Eleven Returns to U.S. Soccer’s National Championship Following Tournament’s Two-year Hiatus
#INDvSTL Preview
Indy Eleven vs. St. Louis CITY2
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Second Round
Tuesday, April 5, 2022 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
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2022 REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
Indy Eleven: 0W-2L-2D (-3 GD), 2 pts.; T-12th in USL Championship Eastern Conference
St. Louis CITY2: 1W-0L-0D (+2 GD), 3 pts.; T-5th in MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference
COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK SPORTS MEDICINE INJURY REPORT
OUT: FW Manuel Arteaga (knee), MF Ayoze (ankle)
DISCIPLINE REPORT
None
For the first time in nearly three years – 1,043 days, to be exact – Indy Eleven will take to the field in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play when it welcomes the nascent St. Louis CITY2 side of MLS NEXT Pro to IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium on Tuesday evening.
IXI OPEN CUP HISTORY
Tuesday marks the start of Indy Eleven’s seventh run in what will be the 107th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, named for one of the biggest influences in the modern era of American soccer. Indy has advanced from its opener in half of its previous six appearances – and each time fell to heartbreaking results on the road in its second outing in the competition.
The last such occasion came back in 2019, when Indy Eleven opened with a 1-0 victory over USL League One side Lansing Ignite FC 1-0 at Butler University’s Sellick Bowl on May 15. A trip to fellow USL Championship side Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC followed on May 29, when Kenardo Forbes’ 85th goal marked the only scoring in a 0-1 defeat at Highmark Stadium.
Tuesday’s match will mark the fourth LHUSOC match for Indy Eleven at Carroll Stadium, where Indiana’s Team has gone 2W-1L-0D with one match each from 2014-16. The squad’s 5-2 Third Round triumph over Dayton Dutch Lions (NPSL) on May 28, 2014, marked the Eleven’s first win in an official competition, which was followed by a split of Third Round matches that marked the first LIPAFC rivalry rows with Louisville City FC in the following campaigns – an 0-2 added extra time loss (May 27, 2015) and a 2-1 comeback win (June 1, 2016).
Here’s some more facts and figures covering the U.S. Open Cup history of the Boys in Blue …
Overall LHUSOC Record: 3W-5L-1D (10 GF/11 GA)
Home Record: 3W-1L-0D (8 GF/5 GA)
Away Record: 0W-4L-1D (2 GF/6 GA)
Record in Added Time Games: 0W-2L-1D
- 6/17/14 @ Columbus Crew (1-2 L)
- 5/27/15 vs. Louisville City FC (0-2 L)
- 6/15/16 @ Chicago Fire (1-1 D)
Record in Penalties: 0W-1L
- 6/15/16 @ Chicago Fire (CHI 4:3 IND)
Record vs. Div. 1 (MLS): 0W-1L-1D (2 GF/3 GA)
Record vs. Div. 2 (NASL/USLC): 1W-2L-0D (2 GF/4 GA)
Record vs. Div. 3 (USL1): 1W-0L-0D (1 GF/0 GA)
Record vs. Div. 4 (NPSL/USL2): 1W-2L-0D (5 GF/4 GA)
LAST TIME OUT
Indy Eleven 1 : 1 LA Galaxy II
Sat., April 2 | Recap | Stats | Highlights
While it wasn’t the win Indy Eleven was hoping for in its first run out at IUPUI Carroll Stadium in 2022, Raul Aguilera’s 61st minute goal helped Indiana’s Team gain a point from a 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy II on Saturday evening.
Indy Eleven stormed out of the gate and created nine shots in a dangerous opening 45 minutes, but slick and windy conditions contributed to missing the target on all its attempts, with a pair by forwards Stefano Pinho and Jonas Fjeldberg proving most threatening.
The Eleven would rue the missed chances with 10 minutes to go in the half, when goalkeeper Elliot Panicco swiped away Cam Dunbar’s back post cross only as far as Michael Salazar, who was lurking at the edge of the six and swept home from a near angle to give the visitors the 1-0 advantage.
The start of the second half wasn’t nearly as frantic as the first, but Aguilera’s goal on the stroke of the hour mark sparked the match back to life. With LA goalkeeper Richard Salazar off his line to try and stop Fjeldberg’s attempt at the penalty spot, Aguilera possessed, gained a sliver of space and placed a low shot towards an open net through traffic and inside the back post to even the proceedings. The chances would dry up after this, and the match would conclude in a 1-1 draw.
St. Louis CITY2 2 : 0 Rochester New York FC
Fri., March 25 | Recap | Stats & Highlights
St. Louis CITY2 would put two on the board to post a victory in the Inaugural Game of the new MLS NEXT Pro circuit at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on the campus of Saint Louis University. It was former Sporting KC II standout Wan Kuzain who etched his name in St Louis CITY2 and MLS NEXT Pro history in the 19th minute after pouncing on a loose ball in the box to score the game’s first goal. CITY2 continued pushing for the second goal and found it through Vitor Dias from the penalty spot in the 60th minute.
The match changed in the 67th minute after defender Ezra Armstrong received his second yellow card, leaving STL CITY2 a man down for the final 20-plus minutes. After the dismissal, Rochester, who had barely generated any significant chances to that point, were suddenly on the front foot, but an intense STL CITY2 effort spurred on by a sellout crowd of 6,012 helped keep the visitors at bay and sealed their historic first MLS NEXT Pro win of the season.
#INDvSTL CITY2 SERIES HISTORY
All official competitions: First meeting
While Indy Eleven had a three-year relationship with now defunct USL Championship side St. Louis FC from 2018-20, as St. Louis CITY2 is a brand spanking new club (they come to the Circle City only 11 days removed from their Inaugural Match in MLS NEXT Pro action) one might assume there would be no history between the squads. However, the two did face off behind closed doors in a preseason tilt back on February 25 at Grand Park in Westfield, where defender Karl Ouimette’s 68th minute goal quickly countered a tally five minutes prior by the visitors and resulted in a 1-1 draw.
The nature of preseason exhibitions means there might not be much to glimpse from that meeting, but it also means neither side comes into the USOC affair flying completely blind when it comes to personnel and tactics. Here’s how the Eleven lined up that day at Grand Park:
(4-4-2) Tim Trilk; Noah Powder, A.J. Cochran Karl Ouimette 63’), Mechack Jerome (Sam Brown 63’) , Alex McQueen (Jared Timmer 63’); Nicky Law, Neveal Hackshaw, Guest MF #1, Justin Ingram (Bryam Rebellon 63’); Aris Briggs (Guest FW #1, 63’), Stefano Pinho (Raul Aguilera 63’)
FAMILIAR FACES: GATEWAY TO THE WEST EDITION
While there is no direct crossover on either roster between the two clubs given St. Louis CITY2’s brief history, there are several players on the Missouri side that Indy Eleven fans might recognize after suiting up against Indiana’s Team in recent seasons. That includes one player with Hoosier State ties in Akil Watts, the Fort Wayne native who suited up for Louisville City FC from 2019-21.
On the flip side, one of American soccer’s premier hotbeds for talent produced Indy Eleven defender A.J. Cochran, who was the Missouri Player of the Year following his senior season at Christian Brothers College High School and also suited up for area club soccer power St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC. Cochran also represented his hometown St. Louis FC side in the USL Championship from 2016-17 before continuing his career in the league with Atlanta United 2, Phoenix Rising FC and now Indy Eleven since last season.
ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH: DF KARL OUIMETTE
With a second match in a four-day span, it’s safe to assume there will be some turnover in Head Coach Mark Lowry’s starting XI – and with that should come a turn for Indy Eleven’s career leader in starts (100) and second-most capped player (107 appearances). Look for Ouimette to spell any one of the four players who put in full shifts on the backline last Saturday – with center backs Mechack Jerome or A.J. Cochran the most likely options – where his veteran presence and organizing abilities will be put to the test. Oh yeah, it doesn’t hurt that Ouimette carries some goal scoring vibes from the two sides’ preseason exhibition encounter from five weeks ago, which was evidence of the danger the Quebecois brings to set piece opportunities.
