Eleven Looking to Rebound Against the ‘Hounds on Saturday
#INDvPIT Preview
Indy Eleven vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, April 29, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. ET
IUPUI 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)
Spanish Radio: Exitos Radio 94.3 FM & exitos943.com
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
Live Opta stats: #INDvPIT MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2023 USL Championship Records:
Indy Eleven: 1W-3L-2D (-4 GD), 5 pts.; T-8th in Eastern Conference
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.: 2W-2L-3D (+1 GD), 9 pts.; 5th in Eastern Conference
Community Health Network Sports Medicine Indy Eleven Injury Report:
OUT: FW Jonas Fjeldberg (L foot)|
QUESTIONABLE: None
Discipline Report:
IND: none
PIT: none
Indy Eleven will look to buck a four-game regular season winless streak this Saturday evening when it returns to USL Championship action by hosting Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
After a promising March, Indiana’s Team has struggled to keep things going during an April that has seen the Boys in Blue go 0W-3L-1D in USLC play, including three straight losses heading into the weekend. With three of those four contests coming at Carroll Stadium, Saturday provides one last opportunity for a league win at home before Indy takes to the road for five of its next eight matches across May & June, including the next two outings.
Life on the road is something the Riverhounds have grown accustomed to, with Saturday marking Pittsburgh’s sixth away affair in its first eight games. If the goal is to get at least a point from road games then Pittsburgh’s 1W-2L-2D ledger can be seen as a moderate success, although both losses have occurred during their last two trips on April 8 at Colorado Springs (0-1 L) and last Saturday at El Paso Locomotive FC (0-2 L).
If “styles make fights” then Saturday offers quite the contrasting donnybrook at “The Mike”. Indy enters the contest first by a country mile in the Championship with a 64% possession rate and third in passing accuracy at 82%, while the Riverhounds place third from the bottom of the league in each category at 43% and 72%, respectively. When it comes to the two stats that ultimately count, Pittsburgh’s psychical “Lilleyball” approach – the ‘Hounds lead the USL Championship with 115 fouls committed – has yielded better dividends in both goals for (1.00/game for PIT versus 0.67 for Indy) and goals allowed (0.86 for PIT versus 1.33 for Indy).
The contrasts between the two sides even extends to their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup fixtures earlier in the week. Despite hanging close with MLS’ Columbus Crew SC, the Eleven ultimately fell 1-0 on the road on Wednesday evening in an affair that saw the Boys in Blue expend energy chasing the MLS side for much of the 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh will get an extra day of rest after dispatching NISA’s Maryland Bobcats 2-0 at home on Tuesday night in a match that saw Bob Lilley able to field a largely second choice lineup.
Last Time Out – U.S. Open Cup edition
Columbus Crew SC 1 : 0 Indy Eleven
Wednesday, April 26 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio
Recap | Stats
Indy Eleven fought valiantly against one of MLS’ top sides in their midweek Third Round matchup in the Ohio capital, but ultimately Indy’s defenses broke in the 83rd minute, when Mohamed Farsi’s strike made the ultimate difference between the sides at Lower.com Field.
Eleven Head Coach Mark Lowry turned over his roster moderately to put some fresh legs out against the Crew, including defender Gustavo Rissi off of injury and veteran center back Mechack Jerome on the backline and a full frontline troika change consisting of Douglas Martinez, Juan Tejada, and Harrison Robeldo. Defending was an “all hands on deck affair” for Indy, which faced a barrage of 21 shots on the evening – spearheaded by the return to Crew SC of Designated Player Cucho Hernandez, who was a menace in and around the area during his 45 minutes of play in the first half.
However, Indy netminder Yannik Oettl was up to the task, as the German ‘keeper made seven saves throughout the evening, including five in the first half to keep the scoreboard at zeroes heading into the break. After Farsi put Columbus ahead late, Indy’s best chance to equalize came via a shot from distance by substitute striker Sebastian Guenzatti, but Crew ‘keeper Evan Bush made his third and final save of the evening to keep Indy off the board and end their Open Cup run after two games.
Scoring Summary:
CLB – Mohamed Farsi (Steven Moreira) 83’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-3-3): Yannik Oettl, Robby Dambrot (Bryam Rebellon 80’), Jesus Vazquez, Mechack Jerome, Gustavo Rissi, Aodhan Quinn, Cam Lindley (captain), Jack Blake, Harrison Robledo (Solomon Asante 80’), Juan Tejada, (Sebastian Guenzatti 66’), Douglas Martinez (Younes Boudadi 80’)
Last Time Out – USL Championship edition
Indy Eleven 2 : 3 Monterey Bay F.C.
Saturday, April 22 at IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
Recap & Highlights | Stats
Indy Eleven registered its first multi-goal game in league play in 2023, but the offensive effort wasn’t enough as Monterey Bay F.C. scratched across a pair in the second half to down Indy to a 2-3 loss at IUPUI Carroll Stadium.
The first goals of the season by Eleven forwards Solomon Asante (23’) and Sebastian Guenzatti (40’) – which were also Indy’s first two goals in first half play this season – helped Indiana’s Team overcome an early deficit and take a 2-1 lead into the halftime break.
However, MBFC tallies by Christian Volesky (57’) and Nevello Yoseke (62’) midway through the second stanza gave the visitors the full three points and pushed the Eleven’s winless streak in league play to four games (0-3-1).
Scoring Summary:
MB – Grant Robinson (Hugh Dixon) 17’
IND – Solomon Asante (Aodhan Quinn) 23’
IND – Sebastian Guenzatti (Solomon Asante) 40’
MB – Christian Volesky (Morey Doner) 58’
MB – Nevello Yoseke (Christian Volesky) 63’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-3-3): Yannik Oettl; Bryam Rebellon, Robby Dambrot, Jesus Vazquez, Younes Boudadi (Mechack Jerome 68’); Aodhan Quinn (Juan Tejada 85’), Cam Lindley, Jack Blake (Harrison Robledo 68’); Sebastian Guenzatti (captain), Jonas Fjeldberg (Douglas Martinez 37’), Solomon Asante
Series vs. Pittsburgh:
All official competitions: 3W-6L-2D (8 GF/14 GA)
USL Championship regular season: 3W-5L-2D (8 GF/13 GA)
USLC at home: 2W-2L-1D (5 GF/6 GA)
With a pair of losses to Pittsburgh last season, Indy Eleven let the tie in the all-time regular season series slip away. Indy now trails in the series with a 3W-5L-2D mark, although it has drawn even at 2-2-1 in games played in the Circle City. Pittsburgh gained the upper hand in 2022 with a pair of wins exactly one month apart, starting on July 6 with a 1-0 win in the Steel City. The ‘Hounds followed that up with a 2-0 victory at Carroll Stadium on August 6 that saw now Sacramento Republic forward Russell Cicerone score on either side of halftime (13’ & 52’).
Nine of the 11 all-time meetings in official competitions have been either draws or games decided by one goal. In addition, five of the 11 matches have seen the result shift late with either an equalizing (1) or go-ahead goal (4) scored past the 75th minute.
#INDvPIT Familiar Faces:
Indy Eleven has one ex-Riverhound on the roster in the person of defender Robby Dambrot. Indiana’s Team traded for the defender from Akron, Ohio, last August 2, just days prior to the two sides’ meeting at Carroll Stadium. Prior to joining the Boys in Blue, Dambrot scored one goal in five appearances during his lone season in Pittsburgh in 2022.
On the opposite sideline, ex-Indy goalkeeper Jon Busch is in his first season with the ‘Hounds as Goalkeeper Coach under Bob Lilley. “Buschy” played an integral part in the Eleven’s lone title to date – the 2016 NASL Spring Season Championship – during his two years in Indy from 2016-17.
Eleven Player to Watch: MF Aodhan Quinn
One thing we’re quickly learning about Mr. Quinn in his first season is Indy is this – it’s darn tough to take the San Diego native off the field. The veteran midfielder’s engine belies his 31 years of age, as his 675 combined minutes in regular season and Open Cup play ranks fourth on the squad. For a 2023 Indy midfield corps that has been assembled with quality in mind over quantity, that durability and dependability is almost as key as the skill he provides as a two-way player – and one who is just as willing to play provider as he is finisher.
Pittsburgh will bring with them on Saturday a physicality unmatched in the Championship, and while that may bother some players you can bet the savvy veteran Quinn will relish the opportunity to bang away and draw fouls to set up set pieces for the home side – which he’ll also likely stand over as a dangerous free kick option. Affairs against the Riverhounds are historically tight, low-scoring ones, and for an Indy team that is still learning to put things together as a cohesive group, especially in attack, a moment of brilliance from a player like Quinn – who is in a race with teammate Solomon Asante to become the first player in USL Championship history to notch 50 goals and 50 assists (46G/49A) in regular season play (Asante sits on 51G/48A) – can tilt the result in Indy’s favor.
