Meeting versus Defending NISA Champion Starts Hopeful U.S. Open Cup Run for Indiana’s Team
#INDvMICH Preview
Indy Eleven vs. Michigan Stars FC (NISA)
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Second Round
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. ET
IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
FOLLOW LIVE
Local TV: n/a
Streaming Video: n/a
Radio: n/a
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
Tickets available at indyeleven.com/tickets
2023 REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
Indy Eleven: 1W-0L-2D (+1 GD), 5 pts.; T-5th in USL Championship Eastern Conference
Michigan Stars FC: 0W-0L-1D (0 GD), 1 pt.; T-4th in NISA
COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK SPORTS MEDICINE INDY ELEVEN INJURY REPORT
OUT: None
QUESTIONABLE: FW Jonas Fjeldberg (L toe injury)
DISCIPLINE REPORT
IND: none
MICH: none
The middle match of Indy Eleven’s three-game, weeklong homestand comes Wednesday in the form of the club’s 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup debut against Michigan Stars FC. Indy’s first-ever contest against competition from the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) will mark a Second Round affair, and if successful the Boys in Blue will learn their next opponent not too long afterwards with U.S. Soccer planning its Third Round draw to drop on Thursday evening.
Indy’s scoreless draw Saturday night against Las Vegas Lights FC didn’t reflect the Eleven’s dominance on the evening, and you can rest assured heading into Wednesday that Head Coach Mark Lowry will impress upon his squad the importance of finishing off an opponent when given the chance – especially in a single-elimination tournament.
The biggest question for Lowry will be what to do with his lineup, as early rounds of the U.S. Open Cup often times provide the opportunity to rest some legs and get early-season minutes for numerous players. While drop off in quality may be a concern for some clubs in such situations, with names like Juan Tejada, Harrison Robledo, Mechack Jerome, Gustavo Rissi, Alann Torres, and Tim Trilk waiting in the wings, Lowry should have no reservations should he look to freshen up his side. Then throw in a healthy – or at least healthier – Robby Dambrot and recent USL Academy Cup victors Diego Sanchez and Benji Chavarria into the mix and the ability to turn over nearly the entire starting XI is in play for Lowry should he look to do so.
There’s no guarantees you’ll see much change, though, as Lowry is also acutely aware of the need to change Indy Eleven’s tough fortunes from its seven previous Open Cup runs. Those difficulties carried over into his first season at the helm last April via an opening game exit to St. Louis CITY 2 in a 0-2 defeat at Carroll Stadium, which brought the Eleven’s all-time record in the competition to 3W-6L-1D. Needless to say there are enough alarm bells sounding for the club to be taking the opposition, the match, and the competition seriously that whomever takes the field for Lowry should be dialed in from the jump at “The Mike” on Wednesday.
As for Michigan Stars FC, the defending NISA champion began their 2023 campaign last weekend with a 1-1 draw on the road at newcomer Savannah Clovers FC. In that one, Noah Robinson gave Michigan the lead for all of six minutes, as his 36th minute opener was negated before the match could reach halftime. While a glance at the Stars FC roster may not provide names that jump off the page to USL Championship followers, one player to pay attention to is goalkeeper Tatenda Mkuruva, who co-led NISA in 2022 with 11 clean sheets and has made 16 caps for Zimbabwe’s senior national team.
SERIES VS. MICHIGAN STARS FC:
First meeting
Quick side note: do not confuse Michigan Stars FC (which began play in the NPSL in 2013 as FC Sparta Michigan, rebranded to Stars FC in 2014 and continued in the NPSL until 2019, when it joined NISA) with the Michigan Bucks (formerly the Mid-Michigan Bucks, now the Flint City Bucks) side that defeated the Eleven 1-0 in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup’s Second Round.
Wednesday will also mark the first match for Indy Eleven against an opponent from NISA, and the third ever against a squad from a U.S. Soccer-recognized Division III squad:
- In 2019, Indy Eleven led off its Open Cup run with a shorthanded 1-0 Second Round win over USL League One side Lansing Ignite FC at Butler University’s Sellick Bowl. That match turned out to serve as Jordan Farr’s coming out party after an Evan Newton first half red card, with the goalkeeper’s clean sheet in his pro debut helping Thomas Enevoldsen’s 57th minute goal stand up tall.
- In last year’s Second Round on April 5, St. Louis CITY 2 flew the banner proudly for the nascent MLS NEXT Pro circuit by posting a 2-0 shutout win over Indy at Carroll Stadium, featuring goals by former Pittsburgh Riverhound Ezra Armstrong and ex-Sporting KC II striker Wan Kuzain.
ALL TIME RECORDS IN USOC PLAY:
Overall Record: 3W-6L-1D (10 GF/13 GA)
Home Record: 3W-2L-0D (8 GF/7 GA)
Away Record: 0W-4L-1D (2 GF/6 GA)
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/MLS NEXT Pro/NISA): 1W-1L-0D (1 GF/2 GA)
Record vs. Div. 4 (NPSL/USL2): 1W-2L-0D (5 GF/4 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)
ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH: FW JUAN TEJADA
While we’ll learn about the line-up when you do about 60 minutes prior to kickoff on Wednesday, we’ll go out on a limb and guess that the Panamanian whirlwind will be scratched into Lowry’s line-up sheet in the first XI.
Even if he doesn’t end up on the scoresheet, Tejada’s ability to influence the match in ways both obvious and subtle warrant a watch – especially with what should amount to starters’ minutes. Tejada has featured off the substitute’s bench in all three league matches thus far, and his usual boundless energy in the team’s defensive press as well as his willingness to shoot and make runs in the final third could see him help set the tone for the Boys in Blue at both ends against Michigan.
