#INDvMIA Preview
Indy Eleven vs. The Miami FC
Saturday, July 2, 2022 – 7:30 p.m. ET
IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
FOLLOW LIVE
Local TV: WISH-TV
Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)
Radio (Spanish): Exitos 94.3 FM
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed, presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers
Live stats: #INDvMIA MatchCenter on USLChampionship.com
2022 USL CHAMPIONSHIP REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
Indy Eleven: 6W-6L-3D (-3 GD), 21 pts.; 7th in Eastern Conference
The Miami FC: 5W-6L-6D (+1 GD), 21 pts.; 8th in Eastern Conference
COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK SPORTS MEDICINE INDY ELEVEN INJURY REPORT
OUT: DF Bryam Rebellon (R quad), GK Bryan Meredith (R finger)
QUESTIONABLE: FW Aris Briggs (shin)
DISCIPLINE REPORT
IND: none
MIA: none
Indy Eleven are back home again to face The Miami FC at Carroll Stadium after a month-long road trip that saw the team go 1W-2L-1D across four matches in the month of June. The Eleven are coming off a 5-0 defeat to San Diego Loyal SC, while Miami fell 3-1 to LA Galaxy II last weekend.
Saturday’s match marks the first-ever match for the Boys in Blue on brand-new turf at Carroll Stadium, installed during the team’s road trip in tandem between Indy Eleven and IUPUI. The new playing surface, FieldTurf’s CORE model, is currently the playing surface utilized at five MLS venues.
The Eleven and The Miami FC have been all but even so far this season. The two former NASL rivals met for the first time in USL Championship play for the first time on June 8, a 1-1 draw in South Florida notable for a weather delay of over two hours. Nearly a month later, the squads are deadlocked in the Eastern Conference standings at 21 points each.
Miami FC have struggled throughout the past few weeks, losing their last two matches and failing to secure a win for the entire month of June. The team last took home three points on May 21, a 4-0 victory against Charleston Battery and have not scored multiple goals in a single match since May 28, a 2-2 draw with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Indy’s Stefano Pinho was a fixture of Miami FC’s rosters during the team’s NASL days, scoring four times against Indy Eleven while wearing the opponent’s shirt. The former Miami player scored Indy’s lone goal in the 1-1 draw last month against Miami. On the other side, Miami FC defender Rich Ballard played his college soccer at Indiana University from 2012-2016, winning the 2012 National Championship with the Hoosiers.
The match will see a special 7:30 kickoff time, featuring a post-game fireworks show for an “Indy-pendence Celebration” presented by IBEW Local 481, the only fireworks show in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday night. Single game tickets can be bought at Ticketmaster and all other ticketing packages for the match can be found on the Indy Eleven promotions page.
LAST TIME OUT
San Diego Loyal 5 : 0 Indy Eleven
Sat., June 25 | Recap & Highlights | Stats
Indy Eleven’s four-game road swing across the month of June ended on a sour note in Southern California as Indiana’s Team fell 5-0 to San Diego Loyal SC at Torero Stadium. While the result snapped the Eleven’s club-record 12-game scoring streak, Indiana’s Team remained above the playoff line in the Eastern Conference in seventh position.
The shutout marked Indy’s largest defeat of the season in its first ever meeting with San Diego Loyal SC. The Eleven are 2W-3L-1D against first-time opponents so far this season.
The Miami FC 1 : 3 LA Galaxy II
Sat., June 25 | Stats
The Miami FC went down 2-0 in the first 10 minutes after goals by Josh Drack and Michael Salazar in 6’ and 9’ for LA Galaxy II last week. The loss was Miami’s second consecutive, and the team has not won since May 21, a 4-0 result against Charleston Battery.
SERIES VS. THE MIAMI FC
Results in NASL regular season (2016-17) and USL Championship regular season competition (2022)
Overall: 1W-5L-2D (7 GF/15 GA)
Home: 1W-2L-0D (2 GF/6 GA)
Away: 0W-3L-2D (5 GF/9 GA)
Despite The Miami FC joining the USL Championship in 2020 – two seasons after Indy Eleven’s entrance in 2018 – the two teams did not meet between the final season of NASL in 2017 and last month, when the sides drew 1-1 in a lightning-delayed, late-night match in South Florida.
After dueling to a 1-1-1 stalemate in three contests during Miami’s inaugural 2016 season, the Florida side swept all four games in 2017, including two wins by a 6-3 margin at FIU Stadium.
ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH: FW STEFANO PINHO
While Pinho did not play two weeks ago in the 4-3 loss to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and subbed in in the second half of the 5-0 loss to San Diego Loyal SC, Pinho has been a consistent scoring threat all season. The Brazilian scored in three consecutive matches prior to missing the match against the Switchbacks, a streak that included a goal against Miami last month. The former Miami FC player, who scored four times for the team against the Eleven in NASL, should be back to his scoring ways should he return to the starting lineup.
