Indianapolis – When halftime ended at Carroll Stadium, the floodgates opened, both for Indy Eleven and the sky. As heavy rain began to fall upon downtown, the Boys in Blue scored two goals in the first ten minutes of the second half to earn a 2-0 win over Forward Madison FC in Prinx Tires USL Cup play.
For much of the first half, Indy Eleven peppered Forward Madison FC’s goal, taking 12 shots and putting five on target under cloudy skies.
The Boys in Blue threatened immediately coming out of halftime. In the 48th minute, Cam Lindley floated in an inswinging free kick toward the back post. Bruno Rendón got under the cross on the right side of the box and headed the ball back toward the crowded six, where Paco Craig towered above a host of bodies to score his first goal of the season on a header.
Just six minutes later, the Boys in Blue were back on the attack. Kian Williams drove down the right sideline and played a through ball to Alejandro Mitrano as he was entering the box. Mitrano made a first-time cutback pass to Jack Blake, whose sliding shot from 12 feet out was parried back into the middle of the box by Madison goalkeeper Tenzing Mansing. Josh O’Brien arrived at the box and put away the rebound for his third goal in all competitions this season.
Throughout the rest of the second half, the Boys in Blue continued to look as threatening as the lightning visible in the distance over north Indianapolis. Indy Eleven had a whopping nine shots on target in the second half.
While Madison had a handful of shots in the later parts of the second half, the Indy Eleven defense stood strong, helping Reice Charles-Cook record his second clean sheet in just his fourth start of the season.
Rendón, who is a finalist for USL-C’s May “Player of the Month” award, was threatening all night long and recorded the game’s only assist. Although his four-game goal-scoring streak ended, he nearly scored midway through the first half. Jack Blake played him through on a quickly taken free kick in the 34th minute, but a last-second sliding tackle by a Madison defender deflected his shot off target.
Rendón still leads all players with 11 goals in the three-year history of the USL Cup, four more than any other player.
15-year-old forward Tyler Lowden made his Indy Eleven debut with four minutes to go, becoming the youngest player to take the pitch with the first-team in franchise history. The Greenwood, Ind., native who attends Center Grove High School was signed to an academy contract just eight days ago.
The final statistics revealed just how dominant the hosts were. Indy Eleven finished with 23 shots, 14 on target, and eight corners.
The Boys in Blue are 1-1-1 in USL Cup Group 4 play with one group game remaining at Lexington SC on June 20.
Indy Eleven resumes USL Championship action at Eastern Conference opponent Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC next Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
The next home game for the Boys in Blue is on Wednesday, June 17 at 7 p.m. vs. Brooklyn FC. It is a 317 Night, so fans can purchase $11 tickets online.
Ticket options include the new Desnuda Tequila Deck (sold out for this match), Family Four-Packs, and Flex Mini-Plans.
Located on the East Deck, the Desnuda Tequila Deck has an exclusive full-service bar and high-top seating providing panoramic pitch-side views for 50 people. It’s a social experience offering a wonderful place to hang out and take in the game! Desnuda Tequila Deck seats start at $59 and include one FREE cocktail and bottomless chips, salsa, and guac.
The Family Four-Pack is available for all 2026 home games and can be purchased online only. Priced at just $49, the Family Four-Pack includes four tickets, FREE parking, $20 in Concession Vouchers, and a 20% Merchandise Discount, along with access to the Fun Zone/Kids Activation Area.
Flex Mini Plans include vouchers to be redeemed for any 2026 regular season home match.
For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
- Prinx Tires USL Cup
- Indy Eleven 2:0 Forward Madison FC
- Sat., June 6, 2026 – 7:00 p.m.
- Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis
- Weather: Cloudy, 83 degrees
- Attendance: 8,586
- Prinx Tires USL Cup Records
- Indy Eleven: 1-1-1 (+1), 5 pts, #4 in Group 4
- Forward Madison FC: 0-3-0 (-5), 0 pts, #7 in Group 4
- Scoring Summary
- IND – Paco Craig (Bruno Rendón) 48’
- IND – Josh O’Brien 54’
- Discipline Summary
- MAD – Roman Torres (caution) 12’
- IND – Aodhan Quinn (caution) 21’
- MAD – Jaylen Shannon (caution) 47’
- MAD – Coach Matt Glaeser (caution) 49’
- MAD – Geni Kanyane (caution) 50’
- MAD – Kerfalla Toure (caution) 58’
- IND – Josh O’Brien (caution) 68’
Indy Eleven Line-Up: Reice Charles-Cook, Aodhan Quinn (captain) (Alejandro Mitrano 36’), Makel Rasheed, Paco Craig, Logan Neidlinger, Jack Blake, Cam Lindley (Mohamed Omar 61’), Josh O’Brien, Kian Williams (Tyler Lowden 86’), Edward Kizza (Dylan Sing 61’), Bruno Rendón (Hesron Barry 86’).
Indy Eleven Subs Not Used: Eric Dick, Loïc Mesanvi.
Forward Madison FC Line-Up: Tenzig Manske, Geni Kanyane, Kerfalla Toure, Hakim Karamoko, Jaylen Shannon, Hakim Karamoko (Derek Gebhard 45’), Mark Segbers (Eddie Munjoma 62’), Kage Romanshyn (Collin McCamy 69’), Roman Torres (Jackson Castro 62’), Clandel N’goubou (Stephen Annor 45’), Ryan Carmichael.
Forward Madison FC Not Used: JT Harms, Kevin Carmichael.
Quotes
Coach Sean McAuley
- On second half turnaround
- “We came out with more energy and aggression running towards their goal, and I said to them, at halftime: ‘if you keep a clean sheet, you’re going to get chances, and you’ve got to take them.’ Our play was a lot better as well.”
- On Paco Craig
- “He’s been good for us. He plays a good leadership role in the locker room, he’s a good character, because he helps the younger players. No frills, not fancy, just comes in, does his job. He’s been close a couple of times with set plays now where he’s probably got the first touch of the ball, and we’ve completed the goal with the second touch, but I’m really pleased that he’s in his run of form.”
- On Kian Williams and Alejandro Mitrano in the lineup
- “Kian in the second half was good, and he gave us an attacking threat down that side. Alejandro Mitrano, when he came on, was good, because he played on the front four and his passes into the front players were good. He got forward, and they played probably a little bit more in tandem, and in the second half they got it, and it proved to them that if we get overloads in wide areas and put the ball in the box, we will create chances.”
- On Reice Charles-Cook
- “His organization and his distribution are good, and I’m really pleased for him, because he’s a fantastic support system for Eric. We know that he’s good enough to play in the games, but we know that we’ve got Eric, who’s one of the top keepers in the league. I think Reice’s biggest attribute for the team is what he also offers us Monday through Friday, and his training habits, personality, and leadership role, even from the sideline, is fantastic for us, and I’m sure Eric appreciates that.”
- On positive team dynamic
- “We’ve worked hard on trying to create that, and obviously we allow the camaraderie to develop and to build, but that all goes down to the players. They work for each other, they fight for each other, they found a way that can get them success individually and collectively as a team.”
Josh O’Brien
- On second half turnaround
- “I think at halftime we just got together and said we must keep on going how we finish the first half. That’s sort of how we went into the second half and scored early on that set piece, and then just carried that momentum going forward, and especially on loose ball duels, we were much better with that in the second half.”
- On what has worked well personally
- “I’m training every day with some of the best midfielders in the league, so I take advice from them. And even though Quinny’s playing left back now, he still helps me a lot about the midfield role. They make it easy for me.”
- On team culture
- “There are no bad eggs in the group, and everyone works hard. Everyone is there to support each other when one person makes a mistake on and off the field. So, it’s a great group, and we just got to keep it going.”
Paco Craig
- On what has clicked during his time with Indy Eleven
- “Gaffer has really been able to do a good job of simplifying my role. On the pitch, football can be as complicated as you make it, but it’s actually a very simple thing. He’s done a good job of clearly asking very simple things of me on the pitch, and that helps me keep a clear head and focus on my job, and that I’ve been able to translate well. On top of that, the players around me, Cam in front of me, Quinny next to me, they’re essential players to our group. They make my life so much easier. Cam is a general who runs all the way around the pitch everywhere, to be honest with him, I feel like my life is 10 times easier.”
