Boys in Blue Look to Get Back to Winning Ways out West
#OCvIND Preview
Indy Eleven at Orange County SC
Saturday, April 15, 2023 – 10:00 p.m. ET
Championship Soccer Stadium – Irvine, Calif.
Follow Live:
Local TV: n/a
Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)
Radio: n/a
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
Live Opta stats: #OCvIND MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2023 USL Championship Records:
Indy Eleven: 1W-1L-2D (-2 GD), 5 pts.; T-6th in Eastern Conference
Orange County SC: 0W-2L-3D (-3 GD), 3 pts.; T-10th in Western Conference
Community Health Network Sports Medicine Indy Eleven Injury Report:
OUT: None
QUESTIONABLE: None
Discipline Report:
IND: none
OC: none
After completing its first home stretch of the season over the last two weeks, Indy Eleven gets back on the road in a big way this weekend with a first-ever trek to Orange County SC, the first of two trips the Boys in Blue will take to California across the next month.
Indy Eleven will be looking to shake off its first defeat of 2023 last weekend, which came via a surprising 0-3 result to another Golden State squad in Oakland Roots SC. At the end of a three-game week – including a 120-minute run out in U.S. Open Cup play three days prior – Indy Eleven Head Coach Mark Lowry pointed out the energy level that kept the squad undefeated in its first four competitive matches this season just wasn’t present, so a full week to rest and prepare for OCSC was indeed welcome for a roster that should indeed be back at 100% both injury and energy wise for this weekend.
Now it’s time to address the elephant in the room – last year’s two trips to California, the first two for Indiana’s Team during its then five-season USL Championship tenure. Indy’s 2022 campaign hit a pair of speedbumps after 0-5 defeats in different parts of the season at San Diego Loyal SC (June 25) and Monterey Bay F.C. (Sept. 17) – that’s the bad news. The good news? Of the 10 players who have started all four matches in league play thus far, only one – Solomon Asante – was a part of those defeats, so Lowry should not have to break out the Men in Black memory-eraser thingy as part of this week’s preparations. New year, new players, new attitudes, new philosophy, new playing style … you get the picture. If anything, those heavy defeats last season – combined with a disappointing result last Saturday – should provide the Boys in Blue with ample motivation to turn things around in short order against a so far struggling OCSC side..
The best way to go about that would be continuing to limit the opposition’s changes. The squad’s 8.5 shots allowed per game (30 shots in 4 games) is second lowest in the league, and last weekend’s 11 shots allowed against Oakland fell right at league average per game. However, Roots SC gamed the system by putting seven of its 11 shots on frame, with those seven shots faced equaling the Eleven’s total allowed from its first three games combined. Defense is always accentuated when taking to the road, and you can bet Lowry put a premium on shoring things up on that side of the ball throughout training this week.
For Orange County, the USL Championship’s reigning Golden Boot holder Milan Iloski remains the primary focus. The 23-year-old striker from the San Diego area burst onto the scene with 22 goals in his first season with OCSC last year, and his two tallies on 14 shots early on in 2023 show he has no signs of slowing down. Brief Boy in Blue Kevin Partida has also stood out in his box-to-box role in Orange County’s midfield, contributing team highs in interceptions (11), tackles/tackles won (12/10), duels/duels won (50/28) and, just for good measure, yellow cards (3), while also contributing a goal.
Between the posts, former U.S. Youth international and certified journeyman Cody Cropper has been the first choice ‘keeper for OCSC’s last four games, this after Colin Shutler conceded thrice in a 1-3 season-opening loss at home to Louisville City FC. Cropper has allowed multiple goals just once (2-2 draw vs. Las Vegas on March 25) in that stretch but has yet to notch a clean sheet, keeping Orange County as one of eight squads that have not posted a shutout thus far in 2023.
One thing to be on the lookout for on Saturday will be who breaks though first. For two teams that have failed to lead much in the early stages of the season – OCSC has led for 18% of its 450 minutes played, while Indy has led only 8% of the time in its 360 minutes of action – said first goal (assuming it happens) may carry added importance on Saturday.
Series vs. Orange County SC:
USL Championship regular season: 1W-0L-0D (3 GF/1 GA)
At home: 1W-0L-0D (3 GF/1 GA)
Indy Eleven’s lone meeting with Orange County SC was another early-season affair last April 24, when the Boys in Blue stormed back in the second half to register a 3-1 win at Carroll Stadium. Mikko Kununigas’ 13th minute tally opened the scoring, and the then-defending USL Championship title holder kept the advantage through halftime and early into the second stanza. However, Noah Powder’s 54th minute goal equalized before Stefano Pinho notched the eventual game-winner in the 65th minute. An insurance tally goal by Aris Briggs a minute into stoppage time secured the Eleven’s third win on the trot during a torrid April stretch.
#OCvIND Familiar Faces
Only one current member of each squad has suited up for the opposite side heading into Saturday’s affair. For Indy, that would be midfielder Aodhan Quinn, who had a standout three seasons with Orange County SC from 2018-20, when he registered 24 goals and an equal number of assists in 86 appearances. Quinn’s initial All-USL Championship First Team accolade followed his first campaign with OCSC in 2018, when he finished second in the league with 15 assists to go along with 12 goals and a league-high 103 chances created, figures that also landed the San Diego native on the three-person shortlist for that season’s USL Championship Most Valuable Player award.
The paragraph honoring current OCSC midfielder Kevin Partida’s time in Indy will be a bit shorter, as the Nevada native joined Indiana’s Team for a cup of coffee at the end of the 2021 season, when he started five of his six appearances.
Eleven Player to Watch: DF Robby Dambrot
With a preseason foot injury now behind him, look for Dambrot to help provide more balance to an Indy attack that had previously been right-sided dominant across its first three contests.
Just how unbalanced had Indy become before Dambrot’s first start last Saturday? Compare where Indy help possession in the two league matches before Dambrot’s return against his 82-minute stint against Oakland …
Dambrot’s activity was borne out in the numbers, as the left back was fourth on the squad in touches (58, compared to 35 for Boudadi) and was successful on four of his six dribble attempts – compare that against four out of seven successful attempts for the rest of the team combined!
Needless to say Dambrot can bring different dimensions to an attack that could use a spark after being shutout in its last two league affairs. Against an Orange County side that has yet to prove it can completely close down the opposition, Dambrot could stand out even more as he continues to get back to full match fitness and in the flow of Indy’s possession-based style here in 2023.
