U.S. Open Cup Preview #ATLvIND

#ATLvIND Preview
Atlanta United FC (MLS) vs Indy Eleven (USL Championship)
Tuesday, July 9, 2024 – 7 p.m. ET
Fifth Third Bank Stadium | Kennesaw, Georgia

Follow Live
Streaming Video: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (Free | Subscription Required)
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed

SETTING THE SCENE
Indy Eleven travels to face MLS side Atlanta United on Tuesday in its first trip to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals. This is the first meeting between the two clubs.

ATL		IND
22	Games	17
30	Goals	30
32	Goals Conceded	25
29	Assists	18
110	SOT	82
109	Shots Faced	70
4	Clean Sheets	3

*regular season statistics

U.S. Open Cup All-Time
Overall Record: 7W-7L-1D (19 GF/15 GA)
Home Record: 6W-2L-0D (16 GF/8 GA)
Away Record: 1W-5L-1D (3 GF/7 GA)

#GOALS
The Boys in Blue scored in 15 straight USLC matches to open the 2024 season, bringing their total to 30 goals (T3 USL), and have scored in 16 of their 17 games, no team has done so more often in the USL Championship this season. The streak, which ended on June 22 against Orange County, is the longest to open a USLC campaign and is the longest run overall within the same season for the club. In total, Indy scored in 18 straight regular season matches dating back to Sept. 30, 2023.

The Boys in Blue have scored 18 first half goals this season. Defensively, Indy has held its opponents scoreless in the first half in 10 of 17 matches in 2024.

STREAKING
The Boys in Blue were unbeaten in 12 straight matches across all competitions, including a club-best eight straight wins in USL Championship matches before falling to Orange County on June 22. The eight-match USLC win streak tied for fifth over the league’s history.

Indy outscored opponents 23-6 in those matches, while posting six clean sheets and never conceding more than one goal.

4.17 Chicago Fire FC II^ W, 1-0
4.20 at Colorado Springs Switchbacks SC D, 1-1
4.27 North Carolina FC W, 2-1
5.4 at Monterey Bay F.C. W, 1-0
5.8 San Antonio FC^ W, 2-0
5.12 at Miami FC W, 3-1
5.18 Hartford Athletic W, 4-1
5.22 Detroit City FC^ W, 3-0
5.25 Phoenix Rising FC W, 2-1
6.1 at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC W, 2-1
6.9 at Birmingham Legion FC W, 1-0
6.15 San Antonio FC W, 1-0
^denotes U.S. Open Cup match

THIS IS MAY
Indy Eleven finished off the month of May going 4-0-0 in USL Championship action and 6-0-0 across all competitions. The four wins for the Boys in Blue were the most so far this season for a side in the USLC to take maximum points in a month.

TOP-10 TEAMMATES
Sebastian Guenzatti (6th, 73) and Augi Williams (9th, 71) serve as the only pair of active teammates in the USL Championship’s top 10 for all-time regular season goals. Williams currently sits at five goals in 2024, while Guenzatti has three. Williams also has a pair in U.S. Open Cup action this season to lead Indy.

ALLOW ME TO ASSIST YOU
Aedan Stanley is tied atop the USL Championship stats with seven assists, which includes his first career multi-assist game, a two-helper performance against his old club Miami FC on May 12. He also has a team-high two in Open Cup games. Stanley has 15 career USL Championship assists, posting no more that three in a season before joining Indy Eleven for 2024.

2024: 7 | 2023: 3 | 2022: 3 | 2020: 2

TOTW REGULARS
Jack Blake has been named to the USL Championship Team of the Week five times in 2024, the most for any player in the league, while Aedan Stanley has three nods and a Player of the Week accolade to his name. Additionally, five players have had at least one selection in Younes Boudadi (to HFD 6.13), Adrian Diz Pe, Benjamin Ofeimu, Hunter Sulte and Augi Williams.

In total, seven players have earned team of the week nods, while eight total have received either team or bench honors.

IN THE WIN COLUMN
The Boys in Blue had 13 regular-season wins in 2023 tied for the second most during a USL Championship season (2018) and behind the 19 victories from the 2019 season. Indy currently has nine in 2024, a total not reached until August 19 a season ago.

LAST TIME OUT – U.S. OPEN CUP EDITION
INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 22, 2024) – Indy Eleven is on to the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the first time in club history after a 3-0 defeat of USL Championship rival Detroit City FC.

Indy Eleven opened the scoring by way of a Detroit City own goal off a Benjamin Ofeimu cross from the right side. The Boys in Blue have scored their first goal in the 14th minute or earlier in each of their three U.S. Open Cup matches this season (CHI 4’, SA 2’).

The home team would tack on two more in the first half with Douglas Martinez finding Augi Williams (33’) for the tally and Aedan Stanley connecting on a corner to Ofeimu (36’).

Indy becomes the second Indiana club in the history of the tournament to reach the Quarterfinals (Indianapolis Inferno 1992).

Scoring Summary
IND – Own Goal 14’
IND – Augi Williams (Douglas Martinez) 33’
IND – Ben Ofeimu (Aedan Stanley) 36’

Discipline Summary
IND – Ben Ofeimu (caution) 7’
DET – Devon Amoo-Mensah (caution) 61’
IND – Jack Blake (caution) 65’
IND – Max Schneider (caution) 90+1’

LAST TIME OUT – USL CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION
SMITHFIELD, Rhode Island (Friday, July 5, 2024) – Indy Eleven returns from Rhode Island with a point after drawing 3-3 with the first-year USL Championship Eastern Conference opponent.

The Boys in Blue scored twice in the opening half as Laurence Wootton registered the opener off an assist from Cam Lindley in the 20th minute. The goal was the first professional tally for Wootton and the assist was the first for Lindley in 2024.

Indy doubled the lead less than 10 minutes later off a 28th minute strike from Elliot Collier. His goal came by way of Romario Williams’ first points representing the Circle City.

Indy now has 16 first-half goals on the season, the second most of any team in the USL Championship (17, Charleston).

Rhode Island got a pair back to open the second half off the corner combination of goal scorer Frank Nodarse and Marc Ybarra in the 52nd and 69th minutes.

Indy retook the lead in the 79th minute off the first goal of the season from Tyler Gibson via an assist from Douglas Martinez, but Rhode Island struck back in the final seconds, earning the equalizer from Isaac Angking in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Scoring Summary
IND – Laurence Wootton (Cam Lindley) 20’
IND – Elliot Collier (Romario Williams) 28’
RI – Frank Nodarse (Marc Ybarra) 52’
RI – Frank Nodarse (Marc Ybarra) 69’
IND – Tyler Gibson (Douglas Martinez) 79’
RI – Isaac Angking 90+5’

Discipline Summary
RI – Frank Nodarse (caution) 19’
IND – Ben Mines (caution) 35’
IND – Hunter Sulte (caution) 52’
IND – Josh O’Brien (caution) 59′
RI – JJ Williams (caution) 80’
RI – Jojea Kwizera (caution) 84’

THE [NEW] GAFFER
2024 is Indy’s first season under head coach Sean McAuley, who previously served as interim head coach/assistant at MLS-side Minnesota United FC. McAuley helped Minnesota to playoff appearances in each of his first three seasons, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2020. In 2015, he hoisted the MLS Cup with Portland Timbers. McAuley opened his playing career with Manchester United and played for Portland Timbers and the U-21 Scottish National Team, among others.

McAuley got his first career win in the USL Championship on March 16, 2024, a 2-1 defeat of Memphis 901 FC.

USLC : 9-5-3 | USOC: 3-0-0 | OVERALL: 12-5-3

ROAD WARRIORS
Indy is 5-2-2 (6-2-2 overall) away from The Mike this season, making them the first USL Championship team to five road wins in 2024.

The Eleven finished the 2023 regular season 8-5-4 on the road, giving them the most regular season wins away from home in the club’s USLC history (previously 6 in 2019). Indy outscored its opponents 27-21 on the road with eight multi-goal performances and four of 3+ (3 at ELP, PIT, SA; 4 at CHS).

Sponsors