Boys in Blue Look to Keep Momentum Rolling into 2023 Home Opener
#INDvLV Preview
Indy Eleven vs. Las Vegas Lights FC
Saturday, April 1, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. ET
IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
FOLLOW LIVE
Local TV: MyINDY-TV 23 (Indy DMA), WLMO 2 (Ft. Wayne) & WHME 46 (South Bend)
Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)
Radio: n/a
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
Live Opta stats: #INDvLV MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2023 USL CHAMPIONSHIP REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
Indy Eleven: 1W-0L-1D (+1 GD), 4 pts.; T-6th in Eastern Conference
Las Vegas Lights FC: 0W-0L-2D (0 GD), 2 pts.; T-9th in Eastern Conference
COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK SPORTS MEDICINE INDY ELEVEN INJURY REPORT
OUT: None
QUESTIONABLE: DF Robby Dambrot (L foot injury)
DISCIPLINE REPORT
IND: none
LV: none
INTERNATIONAL DUTY
IND: none
LV: none
After taking four points from two tough road challenges at Tampa Bay and Detroit to start the season, the Boys in Blue will carry significant momentum into Saturday night’s 2023 Carroll Stadium debut that marks the club’s first-ever meeting with Las Vegas Lights FC. Saturday’s home opener will set the stage for plenty of home cooking throughout April, which will see a minimum of five matches at “The Mike” – and the potential for a sixth should Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup contest go the Eleven’s way.
Controlling the ball and tempo have been key to Indy Eleven’s fast start. Indiana’s Team again ruled the day last weekend at Detroit, establishing greater than 2-to-1 advantages in possession (67%-33%) and passes (579-278), which proved vital on a day where winds gusted to over 40 MPH at Keyworth Stadium. Though it’s only been two games, early returns are showing that Head Coach Mark Lowry’s reshaping of the roster over the last year-plus are paying off with the type of high-energy and attractive style he promised would be a staple in the Circle City.
More importantly, the results are there as well – but Lowry’s expectations will be even higher when it comes to games at home, where the squad posted a 9W-6L-2D record in his first year at the helm last season. That included a stretch of five out of six wins to close out last season, and you can be certain that Lowry will continue to stress fortifying Carroll Stadium as a fortress where the energy from the home support can help carry the squad to full 90 -minute performances.
Lowry made two influential changes to his first XI last weekend, inserting versatile veteran Bryam Rebellon at left back and brand spanking new signing Douglas Martinez up top. With Rebellon playing an unexpected role as the goal scoring hero in the 1-0 win, that’s the move that may have rightfully earned the spotlight, but by no means should the contributions of Martinez to overlooked. The Honduran stepped into the lineup quickly and was a thorn in the side of DCFC all evening long, both dishing out and drawing three fouls – including one that drew a second yellow card on Yazeed Matthews that allowed Indy to finish a man up for the last quarter-hour. Both performances personified what Lowry is looking for from his veteran laden squad and also shows that what Indy’s depth may lack in sheer numbers, it more than makes up for with quality.
On the opposite side, Las Vegas enters the weekend also having earned results in two games on the road to start the season, starting with a 1-1 draw at Rio Grande Valley FC on March 12 and continuing with a 2-2 tie at Orange County last Saturday. Life on the road is something Las Vegas will have to get used to, as renovations at their Cashman Field complex will force Lights FC to play the first six games on the road through the end of April.
The good news for Las Vegas is that it has never trailed during its two contests thus far; conversely, the downside is that it has given up the lead all three times it has possessed one, resulting in the sharing of the spoils both times out. How would Isidro Sanchez’s side respond to falling behind for the first time in 2023? You can rest assured that Lowry will focus on a fast start that could put Lights FC behind the 8-ball, forcing the game to open up in a fashion that could magnify Indy’s prowess on the ball.
The Lights’ star power comes in the form of Erick “Cubo” Torres, the ex-Mexican National Teamer who logged over 100 appearances with Chivas de Guadalajara in Liga MX play and 75+ more as a Designated Player for Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo. Torres started the scoring in last week’s draw at OCSC, during which ex-Detroit City striker Pato Botello Faz also tallied.
In goal, Indy will contend against 23-year-old Leo Diaz, the River Plate youth product who gained some fame after holding his own as the 5th-choice ‘keeper against their Superclasico rival Boca Juniors while the River roster was ravaged by COVID in 2021. Despite that incredible experience, Diaz is in the midst of his first year as a starter and his first season here stateside, and with three allowances in his first two appearances the chance may be there for Indy’s high-flying attack – and the Brickyard Battalion – to put the inexperienced netminder under considerable pressure on Saturday night.
SERIES VS. LAS VEGAS:
USL Championship regular season: First meeting
Saturday will mark the first contest between Indy and Las Vegas, which, like the Eleven, is also kicking off its sixth season of play in the Championship in 2023 (with Indy obviously having a four-year head start during its 2014-17 NASL era).
Lights FC marks the first of four Western Conference opponents Indy will face for the first time this season alongside Oakland Roots SC (next Saturday, Apr. 8), Sacramento Republic FC (May 13), and Phoenix Rising FC (Sept. 20).
#INDvLV FAMILIAR FACES
Two former Boys in Blue are members of Lights FC, midfielders Justin Ingram and Andrew Carleton. The Indy-native Ingram joined the Eleven last year and started 22 of his 30 appearances during his rookie campaign and logged nearly 2,000 minutes for his hometown club. Carleton contributed a goal and three assists while making 14 appearances (8 starts) during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
In addition, fellow midfielder Jacob Bushue has ties to the Hoosier State through the Indiana Hoosiers, whom he helped to the 2012 NCAA College Cup title during his tenure in Bloomington from 2010-13.
ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH: MF CAM LINDLEY
After finishing on the USL Championship’s All-Second Team with Colorado Springs last year, Lindley was brought back home in the offseason to help “stir the drink” for an Eleven squad that was expected to deliver the style of ball coach Lowry had promised upon taking the position 16 months ago. So far, so good, as the Carmel native leads the team’s field players in passes (158), long passes (26), long pass accuracy (65.4%), and key passes (2) from his central spot in the Eleven’s three-man midfield.
Lindley has supreme confidence in his ability to distribute, as evidenced by his long ball barrage last week in Detroit that saw him unafraid to play balls (successfully) into and through the whirling winds at Keyworth Stadium while pretty much everyone else was keeping it on the carpet. Now Lindley gets to show his stuff back in his hometown for the first time since 2020 – and for the first time at Carroll Stadium, where the Eleven faithful will be ready to serenade him. With winds again in the forecast for Saturday night, look to Lindley to again play a leading role in facilitating the attack from the back and doing the little things to help muck up the midfield when Vegas is on the ball.
