“If I get a chance to get close to (Barcelona midfielder, Sergio) Busquets, I’m going to give him a big kiss,” Richie Ryan told me perched somewhere in Madrid. Ryan is currently in Madrid to watch Saturday’s El Clasico, an experience he describes as “one I’ve always dreamed of.” Much like Busquets, Ryan may not get the plaudits he deserves. Fans who do not have a deep appreciation for the artistry of the game, who focus on goals, assists and saves, players like Busquets and Ryan are often an after thought. For those of us who watch football, and indeed NASL regularly, Ryan is one of the best players in the league, regardless of position. The regista around whom head coach Alessandro Nesta built the attacking juggernaut of Miami FC; one that with no disrespect to the likes of the New York Cosmos and Louisville City, was the best attacking unit in lower-division American soccer in 2017.

If Miami FC were a living, breathing human body, the likes of Stefano Pinho, Kwadko Poku, Vincenzo Rennella, Mason Trafford and Hunter Freeman would be the appendages – the effectors producing action. Nesta would be the eyes – overseeing everything. Dylan Mares would be (sorry, cannot insert compliment here, because I’m still upset that Mares left Indy Eleven). Whereas Ryan would be both the heart and the brain. A leader in the dressing room and on the pitch, as well as the nucleus synchronizing all the defensive and attacking actions of Miami FC.

I caught up with Ryan via a phone call and we discussed his debut, his move to North America and the current predicament players like himself find themselves in – given the uncertainty about the NASL’s future.

Nipun Chopra (NC) – Your debut for Sunderland came during the Tyne-Wear derby, playing against a Newcastle team including Jonathan Woodgate, Jermaine Jenas, Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy. What do you remember from that day?

Richie Ryan (RR) – We got beat 1-0 (laughs). At the time, it was a little bit unbelievable – I was eighteen and I found out the night before that I was in the squad. I thought I’d be there just for the experience. But Mick McCarthy (then manager of Sunderland) told me I’d be on the bench. My captain, Michael Gray, came over and shook my hand, looked me in the eye and told me,  “Just be yourself.” It was a brilliant experience.

Richie Ryan during his time at Dundee United. Credit: Sky Sports

NC – Did you ever think, at that time, you would be playing professional soccer in America?

RR – Not back then. When I made my debut, I wanted to make it in England. But obviously in football, things don’t work out the way you’d like them to. When I was in Ireland, someone asked me if I’d like to go to America to play, and I considered training with FC Dallas. But, it didn’t work out. I was 26 then, and I didn’t think it made sense to go on trial at that age. But, as you know, things changed for me with an opportunity in Canada.

NC – Along the way, you played in Belgium and Scotland. How was that experience?

RR – Well, firstly I met my wife when I moved to Dundee United (laughs). Belgium has a different style of football, it was a little more technical. Scotland was a lot more direct and similar to what I had experienced coming through at Sunderland.

NC – Tell me more about how you met your wife.

RR – We met on a night out (laughs), at a bar. We hit it off pretty much straight away. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other, but I was about to go back to Ireland because it was the end of the season. We’d been seeing each other for about a month and were going to be separated. She told me that she was worried we would lose touch. But, we spoke almost everyday and she’s a wonderful person. At the time, things were falling apart  for me at Dundee, and I asked her if she’d go with me to Canada and she said yes. She said, “I’ll go with you wherever.”

She’s from a football family. Her dad and brother are big Dundee FC fans; which didn’t go down well when we first met. I had to charm her family a little bit initially.

NC – How much did you two know about Canada at the time?

RR – Honestly Nipun, at that time, absolutely zero. We’re both laid back people. I’d spoken to Marc dos Santos a couple of times, and he was inspirational. I wanted to go play for him.

Credit: Miami FC

NC – What was it like for you two living in Ottawa and Canada?

RR – We absolutely loved every minute of it. There is a huge Irish community there, and that helped us a lot. It was a chance to make connections and make friendships. You get the best of everything – you get snow, you get a lovely spring and autumn and a gorgeous summer.

We had our first child when we were in Canada. My wife is a nurse, but it was difficult with all the paperwork for her to do that there. Our little girl was born in October 2014. My wife looked after our little girl and worked at a coffee shop on occasion.

NC – How would NASL losing Division II status affect your livelihood?

RR – To be honest, I don’t really know. Nobody speaks about what the alternatives are. We’ve heard that if the league loses the appeal, it won’t exist anymore. But, why wouldn’t they exist? It’s a question without any answer. To be honest Nipun, nobody is put any thoughts into the players/families/coaches. It’s a sad situation to be in it especially after the turmoil of last season.

I know it’s not the NASL’s fault for what’s going on this year. But from the outside, it doesn’t look good. I speak to many folks in other countries and they don’t understand what’s going on here. Who would be able to?

NC – Could you elaborate as to why you believe NASL is not at fault?

RR – I think the league needs to do things better, but it has to be given time to do that. I’m hoping if the league does exist next year, that US Soccer works with the league and allows it to succeed.

NC – How do you explain this entire NASL situation to your family?

RR – My wife is laid back like I am, and she doesn’t really ask me too many questions about it – which is good, because honestly I don’t have any answers for her. The league has lost some good players this week. Like Jimmy Maurer, Lance Laing and Pinho. If there wasn’t all the uncertainty around the league, perhaps they would be given contracts to convince them to stay.

NC – How do the players discuss all of this internally? 

RR – I think at this time of year, we don’t talk too much to each other (laughter). We still have a Whatsapp group, and every ten days someone will ask each other if there has been any news. The only sources of info we have are folks like yourself and journalist covering the league.

It’s a difficult time now – it’s Christmas. And nobody knows if we will be back next year. It makes absolutely no sense.

Not Colin Falvey. Credit: BBC

NC – Is there anything else you would like supporters of soccer in America to know?

RR – From a player’s perspective, we need protection. This cannot keep happening. We need to take care of the players, without whom the game doesn’t happen. I know the MLS has a player’s union, maybe that’s something we should do. I’ve really enjoyed playing in this league, and I want the league to grow in every aspect.

NC – Final question, you played with Indy XI’s Colin Falvey during your time at Ottawa. What do you think of his beard?

RR – He looks better with the beard than without it. I’m not bothered about the beard, but it is the Peaky Blinders haircut that bothers me.

NC – The haircut is a bit embarrassing, isn’t it? (Author’s note: I am well aware this is a leading question, and I’m not sorry.)

RR – It is! I saw him towards the end of the season, and he had a full quaff slicked back. I told him, “what the hell is wrong with you?” (laughs). We wouldn’t have let him to have that at Ottawa.

You can find Nipun Chopra at NipunChopra7 on Twitter.

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Image credit: Brickyard Battalion

Brickyard Battalion president Josh Mason guests to help preview the Indy Eleven’s inaugural USL campaign and make Eastern and Western Conference predictions for the 2018 season.

Mason touches on some of the ways the Eleven’s move to Lucas Oil Stadium will affect the supporters’ group. The panelists also analyze the club’s playoff chances.

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Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Eleven signed Zach Steinberger in January, seemingly to become a focal point of new head coach Martin Rennie‘s offense. A versatile attacker who can play as a No. 10, winger, second striker or flat central midfielder, Steinberger experienced a breakout campaign with the NASL’s Jacksonville Armada FC in 2017, especially during the first half of the season.

But perhaps due to Rennie’s proclivity for playing multiple central defensive midfielders, Steinberger was never thrust into a permanent role. He didn’t look bad when he saw the pitch, but also wasn’t exactly stuffing the scoresheet. In 17 regular-season appearances for Indy, he recorded one goal and one assist. But it’s worth noting that he only went a full 90 eight times, and three of his appearances were brief cameos off the bench of 13 minutes or less.

Whatever the case, Steinberger’s return to the Circle City didn’t work out to perfection. In late August, the Eleven loaned Steinberger to fellow USL Eastern Conference club North Carolina FC, where he made an immediate impact.

In three appearances for North Carolina FC so far, he’s scored three times and dished out an assist, most of which came from his two-goal, one-assist debut against the Charlotte Independence in a 6-2 thrashing. He’s gone a full 90 twice already since moving to Tar Heel country and put in 81 minutes in his other start.

So, what happened in Indy? Steinberger simply wasn’t an ideal fit in Rennie’s system. Rennie doesn’t utilize a traditional No. 10, instead often preferring a 4-3-3-ish setup with the three midfielders not playing particularly wide nor high up the pitch. The wing forwards generally take on plenty of responsibility behind the ball, so the formation plays more like a 4-5-1 at times.

In other words, Rennie loves him some CDMs.

Matt Watson and Nico Matern are “Rennie’s guys” and — in hindsight — were always bound to have a leg up in the pecking order coming into the season. Then there are veterans Brad Ring and Juan Guerra, two other central midfielders who, like Watson and Matern, aren’t incredibly attack-minded. The Eleven midfield is an extremely crowded place, plus CAMs take a backseat to CDMs in Rennie’s system.

“Zach’s a really great guy, and I really like him and like coaching him,” Rennie said. “I was probably the first one to congratulate him on his performance (Aug. 25). But it was just we’ve got a lot of good players in the same position, and I think we need to let players get in a rhythm and play. It’s an opportunity for him to go to a good place, to a good club and have a chance to do well. He couldn’t have done any better in his first game, so good luck to him.”

Photo credit: Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography

Looking back, the best solution probably would’ve been to give Steinberger first crack at regular minutes on the right wing after Nathan Lewis’ string of bad games left him out of the rotation. But Eugene Starikov and Seth Moses have both played well on the right side. The left wing could’ve been another option, but Soony Saad and Tyler Pasher, when healthy, have both produced some huge plays this season.

It’s not even necessarily a case of Rennie not rating Steinberger; in fact, the former probably wouldn’t have bothered bringing the latter into the fold to begin with were that the case. It’s more so a scenario in which Rennie ended up acquiring a surplus at his favorite position, and Steinberger’s skill set kind of got lost in the shuffle of Rennie’s preferred tactical setup.

Sans Steinberger, Indy’s gaffer remains confident in his side’s depth in the center of the pitch.

“I feel good about the midfielders that we have.” Rennie said. “I think we just need a little chance to get the team in a rhythm of a game a week and get the lineup settled, and let guys really connect with each other and play at a high tempo.”

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

Still, it seems odd to loan out a player as talented as Steinberger to an in-division opponent, especially a club that’s vying for a playoff spot with a game or games in hand on numerous teams above them — the Indy Eleven, for one. Indy (45) holds a 10-point edge on North Carolina (35) right now as North Carolina sits just below the playoff line, but imagine if the two clubs’ paths cross in the playoffs and Steinberger is in the North Carolina FC starting XI.

The deal wasn’t a win-win for all parties involved. It was a massive win for Steinberger and North Carolina FC, and a head-scratching loss for Indy. Eleven supporters are left to ponder why Steinberger was signed and underutilized, then shipped out of town to an in-conference foe still in the playoff picture.

Steinberger may well end up back on the Indy roster once the loan deal expires, but if past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, don’t expect him to waltz back onto Rennie’s roster and suddenly get handed a much larger role — that is, if he returns at all.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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Photo credit: Aaron Gunyon/Soc Takes

Former Indy Eleven boss Tim Hankinson has made a return to Montego Bay United. MBU play in the Red Stripe Premier League. Hankinson was at Montego Bay when he first signed with Indy Eleven in December of 2015. He left the eventual league winners in good form as MBU captured the league title for the 2015-16 season. With his return, Hankinson has been reunited with two names familiar to fans of the Indy Eleven.

The elusive Dino Williams has been linked to Indy a few times during past off-seasons. Poorly timed injuries and health concerns have prevented him from stints with the boys in blue. Williams led the Jamaican league with 19 goals during the 2014-15 season. Williams is currently on 14 goals and 3 assists with just over a dozen games yet to play.

Omar Gordon is a familiar name with Indy fans and a familiar face on the Jamaican National team. Gordon will briefly be at Hankinson’s disposal, but it should be noted he on his way to San Antonio FC in a matter of weeks for a loan with the United Soccer League club. Jamaican defenses are no match for Gordon who has 7 goals in 10 starts for MBU this season and he was the golden boot winner (19 goals) in 2015-16 before joining Indy Eleven on loan in their 2016 season.

MBU are currently in eighth place, but only 3 points out of the sixth and final playoff spot. Hankinson has 13 matches to get things right in Montego Bay, but he has two of the most prolific Jamaican goalscorers in the league to help him get things done. His return is immediate, but the grand re-opening of the Hankinson era will have to wait another week. His fist match was originally slated to be Sunday January 14th. That match was postponed.

Follow Aaron on Twitter: @AGunyon.

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Photo credit: Soccer.ru (Creative Commons license)

An NPSL team has an alumnus playing a huge role in this summer’s 2018 World Cup. That’s right, Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio played for the storied NPSL franchise Brooklyn Italians between 1993-94.

Osorio has risen to international fame after Mexico’s shocking defeat of defending world champions Germany. The Mexican boss was praised for his tactics primarily involving a well-executed counter attack after putting all 11 men behind the ball and allowing Germany to dominate in possession. Osorio infamously stated after the game: “We had drawn up a plan six months back.”

Mexico has advanced out of tricky Group F and will play Monday in the Round of 16 against Brazil.

But little do many people know that part of Osorio’s high soccer IQ was actually developed right here in the United States. Osorio played collegiate soccer at the University of New Haven and would go on to graduate from Connecticut State University in 1990. While living in Brooklyn in the early ’90s, Osorio was an instrumental midfielder for the Brooklyn Italians team which played in the North Eastern Super Soccer League (NESSL) which is now disbanded.

I had the privilege to speak with Antonio “Junior” Superbia, who is a current youth academy coach with the Brooklyn Italians and was a former teammate of Osorio’s on the Italians back in the early 90’s.

“He was a classic Colombian player,” said Superbia. “Very good ball handling skills. He liked to dribble and he was very comfortable taking players on.”

Superbia put an emphasis on how much of a skilled and technical player Osorio was. Superbia was also complimentary as to what type of person and teammate Osorio was while playing for the Italians.

“Juan is a very good person,” he added. “He has good character and was very humble as well.”

Osorio clearly had a seriousness and passion about soccer, as Superbia humorously remembered how “he would show up early to every single training wearing either a Colombian national team jersey or a Sao Paulo FC jersey.”

Osorio is definitely not the only famous Brooklyn Italians alum. Portland Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese and newly USMNT capped and starting center back for the New York Red Bulls Tim Parker both played for the Italians back in the day. But there is something particularly special about watching an old member of your club shine at the world’s biggest stage.

This recent crop of former players for the Italians making a splash in professional soccer is definitely something that people are starting to notice, and the Italians are very proud of that.

“There is a lot of tradition here in our club,” Superbia said. “It is exciting to finally see the club receiving the recognition that I think it deserves.”

After his playing days with the Italians were over, Osorio would go on to start his illustrious coaching career by becoming an assistant coach with the former USL A-League side Staten Island Vipers in 1998. Two years later, he joined the New York MetroStars’ coaching staff and his career started to take off from there.

“I am super happy for his success and he deserves everything he has accomplished, for sure,” said Superbia of his former teammate.

Osorio has his work cut out against Brazil, and Mexico’s World Cup run may end shorter than many had hoped on Monday, but nonetheless his path to the highest level has been impressive to follow. The lower divisions of American soccer and MLS played such a big role in Juan Carlos Osorio’s career to help propel him toward becoming a manager at the World Cup.

Follow Jack on Twitter: @JackRenwick22.

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Soony Saad receives two bricks from Indy Eleven supporters for his brace. Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Eleven did a lot of things right for 43 minutes Saturday afternoon. They were comfortable on defense. They were lethal in attack. The team had a pretty good day picking up its third win of the season for a temporary share of first place in the USL Eastern Conference.

The win was thanks to Indy forward Soony Saad and his breathtaking brace in the opening 45. The second half wasn’t as notable, but the team saw it through to the end and improved its position in the standings.

Saad is new to Indianapolis and new to the 2018 version of the Indy Eleven. If you didn’t know him then, I bet you know him now. His tallies in the 15th and 34th were a thrill to watch and they were all the boys in blue needed to dispatch visiting Nashville SC and its five travelling fans.

The most impressive part of the two-goal performance was not the number, but the two distinct types of goals. Showcasing an impressive attacking range, Saad used awareness and pace to separate for the first goal. He used ambition and technique to put away his second. Where do we start?

The goal in the 15th was a foot race. A looping ball played with precision from the back by Ayoze gave Saad all he needed. Two touches later, the ball was in the back of the net. Nashville goalkeeper Matt Pickens did all he could, but it was never going to be enough at that distance. In a postgame interview, Saad described the lead up to the goal.

“Jack (McInerney) checked in and the defender had gone with him, leaving up some free space,” he said. “Then Ayoze saw it and played a perfect ball, and I was able to out-stride the defender that went for it. It went over his head and I was able to capitalize and finished. I almost thought it was too good to be true. I stayed cool and put it in the back of the net.”

The goal in the 34th minute was even more impressive. Indy Eleven earned an indirect free kick from at least 35 yards out. McInerney and Saad stood over the ball, having training ground whispers about what was to come.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

This is where the ambition comes in that I alluded to before. Somehow a seam opened up, and Saad smacked in an absolute stunner after the ball was set in play on a tap from McInerney. The ball had class and curves for days. And Pickens? He didn’t have the first clue what do in order to keep that ball out. Saad’s second shot of the day put the Eleven up 2-0 with Nashville SC not showing any signs of answering. Here’s video of the goal, courtesy of the USL’s Twitter feed:

Everything looks better from different angles!

Take an extended look at @SoonySaad‘s #SCTop10 goal from yesterday!#INDvNSH pic.twitter.com/FJrxXzCZL1

— USL (@USL) April 15, 2018

Truthfully, I was looking away at the moment of the strike. I was probably in a Twitter battle about something really important. But honestly, I was jolted back to the game with the audible boom from the foot of Saad heard all the way from section 344. My mouth fell open as I watched the ball go in.

Indy fans have fond memories of laser beams from the likes of Kleberson, Nicki Paterson, Kyle Hyland or the legend known to us all as Brad Ring. But I don’t remember the sound. This will not soon be forgotten — an explosion so loud and so dirty that it seemed as though the entire Indy Eleven roster was compelled to polish the boots of the new superstriker. It was nasty. Or the team was reenacting a Fortnite celebration. It’s still not clear to me and I feel old.

“I wasn’t going to hit it at first until Jack said, ‘Hey, listen to me. Strike this one,’” Saad explained. “He said he’d play it to my right and it was something we actually worked on a couple times in training. I called the celebration afterwards. I said, ‘Alright, so we do Fortnite afterwards?’ He said yeah. So he plays it, and as soon as I hit it I kind of knew I struck it well, but what I wanted to get most importantly on that ball was the swerve. If I can get it on target with swerve the ‘keeper’s not going to get it or he’s going to make a mess of it. I didn’t expect him to be out of the picture completely. That’s a veteran keeper too. He told me after the game it moved a bit last second. And I know it moved, but at that point 2-0 up is the most important thing for the team. We kind of conceded late in the first half which changed the outlook of the game going into the second half, but we stayed disciplined, we stayed organized and we got the three points at the end.”

Indeed, the Eleven got the three points they were after, but not before a very late fist half hiccup. It appeared the team was mentally in the locker room already. They got carved up and the 2-0 lead was halved with a pretty easy looking finish from six or eight yards out by Ropapa Mensah.

“I called the celebration afterwards. I said, ‘Alright, so we do Fortnite afterwards?’ He said yeah. So he plays it, and as soon as I hit it I kind of knew I struck it well, but what I wanted to get most importantly on that ball was the swerve. If I can get it on target with swerve the ‘keeper’s not going to get it or he’s going to make a mess of it. I didn’t expect him to be out of the picture completely.”

Everyone on the team knows they need to work on it: playing to the whistle. I talked to Indy head coach Martin Rennie after the game and asked him what they talked about at halftime. “It was more like a rant,” he replied. That is what you would expect when a team plays well for 43 minutes, then takes its foot off the gas early and erases part of the lead it worked so hard to get.

“At 2-nil we felt very comfortable,” Rennie said. “We were playing well. We knew we were the better team. We didn’t track well from midfield, they won the second ball, then we didn’t track a runner from midfield and they got a goal. At halftime it wasn’t so much a conversation, but a rant to make sure that we don’t do that. You have to respect the game. You have to respect the opponent. You have to respect the whole game until the last minute, whether that be halftime or the end of the game. We didn’t do that. We let down just a little bit and we got punished. It made the game much harder than it should have been. At 2-nil we felt like we were playing very well and we were comfortable. I thought in the second half we managed the game well and had a few good chances, and didn’t give up too many.”

The Eleven have been great defensively considering the musical chairs that has been going on. They can get a little loose, and collectively have been lucky that other teams haven’t gotten a few more lucky bounces. Indy was the better side for most of the first frame Saturday, just like in North Carolina the previous week. Complacency is something to watch for as this relatively new team starts to find its way.

What is also abundantly clear is that the Indy Eleven are not yet firing on all cylinders. There is room for improvement and cohesion. The coaching staff is clear to point that out when you read the subtext of a Phil Dos Santos tweet:

@IndyEleven Important 3 pts today. This team is growing each day. We are learning how to win under different and difficult circumstances. Big thanks to all our fans for the amazing support @sh19indy @The_BYB

— Phillip Dos Santos (@Dos_Santos_Phil) April 15, 2018

Learning and growing are great characteristics for teams on a pathway to success. This is nothing to be ashamed of. The Eleven have three wins from four games. They have not yet played to their full potential. USL take note: Soony Saad is wearing a bow tie.

Follow Aaron on Twitter: @AGunyon.

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Photo credit: Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography

On a roster chock-full of them, a few new faces were inevitably going to make a significant impact for the Indy Eleven in their USL inauguration. They did, as a starting XI consisting of exactly zero returnees from 2017 helped the Eleven snag three points on the road Saturday against the Richmond Kickers with a 1-0 win.

Jack McInerney provided the game winner with his torso, flinging himself into a dangerous service to the far post from fellow forward Soony Saad.

On the surface, the match statistics supported the notion that the contest was quite evenly played. Ultimately, however, the ability to use the width of the pitch and crispness in the final third proved the main differences between the two sides.

Possession (52-48 percent), total passes (409-377) and crosses (18-17) were practically neck and neck, favoring Richmond by a slight margin. But Indy’s ability to get more out of its forays into opposing territory told a different story.

The Eleven outshot the Kickers 10-6, while also putting three of their efforts on frame compared to Richmond’s one. And half of the hosts’ attempts came from outside the box.

Why on earth might Richmond not have been incredibly sharp in the attack? Well, the Kickers barely even touched the ball in their opponent’s box in a 4-1 thrashing last week at the hands of Bethlehem Steel. In that match, Richmond was essentially forced to all-out retreat and shell up. It wasn’t pretty:

Last week, the Kickers conceded gobs of space & got owned. Here are their heat map & touch map from their 4-1 debacle in Bethlehem. Ugly.

What do most teams do after getting run rampant on? Bunker down & clog mid w/ extra bodies. If I’m Rennie, I’m funneling ball out wide today. pic.twitter.com/ODw8FfSH6L

— Kevin Johnston (@KJboxing) March 24, 2018

That’s not exactly a recipe for clicking on all cylinders in the final third overnight.

As for Indy’s new guys, head coach Martin Rennie rolled ’em out in a 4-2-3-1 with Welsh goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams in net. The Eleven looked relatively in sync considering all the fresh faces and brief amount of time Rennie had to assemble a roster. And it was their tactical approach that was perhaps most impressive.

After conceding so much space up the gut last week, it probably made sense for Richmond to bunker down a little more and play conservatively. Rennie’s been around long enough to know that the best way to dissect a team that clogs the middle is to funnel the ball out wide and attack from the outside in. That’s precisely what Rennie had his side do, and it worked as far as generating the more quality chances on the day. Here are Indy’s heatmap and touchmap via Opta/USLsoccer.com:

While far from a dominant performance by the visitors, it was a winning one. Rennie anticipated Richmond trying to shore up passing lanes in the middle, and his players successfully implemented the game plan and found space.

Despite all the newness — league, coach, squad — Indy delivered a bold statement in its USL debut. Version 3.0 of the club looks like a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.

Photo credit: Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography

The Eleven welcome USL attendance juggernaut FC Cincinnati to town this weekend to christen Lucas Oil Stadium. FC Cincy defeated the Charleston Battery 1-0 on a goal from ex-Indy player Blake Smith in its season opener March 17, then had this past weekend off.

Soc Takes contributor Nipun Chopra will guest on Cincinnati Soccer Talk this week to help preview the match, so be sure to tune in for that.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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Aaron and KJ dive headfirst into an early season Indy Eleven report card, breaking down the goalkeeping, defending, midfield play and forward corps.

The panel takes a few Twitter questions from Eleven supporters before lightly previewing Indy’s upcoming matches against Mississippi Brilla FC and Bethlehem Steel FC.

Thumbnail photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

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Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC center back Hugh Roberts guests on the panel to discuss the fine season his club is having, his background in the game, playing basketball with Indiana Pacers shooting guard Victor Oladipo, his post-soccer career plans and plenty more.

Roberts also hosts his own podcast, Back Yard Footy (BYF), and explains his motivations behind starting it.

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Photo credit: Matt Schlotzhauer/Indy Eleven

Former Indy Eleven striker Eamon Zayed, the club’s all-time leading scorer, is set to join the Charlotte Independence. Charlotte announced the move last week, which won’t become official until Zayed’s P-1 visa is approved, per a press release.

Zayed, a prototypical box striker and prolific scorer, bagged 26 goals across the past two NASL regular seasons for the Eleven. His hat trick on June 11, 2016, that delivered Indy a 4-1 win and an NASL spring championship was dubbed the “Miracle at The Mike.”

Known for scoring in trios on the big stage, Zayed had already earned the nickname “Mr. Hat Trick” for his exploits in Iran prior to coming to the U.S. His knack for finding the back of the net will no doubt aid Charlotte’s attack, either as a volume-scoring starter or an Alan Gordon-like late super sub.

The Irish-Libyan forward penned a heartfelt parting message for Eleven supporters via Twitter on his way out of Indianapolis:

Firstly, a short note of appreciation to Indy, the city and the fans! #🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/qtB16FK3vE

— Eamon Zayed (@EamonZayed) March 23, 2018

The Independence are 2-0 to start the USL season after beating Ottawa Fury FC 4-1 at home in Week 1 and Toronto FC II 2-0 — again at the Sportsplex at Matthews — in Week 2. In fact, Charlotte will host five of its first six matches at home, a recipe for early success in the Eastern Conference table.

The Independence’s schedule gets much more daunting in May, as three of their four matches in the month are away from home. With Eamon Zayed in tow, plenty of other talent around him and a favorable early schedule, look for Charlotte to hold its perch near the top of the standings this spring. And when summer rolls around, we’ll see how good the Independence truly are.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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