#SDvIND Preview
Indy Eleven at San Diego Loyal SC
Saturday, June 25, 2022 – 10:00 p.m. ET
Torrero Stadium – San Diego, Calif.
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Radio (Spanish): N/A
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed, presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers
Live stats: #SDvIND MatchCenter on USLChampionship.com
2022 USL CHAMPIONSHIP REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
Indy Eleven: 6W-5L-3D (+2 GD), 21 pts.; 7th in Eastern Conference
San Diego Loyal SC: 7W-4L-4D (+6 GD), 25 pts.; 3rd in Western Conference
COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK SPORTS MEDICINE INJURY REPORT
OUT: none
QUESTIONABLE: FW Aris Briggs (shin)
DISCIPLINE REPORT
IND: none
SD: none
Indy Eleven closes out a four-match, month-long road trip this Saturday in Southern California, where Indiana’s Team will face off for the first time with San Diego Loyal SC. The Boys in Blue, still sitting in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, are coming off of a 4-3 loss at West-leading Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, while San Diego fell 2-1 to Las Vegas Lights last Sunday.
After a late-night kickoff last week in Colorado and a near-midnight finish due to a lightning delay in Miami the week prior, it will be another week of “USL After Dark” action for fans in the Hoosier State, with a 10:00 p.m. Eastern time kickoff slated for the match on the West Coast. The Eleven will return home and settle into the swanky new turf surface at Carroll Stadium next Saturday, July 2 against The Miami FC (and even that will bring with it a slightly later 7:30 p.m. kickoff just to continue the theme).
The biggest question for Head Coach Mark Lowry’s squad may just be who will get the gloves in goal after the last four outings have seen rotation at the position. After Tim Trilk took over goalkeeping duties in Miami, Bryan Meredith returned between the posts against Colorado Springs, his second start in an Indy Eleven shirt. Neither Trilk nor Meredith have made consecutive starts for Indy since Elliot Panicco was recalled on loan by Nashville SC late last month.
Despite the loss last weekend, the team extended its club-record scoring streak to 12 games despite not having the services of leading scorer Stefano Pinho. After scoring multiple goals in only 8 of 32 games in 2021, Indy has already done so in six of its 14 games so far this season, including a pair of three-goal efforts across the first three games of its current away swing.
Loyal SC sit 3rd in the Western Conference but have won just one of their six previous matches. Former Boy in Blue Nick Moon joined San Diego this season after spending the last two with Indy Eleven, and is second in assists for Loyal SC with three so far this season.
Currently sitting on 25 points along with three other squads, Head Coach Landon Donovan’s squad will be looking for a three-point result that could separate it a bit from the pack and also help keep pace with breakaway leaders Colorado Springs and San Antonio FC, both sitting six points ahead and with at least a game in hand. The squad’s 5-2-0 mark at Torero Stadium could bolster Loyal SC’s confidence, but Indy’s sturdy 2-2-2 away ledger since dropping its first two matches of the campaign ensures the Boys in Blue will be no pushovers when they hit the left coast.
LAST TIME OUT
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 4 : 3 Indy Eleven
Sat., June 18 | Recap & Highlights | Stats
Indy Eleven fought to the finish in a freewheeling 4-3 defeat against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Weidner Field last Saturday. A comeback effort capped by Manuel Arteaga’s second of the night in the 90th minute was not enough for the Boys in Blue, as the team fell on the road against the top team in the Western Conference.
After a 17th minute opener from Michee Ngalina, the first of his two for Colorado Springs, Arteaga capitalized on a costly turnover in the final third to even things up just 11 minutes later. Indy nearly snuck into the locker rooms all square, but a penalty kick conversion by Hadji Barry in first half stoppage time put the home side back up at the break.
The resilient Boys in Blue evened again just past the hour mark through Raul Aguilera’s first-time strike, his second of the season. However, the deadlock was short-lived as Zachary Zandi (66’) and Ngalina (69’) hit home in short succession, providing a deficit that Indy ran out of time to overcome.
San Diego Loyal SC 1 : 2 Las Vegas Lights FC
Sat., June 11 | Stats
After taking an early 1-0 lead thanks to an Alejandro Guido goal in 7th minute, San Diego suffered just its second loss in seven home matches via a 2-1 loss to Las Vegas. Cal Jennings’ 17th minute tally quickly equalized for the visitors, while a 68’ goal from Danny Trejo (no, not that one) made the difference, snapping Loyal SC’s three-game unbeaten stretch.
SERIES VS. SAN DIEGO LOYAL SC
Saturday is the first-ever meeting between Indy Eleven and San Diego Loyal SC, making the SoCal side the sixth of eight new opponents this season for Indiana’s Team. While the sides have shared a USLC presence since 2020, they’ve yet to square off due to COVID travel restrictions during San Diego’s inaugural campaign and limited cross-conference scheduling in 2021. The Boys in Blue are 2W-2L-1D in four matches with first-time opponents this season:
vs. LA Galaxy II (1-1 D on 4/02)
at Rio Grande Valley FC (2-1 W on 4/09)
vs. Orange County SC (3-1 W 4/30)
vs. New Mexico United (2-1 L 5/28)
at Colorado Springs Switchbacks SC (4-3 L 6/18)
at San Diego Loyal (6/25)
vs. San Antonio FC (8/27)
at Monterey Bay F.C. (9/17)
The Eleven also have two familiar opponents on the schedule that they did not meet in USL Championship competition prior to this season in The Miami FC (1-1 D on 6/08, return match on 7/02), who Indy faced in NASL, and Detroit City FC (vs. 7/09, at 9/03), who the team saw in a friendly back in 2019.
ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH: FW MANUEL ARTEAGA
Manu has been a man on fire during Indy Eleven’s June road trip, notching a brace in the 4-3 defeat at Colorado Springs last week and a hat trick in the 4-3 win over Charleston Battery earlier in the month. Despite the defeat, Arteaga was named to the honorable mention “bench” for the USL Championship Team of the Week after his most recent performance and could be the key to the IXI keeping up with a strong San Diego side – especially if fellow forward Stefano Pinho’s availability is again up in the air as it was last weekend.
After missing the first four games of the season and coming off the bench in the next four, Arteaga has made up for lost time, matching Pinho’s team high of 22 shots and pacing the team alone with 14 shots on target. If his recent form is any indication, the Venezuelan will be well worth staying up to watch in this late-night fixture on the West Coast.
