topped Butler 3-2 after erasing an early deficit.

Missing a few key players due to injury and illness, Bulldogs head coach Paul Snape was forced into giving a few new faces bigger roles than they were accustomed to.

Dawgs are navigating a few injuries and a few guys who are sick. Tonight is the first Butler start for Clark and Edmunds.

— Butler Men’s Soccer (@ButlerMenSoccer) September 8, 2017

A crucial cog in the middle third for Butler, central defensive midfielder Jared Timmer, was lost for the season with a broken leg suffered in a loss to Louisville. To make matters worse, attacking midfielder Lewis Suddick and regular starting goalkeeper Eric Dick also sat out for the home side.

The result was an uneven, disjointed performance by the Butler midfield and back line. Although senior captain Eric Leonard turned in an excellent shift besides a wayward service that got away from him in the first half, the loss of three of their best players was too much for the Bulldogs to overcome.

Butler wasted no time pouncing early, as sophomore midfielder Isaac Galliford hit the side netting of the far post from close range to give the hosts a 1-0 edge. But the lead was short-lived — remarkably short-lived.

Photo credit: Aaron Gunyon/Soc Takes

By the 25th minute, Western Michigan had amassed a 3-1 lead after burying a trio of goals in quick succession by three different players: Jake Rufe, Brandon Bye and Anthony Bowie. And all three strikes were assisted by different Broncos. The balance on the scoresheet was indicative of the visitors’ complete team effort on the pitch.

The Bulldogs fought back valiantly, pulling one back in the 88th minute through sophomore forward Brandon Guhl and threatening until the death, but couldn’t produce the equalizer. Western Michigan (4-0-1) held on for the impressive 3-2 road win at the end of the rather entertaining affair. At one point in the match, five total shots had been attempted by both teams combined, and all five were on frame. Four of them found the back of the net.

The Bulldogs (3-2) will host the once-beaten Evansville Purple Aces (4-1) on Tuesday.

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Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Soc Takes is on Patreon. Get access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.

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Daniel Keller (right) celebrates a goal scored by former teammate Zach Steinberger in 2015. Indy Eleven/NASL

INDIANAPOLIS — Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park erupts about every 74 minutes on average. Not quite as often nor with as much dramatic flair, Indy Eleven utility man Daniel Keller pops up every few matches to give bystanders a steady, if unspectacular, show.

With “the Chris Tierney of the NASL” banged up in Indy Eleven left back Nemanja Vukovic, coach Tim Hankinson was scratching his head to find a suitable replacement with no other natural left fullback on the roster. Like a mild case of poison ivy, the itch didn’t last long. Enter Keller, who previously filled in admirably for Colin Falvey while the captain rehabbed from sports hernia surgery.

Hankinson asked the 25-year-old Carmel native and former Louisville Cardinals defender — typically a center back or defensive midfielder — to shift out left against Jacksonville Armada FC. The insertion of Keller paid dividends for Indy.

NASL.com

A completely different player than Vukovic, who loves to get up the pitch, Keller is more of a stay-at-home anchor at left back. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

While the offense could’ve used a spark up the left flank, the defense — and Hankinson — certainly weren’t complaining about Keller’s performance versus the Armada.

Keller played a full 90 and completed an efficient 32 of 39 passes across 67 touches. He also did plenty of dirty work, chipping in three tackles, six duels won, five clearances and four interceptions while overcoming an early yellow card.

He played to his strengths, and mostly kept to within earshot of wise veteran center backs Lovel Palmer and Falvey to stay organized. Palmer’s physicality and ball-winning ability earned him a nod on the NASL Team of the Week, while Falvey showed his usual disruptiveness and pitch generalship.

“I don’t think a player like Colin is replaceable,” Keller told Soc Takes following Indy’s Week 2 home draw against the San Francisco Deltas. “He’s definitely a leader. Like you said, he’s an organizer.”

Keller credited his improved soccer instincts and communication for his ability to excel in a variety of roles.

“In the past, I have counted on my athletic ability to sort of get me out of situations,” Keller explained. “But at this level, every player’s athletic. In order to give yourself an edge and work with the back line, you need to organize.

“Communication is key. It’s required that I step in and communicate. That’s what’s required of a good center back.”

Entering 2017, Keller had no idea what his role would be. Listed as a midfielder on the team’s official roster, likely because that was a position of need at the time, he’s found a permanent home in the back line as the club’s fifth defender.

“Whatever coach decides to do with me I’m going to do with 100 percent effort. So if he sees me as a center back, so be it. I’m definitely capable of stepping into the mid. It’s totally up to him, but when he calls me in I’m going to be ready whether it’s at center back or center mid.”

For now, “Old Faithful” is doing just fine on the left side during Vukovic’s absence.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @KJboxing.

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Totti is wanted by two NASL clubs: Miami FC and the Cosmos. Photo credit: ESPN FC

As Calciomercato.com reported on June 1st, NY Cosmos may hijack Totti’s possible move to Miami FC. Soc Takes understands that Cosmos are indeed interested in signing the Italian legend, but have not yet approached him directly. Currently, the club seem to simply be ascertaining Totti’s level of interest in Cosmos based on conversations “with people close to Totti,” a source informs Soc Takes. The club came close to signing Totti last year as well, and will be hoping they can fight off competition from Miami FC to bring Totti to the city that never sleeps.

Incredibly, Totti might be one of three forwards Cosmos is interested in signing. Soc Takes understands that Cosmos’ focus is to sign strikers who will be able to get at the end of crosses sent in by midfielders Emmanuel Ledesma and Javi Marquez as well as fullbacks Ayoze Garcia and Ryan Richter.

Cosmos purportedly are “very close” to a deal with Argentine striker Pablo Vranjican. The well-traveled 31 year old, 6 foot 1 striker, was most recently at Malaysian side Pahang FC, where he scored 3 goals in 17 appearances. Vranjican has been on trial with Cosmos and wore the legendary Cosmos jersey during their recent trip to Saudi Arabia. The deal could be announced as early as next week.

The third player in the mix is Spanish forward, Gaizka Toquero. Toquero can play as both a winger and a forward. The 32 year old ex-Athletic Bilbao striker is currently out of contract at La Liga club Alaves, where he has scored 10 goals in 62 appearances. While at Bilbao, Toquero reached the finals of the Europa League in 2012, as well as the Copa Del Ray on 4 different occasions. Toquero is known for his hard work and ability to be an asset in a forward pressing system; similar to the one Bielsa designed at Bilbao.

Unlike Totti, Cosmos have formally approached Toquero. According to a source, Toquero is interested in signing for Cosmos, but is exploring other options, as multiple clubs have approached him.

While Amauri still remains an official member of NY Cosmos, Soc Takes understands that the club does not see him as a part of their future. Whether that will result in a mutual termination of contracts is unclear at this point.

Given Cosmos’ overspending last season, it is reasonable to ponder the financial prudence in all of this. Soc Takes understands that Vranjican and Toquero would be within Cosmos’ budget. As for Totti, that may depend on freeing up Amauri’s wages. Therefore, unless multiple things change, at this point, Miami FC seem to have the upper hand on signing Totti.

The Takeaway:

At this point, Vranjican seems very likely, Toquero seems likely, and Totti should be described as unlikely. As for Amauri, don’t expect to see him make an appearance for NY Cosmos anytime soon.

(Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly suggested Amauri had not made an appearance for NY Cosmos yet.)

You can find Nipun and SocTakes at @NipunChopra7 and @SocTakes on Twitter.

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Photo credit: Rayo OKC/NASL

INDIANAPOLIS — Sorry, goalkeepers, but having a third one of you on the roster is a waste.

That’s always been my belief. And someone who knows way more about soccer than I, Indy Eleven coach Tim Hankinson, agrees. Or at least he used to.

“It’s been my theory (throughout my coaching career),” Hankinson explained after an August 2016 training session at Carroll Stadium. “It’s a luxury to have a third ‘keeper in training just so that the repetitions that the ‘keepers take during shooting practices don’t wear one of them out or fatigue them. That’s when you get into injuries.

“So two is good, and then we usually invite a local ‘keeper — former college ‘keeper — to come and participate in training so that we can keep our guys fresh. But we don’t need more than two on the roster.”

Indy announced the signing of a third goalkeeper Thursday, former Indiana Hoosiers backstop Christian Lomeli.

Wait, what? The Eleven already have goalkeepers Jon Busch and Keith Cardona under contract for 2017. One plus one equals two. Add one more and that’s three. Hankinson doesn’t like three; Hankinson likes two. We want answers.

My initial thought was that Busch or Cardona picked up a serious injury, or one of them was set to leave the club. But after conferring with multiple people close to the situation, neither hypothesis proved correct. Busch and Cardona were both fully healthy with no plans to depart the team.

The answer then became as crystal clear as an overpriced bottle of Fiji water: The Eleven are not satisfied with Cardona’s performance.

Photo credit: Rayo OKC/NASL

After showing signs of promise early in his Eleven career, Cardona labored through last season in limited action on his way to a less-than-ideal goals against average. The Philadelphia Union gave him an opportunity as a trialist before the start of the 2017 Major League Soccer season, but the 6-4 ‘keeper ultimately wasn’t offered a contract. When he returned to camp with Indy, he clearly failed to impress.

The signing of Lomeli is a clear symptom of buyer’s remorse pertaining to the decision to re-sign/extend Cardona.

While Busch remains the rock-steady first choice in the Eleven net, the No. 2 goalkeeper job is very much an open competition between Lomeli and Cardona. And if Cardona doesn’t improve his play in training and in games, the newcomer might just have the inside track on the gig.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @KJboxing.

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Photo credit: Josh Tomlinson/World Soccer Talk

Boca Raton FC director of communications and one of the sharpest soccer minds around, Kartik Krishnaiyer, joins Aaron, Nipun and Kevin to discuss literally every soccer league in America. Strap in and enjoy the ride. Listen:

You can follow Soc Takes on Twitter @SocTakes.

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Rudy Calderon/MLSsoccer.com

We’re joined by MLSsoccer.com senior writer Matt Doyle this week to discuss the state of U.S. Soccer, Atlanta United FC’s impressive start and the 180-degree turnaround by Minnesota United FC. The “Armchair Analyst” also sizes up the USMNT talent pool and talks about his background in the game from the media side. Listen:

You can follow Soc Takes on Twitter @SocTakes.

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Kwadwo Poku. Photo credit: Miami FC/NASL

The panel discusses this Saturday’s NASL showdown between Miami FC and Indy Eleven. Aaron provides an Eleven injury update and Kevin assesses Kwadwo Poku’s development with rave reviews. They also ramble on about Indy’s projected starting XI and new white away kits, and the U.S. Open Cup. Listen:

First-place Miami FC will attempt to to extend its lead atop the table when it hosts sixth-place Indy Eleven at Riccardo Silva Stadium. Miami has only lost once this season, while Indy remains undefeated and winless after drawing its first six matches. The game can be streamed live at ESPN3.com.

You can follow Soc Takes on Twitter @SocTakes.

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Photo credit: Kevin Johnston/Soc Takes

INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday night in Indianapolis and the scoreboard still showed 5:05 left to play. It was sudden death for St. John’s in overtime. Butler men’s soccer won their third straight to open the Big East season. The final score was 1-0.

Butler pushed the tempo from first kick with the first hopeful ball launched forward in the game’s opening seconds. The Bulldogs entered the weekend ranked  No. 22 in the nation and boasting a 2-0 record in Big East play. Their opponents have an equal record in the Big East and have already amassed five wins on the season.

The first real chance of the match came from Butler defender Alex Lehtinen. He found himself with space and cutting in on his right foot from about 20 yards. His shot was just over the bar but it sent a message. Brandon Guhl found the ball at his feet a few moments later. Originally with his back to goal, Guhl turned in the box and unleashed a shot that deflected off a St. John’s player and angled wide of the goal.

If the name Guhl sounds familiar, it is possible that you heard him on the local airwaves on Saturday morning. Guhl was a special guest on the weekly Soccer Saturday with host Greg Rakestraw. A link to that radio broadcast can be found HERE.

The match was not entirely one-sided. The Red Storm pressured and tested tested. Probing balls found their way forward. St. John’s had three corner kicks and two shots belonging to Ben Roth in the first 45. The Bulldogs goalkeeper Eric Dick was occupied but he dealt with everything in front of him and didn’t record a save in the first half.

End to end action was the story early. Both teams committing numbers forward provided soft resistance in the middle third. Butler certainly had the better of the chances as intermission approached. Eight total shots and six corner kicks tipped the scales for the home team and the first round had to be awarded to the Bulldogs.

HALFTIME: @ButlerMenSoccer 0, St. John’s 0

The Bulldogs with 8 shots (2 on target) compared to the Red Storm’s 2 (0 on target).

— Kevin Johnston (@KJboxing) September 30, 2017

The next period started with noticeably less intensity, but the second half lull was short lived. With St. John’s on the attack Alistair Johnston set up substitute Filippo Ricupati’s header that forced a save from Dick. Back the other way, penalty shouts as Butler managed to get in behind the defense, and the Red Storm offered a tough challenge while chasing the play. Everyone was awake after that.

Ricupati drew gasps and nervous groans once again with 30 minutes remaining. His blast had beaten Dick but it hit squarely off of the round post and came right back to him. Just when one has a sense that the Bulldogs are the better team, St. John’s finds a way back in. The stats may not show it, but the match played fairly even throughout and the visitors never backed down.

The crowd noticed and they grew louder while excitement continued to build. There was an understanding among those watching that one goal would do it for either side. This match was legitimately contested from end to end for 90 minutes and both teams seemed desperate to avoid extra time. However, extra time could not be avoided.

Photo credit: Kevin Johnston/Soc Takes

The word ¨chippy¨ gets thrown around too frequently in sport, but there is no other way to describe the first of added time.

Several players stood out for Butler in the final frame. None more important than the other. Eric Dick, once again demonstrating his dominance in front of the net, firmly denied the game winner that spilled to Eric Leonard who collected and launched the attack that would seal it for the Dawgs. Guhl would be denied in front of goal, but the rebound fell to Lehtinen who would then be fouled in the box by a flailing goalkeeper. Breathe. The ensuing PK would be professionally dispatched by Lewis Suddick. Ball game! Stop the clock. Suddick took his shirt off before he left the pitch, but no one seemed to care.

This game deserved a goal and Suddick had played well all night. He was man of the match, but without Dick, none those late game heroics would have been possible. There were 30 shots and 10 saves between two solid teams. Butler moves to 3-0 in conference play and will take on the No. 14 Hoyas of Georgetown in Washington D.C.

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Follow Aaron on Twitter: @agunyon.

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Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

2019 already has the makings of a historic year for soccer in North America with not one, not two, but four new leagues launching next year. This piece here should hopefully straighten things out by summarizing and explaining what we currently know.

First up, let’s talk some USL. The top league in its system is now the USL Championship and will likely comprise 36 clubs for 2019. Teams in Austin, Birmingham, El Paso, Hartford, Loudoun, Memphis and Albuquerque are all joining the league. FC Cincinnati is set to join MLS, while Toronto FC 2, Penn FC and the Richmond Kickers will all leave the league for the new third-division USL League One, with Penn FC delaying its debut to 2020.

Moving on to USL League One, the league currently has 10 teams confirmed for 2019. These teams are new teams in Chattanooga, Madison, Greenville, Lansing and Frisco, along with former PDL (now League Two) members FC Tucson and Tormenta FC. Joining them are the aforementioned teams from Toronto and Richmond, as well as a returning Orlando City B side. The Rochester Rhinos are set to end their hiatus by joining alongside Penn FC in 2020.

Then, there’s the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), formerly run by Peter Wilt. Wilt has left to spearhead the USL League One efforts in Madison. In his absence, the league has regrouped and announced four markets along with one actual team. The first team to be “officially” revealed is San Diego 1904 FC, a club which was originally announced as part of the canceled 2018 NASL season. San Diego will be joined by clubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia, Atlanta and somewhere in Connecticut. NISA does have something of a time advantage on both USL leagues, as NISA is planning to operate on a fall-spring season beginning in August of next year, rather than March/April as is the norm for MLS and USL. The league plans to have 8-12 teams announced for the inaugural season.

In addition to NISA, the NPSL, a long-established amateur/semi-professional league, has announced a new professional tournament to be known as the Founder’s Cup. So far, 11 clubs have been revealed: Chattanooga FC, Detroit City FC, Miami FC (former NASL), Miami United FC, Milwaukee Torrent, New York Cosmos (former NASL), FC Arizona, ASC San Diego, Cal FC, California United Strikers FC (former NASL expansion) and Oakland Roots SC. The league is currently dividing its clubs into Eastern and Western Conferences, with plans to add one more club to the West. The inaugural campaign will run from August through November, with plans for a full spring-to-fall season in 2020.

To finish things off, Canada is finally getting a proper top division, the Canadian Premier League, planning to kick off in April. Seven teams will contest the 24-game season. Check out our CPL primer for a much deeper look at the league.

Follow John on Twitter: @JohnMLTX.

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