#LDNvIND Opens Curtain on 2022 USL Championship Campaign
#LDNvIND GAMEDAY PREVIEW
Indy Eleven at Loudoun United FC
Saturday, March 12, 2022 – 6:00 p.m. ET
Segra Field – Leesburg, Va.
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: #LDNvIND MatchCenter on USLChampionship.com
Fans, rejoice! After waiting 133 days following the conclusion of its 2021 USL Championship campaign, Indy Eleven returns to action Saturday at Loudoun United FC in an evening affair that will open the curtain on the Championship’s 459-game regular season slate in 2022.
The last two seasons have seen Indy Eleven’s play largely limited to regional rivals after the USL Championship split its teams into smaller divisions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the league reverting back to a 34-game season that includes intra-conference home-and-away series and the remaining balance against cross-conference opposition, Indy Eleven will be keen to start the year on the front foot as it reintroduces itself to Eastern and Western Conference foes old and new.
A lot has changed since the Boys in Blue last took to the pitch …
New Coach in Town
Saturday’s match will be the first official outing for Indy Eleven under the helm of Head Coach Mark Lowry, who was appointed to his new role near the start of the offseason last November. The 36-year-old comes to the Circle City after leading Western Conference side El Paso Locomotive FC through three consecutive postseason berths, including two trips to the Western Conference Final.
Lowry accumulated an impressive 40W-26-16L ledger during his three-year stint with the South Texas side, marking the fourth most USL Championship coaching wins in that time. Lowry was also shortlisted for the Coach of the Year honor last year having lost a league-low four games and led his former team to the top of the Mountain Division with 61 points.
After two years outside the playoff picture, Lowry came to the Circle City vowing to instill a winning culture inside the Eleven locker room. While results are not of paramount importance during the preseason schedule, early results have been promising, with Lowry’s squad ending its eight-game exhibition slate with a 5W-1L-2D record.
Welcome to the Team …
The returns of defenders Karl Ouimette, Jared Timmer and AJ Cochran; midfielders Neveal Hackshaw, Nicky Law and Ayoze; and forward Manuel Arteaga provided a core for Coach Lowry to build from thorough the offseason. However, with new leadership came a swarm of new names on the Boys in Blue roster, 16 (and counting) to be exact.
Amongst that new group are a few players that have been a part of Lowry’s stateside coaching career. Defender Mechack Jérôme and midfielder Bryam Rebellon joined Indiana’s Team after successful stints at El Paso Locomotive and Jacksonville Armada FC (NASL/NPSL), both veterans under the tutelage of Coach Lowry. Midfielder Raul Aguilera is another familiar face having been a product of Orlando City SC’s youth system during Lowry’s time as an academy coach (2012-15). Aguilera went on to eventually sign a homegrown contract with the Major League Soccer side before making the move to the Midwest.
Fostering youth development has been a key factor in Lowry’s roster build heading into the 2022 season. Seven members of the Boys in Blue are currently on USL Academy contracts, including midfielder Bryce Warhaft, who earned a spot on the roster after attending Indy Eleven’s 2022 Open Tryout in January and impressed throughout the preseason. In similar fashion, forward Luca Iaccino is considered one of the top prospects in the region due to the success he’s found with Chicago-based Sockers FC and the Chicago Fire Academy. Palmer Ault may be name fans are familiar with, as the forward scored two goals and an assist en route to Indy Eleven’s championship claim in the inaugural USL Academy Final last December. Moreover, three of Indy Eleven academy prospects are returning for their second season with the club (Ecris Revolorio, Aiden Benitez, Diego Sanchez), while goalkeeper Alex Svetanoff is returning for his third before he departs for the University of Louisville this fall.
Series History vs. Loudoun United FC
Overall record: 2W-1L-0D (5 GF/5 GA)
Away record: 1W-1L-0D (3 GF/5 GA)
Indy Eleven’s first two games against Loudoun came during the Virginian side’s 2019 Inaugural Season, and both went the Eleven’s way, starting with a 2-1 win at D.C. United’s (then) new home of Audi Field in the District on June 15. In that one, Tyler Pasher struck with one minute left in regulation to complete a comeback that started with Nelson Martinez’s 66th minute own goal. Just over a month later on July 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Pasher provided a late insurance goal that supported Thomas Enevoldsen’s 81st minute game-winner in a 2-0 victory.
Last season saw Loudoun serve as one of four “crossover” games for Indy Eleven outside of the Central Division, and the squad’s first visit to Segra Field was a tough one as United took the full points with a 4-1 win. Sammy Sergi’s late first half brace (43’, 45+1’) put Indy behind the eight-ball heading into the break, and by the time DF Karl Ouimette was able to put the Eleven on the board in the 79th minute United had already doubled its advantage minutes prior through Darluis Paz (73’) and Theodore Ku-DiPietro (76’).
The squads will reconvene late in the season at Carroll Stadium for the return match in Indy on September 25.
Player to Watch: MF Neveal Hackshaw
If you didn’t catch it above, perhaps one of the biggest changes the Indy Eleven faithful will notice in 2022 is a new position for one of the squad’s longest tenured players – although it’s a role that Hackshaw is indeed familiar with.
Lowry has the Trinidad & Tobago international slotted for the deep sitting role in a 4-man “diamond” midfield formation, which should be an easy translation for Hackshaw after playing more of a defensive mid role while with the Soca Warriors in recent years. While Hackshaw proved to be one of the Championship’s premier left backs since joining Indiana’s Team in 2019, this new role could unlock even more of Hackshaw’s underrated passing and vision – while also allowing him to utilize his immense physicality in the middle of the pitch.
There will also be one more “new-ish” role for Neveal in 2022, and again its one he’s familiar with. After donning the captain’s armband on sporadic occasions across his first three seasons with the Eleven, Lowry has named “Hack” a team captain alongside Ayoze for the 2022 season, allowing the 26-year-old the opportunity to tackle even more responsibility … perhaps while he does a little more tackling on the field as well.