Preview | #LOUvIND

Boys in Blue looking to recapture magic from 2021 #LIPAFC series win

#LOUvIND Preview   
Indy Eleven at Louisville City FC 
Saturday, March 26, 2022 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Lynn Family Stadium – Louisville, KY

FOLLOW LIVE
Local/National TV: N/A
Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)   
Radio (Spanish): N/A 
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed, presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers    
Live stats: #LOUvIND MatchCenter on USLChampionship.com 

2022 USL CHAMPIONSHIP REGULAR SEASON RECORDS 
Indy Eleven: 0W-2L-0D (-3 GD), 0 pts.; T-12th in Eastern Conference 
Louisville City FC: 3W-0L-1D (5 GD), 9 pts.; 1st in Eastern Conference 

COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK SPORTS MEDICINE INJURY REPORT
OUT: FW Manuel Arteaga (knee), MF Ayoze (ankle)

DISCIPLINE REPORT
OUT: MF Raul Aguilera (red card in 59’ on 3/19 @ TBR)

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY
MF Neveal Hackshaw – Trinidad & Tobago (3/25 vs. Barbados & 3/29 vs. Guyana)
DF Alex McQueen – Grenada (3/23 at Gibraltar, 3/28 at Andorra)
DF Noah Powder – Trinidad & Tobago (3/25 vs. Barbados & 3/29 vs. Guyana)

GAME NOTES (PDF DOWNLOADS):

Indy Eleven heads to the wrong side of the Ohio River on Saturday looking to reap some rewards from its three-game road trip to start the 2022 USL Championship campaign. After facing off four times in each of the last two COVID-adjusted seasons, Saturday’s match marks the first of only two Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contests in 2022, a series that went Indy Eleven’s way for the first time in four tries last season.

LAST TIME OUT

Tampa Bay Rowdies  2 : 0  Indy Eleven

Sat., March 19  | Recap  |  Stats  |  Highlights

Indy Eleven fell victim to the defending Eastern Conference champs in the Florida side’s home opener at Al Lang Stadium. Despite four saves from goalkeeper Elliot Panicco, Indiana’s Team could not overcome a pair of concessions, a task made tougher when midfielder Raul Aguilera’s second yellow card of the match near the hour mark put the Eleven down a man for the last half hour. 

Tampa Bay stunned Indy to start the match just 35 seconds in, when Juan Tejada gave the home side a dream start by slamming home from just inside the six. It was another early-half tally for Tampa Bay that doubled the advantage in the 51^st minute, with Tejada setting up Jake LaCava’s eight yard finish.

Despite going down to ten men following Aguilera’s red in the 59^th, Indiana’s Team found solid chances on goal across the final ten minutes, starting in the 84th when Jonas Fjeldberg forced CJ Cochran into his first save of the night with a first time effort from 12 yards out. In the 88^th minute, substitute midfielder Justin Ingram’s corner to the back post found Jared Timmer at the six, but the Butler alum’s snap header from the six was snared by Cochran on his line.

New York Red Bulls  0 : 2  Louisville City FC

Wed., March 23  | Recap  |  Stats  |  Highlights

Louisville City FC continued their hot start to the season in a mid-week road trip out east that marked its first away match of 2022. LouCity started the match in dominant fashion, controlling the ball 68% of the time throughout the first 30 minutes, which paid off with Ray Serrano’s 18^th minute  game-winner that opened the 19-year-old’s professional scoring account. The game was iced by LouCity forward Wilson Harris in the 86^th minute on a free kick just outside the box.

#LIPAFC SERIES HISTORY

All official competitions: 4W-8L-5D (17 GF/28 GA)
   *** Includes USL regular season, USL Playoffs & U.S. Open Cup
All competitions at home: 3W-5L-1D (7GF/14 GA)
All competitions away: 1W-3L-4D (10 GF/14 GA)

USL Championship regular season: 3W-5L-5D (13 GF/18 GA)
USLC regular season at home: 2W-3L-1D (4 GF/8 GA)
USLC regular season away: 1W-2L-4D (9 GF/10 GA)

Not only did Indy Eleven manage to snap a painful 10-game winless streak in LIPAFC play during 2021, but the Boys in Blue also managed to capture the season series for the first time in four USL Championship campaigns via a 2W-1L-1D ledger. Most of that damage done by Indiana’s Team was actually accomplished on the wrong side of the river, as Indy Eleven captured four points via a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Lynn Family Stadium to start the series in late May and a wild 3-3 draw to follow in June. While LouCity evened the series in September with a 2-0 win at Carroll Stadium, it was Manuel Arteaga’s 86^th minute tally in the finale in October that gave the Eleven a 1-0 win that swung the series in favor of the Boys in Blue.

The two sides will close meet in Indy for the return trip in the 2022 series on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at The Mike.

#LIPAFC FAMILIAR FACES

Fans will see a familiar face suited up for LouCity, as former Indy Eleven midfielder Tyler Gibson has remained on the Kentucky side’s roster for a second season in 2022. Gibson was a heavy contributor for the Boys in Blue during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, tallying two assists in 2019 while leading the club in minutes played and appearances in both campaigns.

While he’s not a familiar face to LouCity fans, Indy Eleven does have one link to Kentucky in goalkeeper Elliot Panicco, who is a native of Paducah located in the western portion of the Bluegrass State.

ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH: MF JONAS FJELDBERG

If Indy Eleven is to find its attacking footing, don’t be surprised if its Fjeldberg leading the charge. Fjeldberg has shown a willingness to take matters into his own hands – his three shots currently tops the team – but the attacking midfielder’s ability to make things happen around the penalty area for others will be equally as vital to unlocking the full potential of the Eleven offense. Fjeldberg’s small sample size last season while on loan from FC Cincinnati with Rio Grande Valley (3 goals, 2 assists in 8 games) proved he has what it takes to produce results in the Championship, and there would be no better time for him to help jumpstart the Eleven attack than in a huge rivalry showdown.