Indy Eleven fall on the road for the first time in this year’s preseason in a 1-0 loss to USL League One side Forward Madison FC. A goal from Madison in the second half sees the Boys in Blue with a 1W-1D-1L record as the team heads into the final two preseason matches before the start of the USL Championship season.
“Generally, I’m really happy with how we played, especially within the first hour,” said Indy Eleven Head Coach Martin Rennie. “I thought we played really well. We actually needed to be a little more decisive with our final pass and our finishing, but we created a lot of chances and had a lot on the ball.”
The score remained nil-nil in the first half of the match, but both sides came close to finding the back of the net on multiple occasions.
Madison’s Paulo Junior saw the first look at goal in the 13th minute with a right-footed strike outside Indy’s 18-yard box that landed safely into the arms of Eleven goalkeeper Evan Newton. Indiana’s Team immediately retaliated with a tight shot near the edge of the opponent’s goal from midfielder Matt Watson. Indy forward Thomas Enevoldsen found Watson with a long cross, but the odd-angled attempt ultimately ended over the crossbar in the 14th minute.
Forward Ilija Ilic followed up with an on-frame header three minutes later that Madison goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre did well to contain. Indy continued an offensive onslaught with strong looks in the 26th, 31st, 37th and 40th minutes, barely missing the back of the net with each shot.
Madison found a second opportunity a half hour into the match when former Indy original Don Smart linked up with teammate J.C. Banks for a shot over the goal.
Indy entered the final 45 minutes with little to no changes to its lineup as the Boys in Blue continue to improve their match fitness. However, the hosts made wholesale changes to their on-field appearance with 11 new faces getting minutes. A rejuvenated Madison squad made for a lucky break on a counterattack in the 55th minute when Zaire Bartley opened the home side’s scoring account from the top of Indy’s box.
New faces entered Indy’s squad rotation throughout the remainder of the evening, but it wasn’t enough to neutralize a leading Madison side. The loss comes after a 3-2 win against Major League Soccer expansion club FC Cincinnati 10 days prior.
A loss in preseason means that there are lessons to be learned and preparations to be made before the start of the regular season according to Coach Rennie:
“It’s nice to win all the time in preseason, but end of the day, it’s preseason for a reason. It’s about training. It’s about getting fit. It’s about working on things. You’re not playing the game to not necessarily win it. What I mean by that is you’re not picking the lineup based on winning the game as much as you are seeing who needs a certain number of minutes or who needs to play different positions, and get people up to speed and ready for the season. That’s what this is about.”
Indy will return to home turf four days from now to take on USL League One newcomers Lansing Ignite on Wednesday, February 27 at 2:00 p.m. at Grand Park Events Center.
Don’t miss your chance to see the Boys in Blue this season. Season Ticket packages for the 2019 USL Championship season are on sale now for a low as $99. Get your season ticket package today by visiting www.indyeleven.com/season-tickets or by calling 317-685-1100.
USL Championship Preseason
Indy Eleven 0:1 Forward Madison FC
Friday, February 22, 2018 – 3:00 p.m. EST
Sportscore II – Rockford, IL
Scoring Summary:
MAD – Zaire Bartley 55’
Disciplinary Summary:
IND – Kenney Walker (Yellow card) 82’
Indy Eleven lineup: Evan Newton (GK); Paddy Barrett, Neveal Hackshaw, Macauley King (Trialist 70’), Matt Watson, Josh Penn (Trialist 41’; Trialist 75’), Nico Matern, Kenney Walker, Thomas Enevoldsen, Ilija Ilic (Trialist 60’), Trialist
Forward Madison FC lineup (First Half): Brian Sylvestre (GK); Cristian Diaz, Trialist, Connor Tobin, Carl Schneider, Brandon Eaton, Jeff Michaud, Josiel Nunez, Paulo Junior, Don Smart, J.C. Banks
Forward Madison FC lineup (Second Half): Trialist (GK); Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Vital Nizigiyamana, Trialist, Trialist, Zaire Bartley, Trialist, Brian Bement
Indy Eleven fall on the road for the first time in this year’s preseason in a 1-0 loss to USL League One side Forward Madison FC. A goal from Madison in the second half sees the Boys in Blue with a 1W-1D-1L record as the team heads into the final two preseason matches before the start of the USL Championship season.
“Generally, I’m really happy with how we played, especially within the first hour,” said Indy Eleven Head Coach Martin Rennie. “I thought we played really well. We actually needed to be a little more decisive with our final pass and our finishing, but we created a lot of chances and had a lot on the ball.”
The score remained nil-nil in the first half of the match, but both sides came close to finding the back of the net on multiple occasions.
Madison’s Paulo Junior saw the first look at goal in the 13th minute with a right-footed strike outside Indy’s 18-yard box that landed safely into the arms of Eleven goalkeeper Evan Newton. Indiana’s Team immediately retaliated with a tight shot near the edge of the opponent’s goal from midfielder Matt Watson. Indy forward Thomas Enevoldsen found Watson with a long cross, but the odd-angled attempt ultimately ended over the crossbar in the 14th minute.
Forward Ilija Ilic followed up with an on-frame header three minutes later that Madison goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre did well to contain. Indy continued an offensive onslaught with strong looks in the 26th, 31st, 37th and 40th minutes, barely missing the back of the net with each shot.
Madison found a second opportunity a half hour into the match when former Indy original Don Smart linked up with teammate J.C. Banks for a shot over the goal.
Indy entered the final 45 minutes with little to no changes to its lineup as the Boys in Blue continue to improve their match fitness. However, the hosts made wholesale changes to their on-field appearance with 11 new faces getting minutes. A rejuvenated Madison squad made for a lucky break on a counterattack in the 55th minute when Zaire Bartley opened the home side’s scoring account from the top of Indy’s box.
New faces entered Indy’s squad rotation throughout the remainder of the evening, but it wasn’t enough to neutralize a leading Madison side. The loss comes after a 3-2 win against Major League Soccer expansion club FC Cincinnati 10 days prior.
A loss in preseason means that there are lessons to be learned and preparations to be made before the start of the regular season according to Coach Rennie:
“It’s nice to win all the time in preseason, but end of the day, it’s preseason for a reason. It’s about training. It’s about getting fit. It’s about working on things. You’re not playing the game to not necessarily win it. What I mean by that is you’re not picking the lineup based on winning the game as much as you are seeing who needs a certain number of minutes or who needs to play different positions, and get people up to speed and ready for the season. That’s what this is about.”
Indy will return to home turf four days from now to take on USL League One newcomers Lansing Ignite on Wednesday, February 27 at 2:00 p.m. at Grand Park Events Center.
Don’t miss your chance to see the Boys in Blue this season. Season Ticket packages for the 2019 USL Championship season are on sale now for a low as $99. Get your season ticket package today by visiting www.indyeleven.com/season-tickets or by calling 317-685-1100.
USL Championship Preseason
Indy Eleven 0:1 Forward Madison FC
Friday, February 22, 2018 – 3:00 p.m. EST
Sportscore II – Rockford, IL
Scoring Summary:
MAD – Zaire Bartley 55’
Disciplinary Summary:
IND – Kenney Walker (Yellow card) 82’
Indy Eleven lineup: Evan Newton (GK); Paddy Barrett, Neveal Hackshaw, Macauley King (Trialist 70’), Matt Watson, Josh Penn (Trialist 41’; Trialist 75’), Nico Matern, Kenney Walker, Thomas Enevoldsen, Ilija Ilic (Trialist 60’), Trialist
Forward Madison FC lineup (First Half): Brian Sylvestre (GK); Cristian Diaz, Trialist, Connor Tobin, Carl Schneider, Brandon Eaton, Jeff Michaud, Josiel Nunez, Paulo Junior, Don Smart, J.C. Banks
Forward Madison FC lineup (Second Half): Trialist (GK); Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Vital Nizigiyamana, Trialist, Trialist, Zaire Bartley, Trialist, Brian Bement
