Over the past two weeks, the Indy Eleven have played four preseason matchups and are getting ready for the start of the 2024 USL Championship season, which is set to kick off here in just a few short weeks. So far, the Eleven have traveled to Pittsburgh and played host to Chicago Fire II, Indiana Wesleyan, and the Columbus Crew II. Through the four games we have seen the team come together and look like a formidable force. Here is a quick recap of the first four games of our preseason run.
The first game of the preseason was a trip out east to Highmark Stadium for a battle against USL rival the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. This match was one we didn’t get a lot of information on. In the nineteenth minute, Indy puts one in the net before it is called back for an offsides call. Then we hit halftime as it's 0-0 from Pittsburgh. We return to action but it wouldn’t be till the eighty-first minute we would see a goal go in for Pittsburgh that is also called back. Nine minutes later the final whistle would blow and the first match of the preseason would end in a nil-nil draw.
This takes us to game two. Indy played host to the Chicago Fire II at Grand Park. It was the first chance that fans had to get a look at the boys in blue and the team didn’t disappoint. In the twenty-eighth minute, Augi Williams scored the first of hopefully many goals in an Indy Eleven uniform. In the thirty-first minute, Aedan Stanley would find Jack Blake who would score his first of many goals this preseason extending Indy’s lead to two. That would be the halftime score and we would continue to see Indy control the game from there. In the seventy-ninth minute, Diego Sanchez would find the back of the net, but the goal was for some reason disallowed for a phantom offside call. The game would end with a 2-0 scoreline.
The following Tuesday, Indy would host Indiana Wesleyan up at Grand Park again, but this time doors would be closed to the public. Scoring would start in the twelfth minute with Jack Blake scoring his second goal of the preseason making it a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, Karsen Henderlong would tally his first goal with the Indy Eleven making it 2-0 very quickly. In the thirty-first minute, Jack Blake would add another one to his stat sheet making it a brace for Blake in the first half of play. And that would be the final score of the first half. In the fiftieth minute, Roberto Molina would add to the scoreline making it 4-0. Five minutes later, Augi Williams would get his second goal in an Indy Eleven jersey making it 5-0 and that would be the final score from preseason match number three.
The Indy Eleven then played host to the Columbus Crew II. This match was the second and final open match at Grand Park. Scoring would start early as Cam Lindley sent a ball up to Jack Blake who chips it over the goalie to make it 1-0 in the tenth minute. Eight minutes later, Seba Guenzatti would make it 2-0. Then in the twenty-fourth minute, Indy would get scored on for the first time this preseason making it 2-1. In the thirty-third minute, Lindley gets his second assist of the night sending it to Douglas Martinez to make it 3-1. Just five minutes later, Jack Blake hit a rocket of a shot from just outside of the box from a free kick making it 4-1 before getting a pass of the restart to put another goal into the net for a hat-trick making it 5-1 just before the half. The second half kicked off and it wouldn’t be till the sixty-second minute where Lindley would make it a hat-trick of assists giving it to Martinez again for a brace and making it 6-1. In the seventy-fifth minute, Indy is given a penalty and Augi Williams converts from the spot making it 7-1. Another fifteen minutes would go by before the head ref gives the final whistle. The final preseason match that fans could attend ended with a SEVEN to one final score.
Through four games, Indy sits at 3-1-0 with a goal differential of +11. The leading goal scorers are Jack Blake with five, Augi Williams with three, and Douglas Martinez with two. Indy still have three preseason matchups, the first is Saturday February 24th at USL League 1 side Lexington, Thursday February 29th when they host DCFC, and then Friday March 1st when they host Forward Madison before traveling to the Oakland Roots on March 9th to kickoff the 2024 USL season.
The following segment of this write up was a post game interview that Johnathon Rice had with head coach Sean McAuley after Sunday’s 7-1 win over the Columbus Crew II
Following the second & final open to the public preseason match, I had a chance to go down and have a chat with the gaffer. When asked about the squad and McAuley’s take on their performance he was very pleased. It helps coming off a 7-1 win over Columbus Crew 2. Mentioning that he expects everyone to “give everything for the badge.” He was pleased that they could increase the physicality of play & guys could go that full 90.
When asked about the start of the season, McAuley put an emphasis on winning the first 2 on the road, noting that they will have to do it with few if any of their own supporters in the stadium. “The only difference is the color of the seats.” Then coming home and giving the fans something to cheer about. McAuley did acknowledge the historic LIPAFC set to take place April 6th in Louisville. He understands the drive for rivalries and to beat your rivals. But he noted more emphasis at this time on winning the first 4. “When we win, we appreciate everything. When we lose, we take a tumble and will need the supporters even more.