Indianapolis – Indy Eleven scored two second-half goals in a six-minute span to rally to a key 2-1 victory over USL Championship Eastern Conference opponent Birmingham Legion FC in front of 10,375 at Carroll Stadium. The win moves the Boys in Blue to one point out of playoff position behind Rhode Island FC with five games remaining in the regular season.
Indy Eleven tied the match at 1-1 in the 54th minute off a well-executed free kick. Defender Brian Schaefer started the sequence from midfield with a long ball to the edge of the area, where forward Romario Williams headed it down to captain Aodhan Quinn. That duo then executed a give-and-go with Quinn giving it to Williams on the edge of the area and getting it back inside the six. Quinn then centered it to forward Edward Kizza who finished it into the bottom right corner.
It is Kizza’s third goal this season and the 20th of his USLC regular season career. For Quinn, it is his team-high eighth assist of the campaign and the 58th in the USLC regular season, good for a tie for second on the USLC all-time list with former Indy Eleven player Solomon Asante.
Quinn recorded a hockey assist on the game-winning goal in the 60th minute. After a Birmingham hand ball, Quinn took the ensuing free kick from just inside the right sideline and played it to the edge of the six, where Schaefer went high to flick it to defender Ben Ofeimu, who volleyed it home. It is Ofeimu’s career-best third this season and it is the first Indy Eleven point for Schaefer, who joined the Boys in Blue on September 3 on loan from FC Cincinnati 2.
The Indy Eleven defense limited Birmingham to just one shot on target, a free kick goal by Peter-Lee Vassell in the 12th minute.
Indy Eleven hosts Western Conference leader FC Tulsa on Saturday at 7 pm on Oktoberfest at Carroll Stadium.
Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
2026 Season Tickets go on sale tomorrow with exciting new benefits and exclusive early bird pricing before Dec. 1.
Quotes
Coach Sean McAuley
- Playoffs
- “It’s tough to win games this time of year, so it’s a really, really big three points for us.”
- “It’s a pressure game now, and pressure games all the way through to the end of the season… but the opposition have the exact same job to do.”
- New players
- “All three of our new players (Luke Pruter, Brian Schaefer, and Joey Zalinsky) have been fantastic for us–we really appreciate the support from the other clubs loaning them to us.”
- Fans
- “The fans are incredible here, and win or lose, they’re with us all the time, and that’s really important. We want to give them as many wins as we can, especially at home.”
- Tactical Changes
- “We changed it to a back four and moved plenty into midfield… more bodies in the right areas to pick up the second balls and play out [the way] we should have played in the first half.”
Captain Aodhan Quinn
- Playoffs
- “All the points right now are crucial. So getting a win against a team that’s right next to us is huge.”
- “We’re fighting for our lives right now for playoffs and every win gets us a little bit closer.”
- Keeping the foot on the gas
- “We knew if we got one, we could put the pressure on and get that second one. So it’s crucial to get that first goal and keep that mentality and desire to keep going forward and keep pushing the game.”
- His assist (#58 of his USLC career)
- “We knew we are strong on set pieces, a big team. We have good delivery.”
Ben Ofeimu
- Pressure games
- “It’s fun. This is why you’re playing, for the playoffs, it’s why you get paid to play. So it’s fun. Brings a lot more aggression to the game as well. So I love it.”
- “Every game is really a playoff game at this point… we got to creep up and keep the pressure on them. Just control what we can control and win as many games as possible.”
- Crowd
- “You hear the energy, especially when we score. It gives the guys extra energy. Sometimes we’re tired in the second half, but they help us out a lot. It’s almost like we have 12 players on the field, with them behind us.”
- USL Championship
Indy Eleven 2:1 Birmingham Legion FC - Sun., Sept. 21, 2025 – 5:00 p.m.
- Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis
- Weather: Partly sunny, 82 degrees
- Attendance: 10,375
2025 USL Championship Records
Indy Eleven: 8-12-5 (-6), 29 pts; #9 in Eastern Conference
Birmingham Legion FC: 4-11-10 (-13), 22 pts; #11 in Eastern Conference
| Score | 1 | 2 | F |
| Indy Eleven | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Birmingham Legion FC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
- Scoring Summary
- BHM – Peter-Lee Vassell 12’
- IND – Edward Kizza (Aodhan Quinn) 54’
- IND – Ben Ofeimu (Brian Schaefer) 60’
- Discipline Summary
- BHM– Jackson Travis (caution) 33’
- BHM– Stephen Turnbull (caution) 93’
Indy Eleven Line-Up: Luke Pruter, Joey Zalinsky (Hayden White 65’), James Musa, Ben Ofeimu, Brian Schaefer, Cam Lindley, James Murphy, Aodhan Quinn (captain) (Josh O’Brien 93’), Edward Kizza (Bruno Rendón 77’), Romario Williams (Elliot Collier 77’), Jack Blake.
Indy Eleven Subs Not Used: Finn McRobb, Oliver Bryneus, Brem Soumaoro, Ryan Hunsucker.
Birmingham Legion FC Line-Up: Fernando Delgado, AJ Paterson, Phanuel Kavita, Ramiz Hamouda, Jackson Travis (Stephen Turnbull 72’), Peter-Lee Vassell, Sam McIllhatton (Tyler Pasher 72’), Amir Daley (Sebastian Tregarthen 72’), Enzo Martínez (Preston Tabort Etaka 76’), Dawson McCartney (Jake Rufe 59’), Ronaldo Damus.
Birmingham Legion FC Subs Not Used: Matt Van Oekel, Erik Centeno.
