Boys in Blue head south for clash with defending Eastern Conference champs
#TBRvIND Preview
Indy Eleven at Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saturday, March 19, 2022 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium – St. Petersburg, Fla.
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: #TBRvIND MatchCenter on USLChampionship.com
2022 USL CHAMPIONSHIP REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
Indy Eleven: 0W-1L-0D (-1 GD), 0 pts.; T-9th in Eastern Conference
Tampa Bay Rowdies: 0W-0L-1D (0 GD), 1 pt.; T-7th in Eastern Conference
COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK SPORTS MEDICINE INJURY REPORT
OUT: FW Manuel Arteaga (knee), MF Ayoze (ankle)
DISCIPLINE REPORT
OUT: DF Alex McQueen (red card in 90’ on 3/12 @ LDN)
GAME NOTES (PDF DOWNLOADS):
After opening the season in the sudden tundra of Northern Virginia last weekend, Indy Eleven will do a 180 towards the tropical clime of Tampa Bay for its Week 2 affair against the Rowdies on Saturday evening. The match will mark the first meeting of the old NASL rivals since 2019, snapping the hiatus caused by the Eastern Conference’s reshuffling across the last two COVID-affected seasons.
LAST TIME OUT
Loudoun United FC 1 : 0 Indy Eleven
Sat., March 12 | Recap | Stats | Highlights
Indy Eleven is looking to shake off its season opening loss – and perhaps a touch of frostbite (insert Matt Turner joke here) – suffered last weekend at Segra Field. While the Boys in Blue conceded the bulk of the possession, the chances of note were fairly even throughout the contest – and it was one individual moment of brilliance that made the difference. Ted Ku-DiPrieto’s 60-yard run in the 43rd minute set up Kimarni Smith’s eight-yard blast that gave Loudoun a lead it would hold for the duration of the match.
Indy Eleven goalkeeper Elliot Panicco would make a pair of saves to keep Indiana’s Team within arm’s reach, including a diving stop of Jackson Hopkins’ 79th minute PK that was among the five nominees for the USL Championship Save of the Week. The Eleven’s comeback efforts were hampered by Alex McQueen’s red card born of frustration in the 90th minute, handcuffing the Boys in Blue through four minutes of added time and keeping the English-born, Grenadian international defender out of consideration for Saturday’s visit to Florida.
Birmingham Legion FC 1 : 1 Tampa Bay Rowdies
Sun., March 13 | Recap | Stats | Highlights
The Rowdies came within a few minutes of opening their 2022 USL Championship campaign with three points and a clean sheet last Sunday evening, with Sebastian Dalgaard’s sly finish from 10 yards in the 34th minute putting Tampa Bay in the driver’s seat. However, Birmingham made sure to get something from its first league outing at the brand spanking new Protective Field, a long-distance strike from Marlon in the 86th minute pulling the sides level and forcing a share of the spoils. Despite losing the possession battle 40-60, the Rowdies doubled up the Legion in shots (9-5) and shots on goal (4-2), adding to the sense of points dropped on the evening.
TWELVE MAKE DEBUTS FOR ELEVEN
Of the 16 newcomers to Indy’s 2022 roster, a dozen of them made their Eleven debuts last weekend at Loudoun. Starters last weekend included Elliot Panicco, Mechack Jerome, Alex McQueen, Noah Powder, Justin Ingram, Bryam Rebellon, Aris Briggs and Stefano Pinho; an additional four players – Raul Aguilera, Palmer Ault, Sam Brown, and Jonas Fjeldberg – made their debuts off the bench in the second half. For the Indianapolis native Ingram and Brownsburg native Ault (a recent USL Academy Contract signing), their time at Segra Field marked their professional soccer debuts.
#TBRvIND SERIES HISTORY
All-time Record (including NASL play): 3W-2L-8D (16 GF/15 GA)
USL Championship regular season: 1W-1L-2D (3 GF/4 GA)
USL Championship home record: 1W-0L-1D (1 GF/0 GA)
USL Championship away record: 0W-1L-1D (2 GF/4 GA)
NASL era (2014-2016): 2W-1L-6D (13 GF/11 GA)
Indy Eleven renews acquaintances with a more-than-familiar foe in the Rowdies, as the legendary club from Florida’s west coast has been a rival of Indy since the Eleven’s inaugural NASL season in 2014. Indy Eleven has a slight edge in its all-time series against Tampa, with the team’s record sitting at 3W-2L-8D. The squads are all even at 1W-1L-2D in USL play, but they haven’t met in nearly two-and-a-half years, with the last contest resulting in a 1-1 draw at Al Lang Stadium on Oct. 12, 2019.
FAMILIAR FACES IN FLORIDA
The Rowdies have a pair of connections to soccer in the Hoosier State on their 2022 roster in defenders Conner Antley and Timmy Mehl. Antley became the first player in USL history to earn a transfer fee while going from a USL League One club (South Georgia Tormenta FC) to a Championship side leading up to the 2020 season, when he started half of his 12 appearances during the Eleven’s 16-match COVID-shortened campaign (0G/0A). Mehl made a name for himself during a four year stint at Indiana University from 2015-18, when he made 72 appearances for the Hoosiers under Head Coach Todd Yeagley. Mehl twice earned Second Team All-Big Ten Team honors in 2017 & 2018, when he helped to anchor a defensive unit at or near the top of the NCAA’s defensive categories.
ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH: DF NOAH POWDER
With Alex McQueen out of consideration on the opposite right flank, the onus to provide support in attack down the touchlines may fall to Powder on the left side of the pitch on Saturday night. The New Jersey native turned Trinidad & Tobago international put in a full 90 in his Eleven debut last Saturday at Loudoun, but the state of the game kept him pinned back deeper than usual, mitigating his ability to combine and create around and into the final third. Take Eleven Head Coach Mark Lowry’s emphasis on unlocking the attack in training this week and combine it with a much more favorable forecast and you could see much more out of Powder on both sides of the ball against the Rowdies.