INDY ELEVEN GAMEDAY & MATCH PREVIEW
Indy Eleven at Ottawa Fury FC
Sunday, July 19, 2015 – 3:00 p.m. ET
TD Place – Ottawa, ON

TELEVISION: No local broadcast

STREAMING VIDEO:
- United States: ESPN3.com
- Internationally: various ESPN online platforms

STREAMING AUDIO: TSN1200.ca (coverage starts at 2:30PM)

FOLLOW ONLINE:  
- In-game updates: Follow the @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
- Live stats: Visit the NASL.com MatchCenter

GAME NOTES:  
Indy Eleven Game Notes 
Ottawa Fury Game Notes

TEAM RECORDS: 
Indy Eleven: 4W-5D-3W, 17 pts., 5th in NASL combined standings; 1-1-0, 4 pt., 5th in Fall Season
Ottawa Fury FC: 3W-6D-3L, 15 pts., 7^th combined; 1-1-0, 4 pts., T-3rd in Fall

Click here for the full NASL standings page
Click here to see the Fall NASL Schedule

The ‘Boys in Blue’ will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive as they head north of the border on Sunday to square off with Ottawa Fury FC in Ontario. Both "NASL Class of 2014" sides are looking to keep hot streaks alive as they meet for the fifth time in their brief histories. Kickoff for the Sunday matinee is slated for 3:00 pm ET.

HISTORY VS. OTTAWA:

The 2014 reunion has now occurred four times, with Indy Eleven trialing in the series 1W-0D-3L..The two teams squared off last on May 23 at TD Place in Ottawa, with the home side taking the result with late dramatics:May 23rd Recap @ Fury, 0-1 L

In a game that was very forgettable for both sides, the Fury walked out of the stadium with three points on an 88^th minute goal by midfielder Nicki Patterson.

The two sides combined for just 11 shots on the day, but it was Ottawa who took one of their chances and converted on it. Indy Eleven’s best chance of the day came in the 48^th minute when Victor Pineda made a run through the midfield and fired a shot from 10 yards out, but the shot rolled just inches wide of the frame and left the game scoreless.

Indy Eleven had the better sustained pressure for a a majority of the game, but Ottawa looked to start to take over around the 82^nd minute when Paulo Junior nearly broke the deadlock with a shot that soared inches wide.

It would not be long after that opportunity that Ottawa would finally break the deadlock when Patterson took a shot from 12 yards out and cannoned it past Indy Eleven ‘keeper Kristian Nicht to give the home team a 1-0 victory over Indy Eleven.

2014 Results vs. OTT:
May 17, 2014 vs OTT      2-4 L
Aug. 23, 2014 vs OTT     1-2 L
Oct., 2014 25 @ OTT       2-1 W

SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE ... UNLESS THERE'S A DRAW:
Heading into Sunday’s face-off in the Canadian capital, neither team has lost for a combined 129 days (12 games). Ottawa’s last lost before its current seven-game undefeated run came on May 2, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the New York Cosmos, while Indy Eleven’s last loss in league play before rattling off a five-game streak of its own came in the afore mentioned 0-1 loss at TD Place on May 23, which was the team's third straight loss.

WOJ & PLAY OF THE WEEK: PART TWO:
Just one week after Indy Eleven striker Wojciech Wojcik scored his first NASL goal in a 1-1 draw with the New York Cosmos and was voted NASL’s ‘Play of the Week’ by the fans, the Illinois native did it again last weekend against Carolina on home turf. Woj’s 54^th minute leaping header that flew over the head over RailHawks ‘netminder Akira Fitzgerald was taken warmly by the fans in the stands—as it drew Indy even with Carolina—as well as on the internet where his goal beat out plays from Austin da Luz (CAR), Michael Reed (ATL), Christian Ramirez (MNU) and Nicki Patterson (OTT) with 58% of the votes. He will look to keep the streak alive on Sunday as the “Boys in Blue” face off with the Fury.

GO FOR…GOALS!:
The last time Indy was held scoreless in an NASL match? That came back on May 23 when these two teams met last. Since then, Indiana’s Team has tallied 10 goals in five games—which ties New York with the most in that stretch—after opening the Spring Season with just six goals in the first six games. Indy’s 16 total goals so far over the NASL calendar year is tied for sixth in the league with the San Antonio Scorpions.
 

NOTHING NEW FOR NORALES:
To say that Erick Norales has been outstanding for Indy Eleven this year would be an understatement. The 30-year-old Honduran defender is playing high-quality minutes at center back (while serving as captain the ast 4 games), is tied for the team lead in goals scored (part of a 6-way logjam of players with two goals) and places second only to Marco Franco in minutes played (990) ... and those are just some of the reasons behind him leading the NASL in Team of the Week appearances.  Norales earned his sixth placement - and fourth consecutive - on Wednesday following last Saturday’s victory over Carolina, during which he bagged his first game-winning goal in checkers. Norales’ four week ‘Best XI’ streak checks in tied for second all-time in the category (with Justin Davis), trailing just FC Edmonton’s Albert Watson, who made the team five straight times in 2013.

WHO TO WATCH, INDY ELEVEN EDITION—MID VICTOR PINEDA
After missing out on a starting spot in Indy Eleven's Fall Season opener at New York with a rib injury, Pineda returned to the first XI last Saturday vs Carolina and earned his first assist of the season on Norales' game-winner with an exquisite service into the box.  He he showed during his two-goal, Player of the Week-earning outburst back on June 6 at Fort Lauderdale, a healthy Pineda is a dangerous Pineda, and his distribution will be key in unlocking an Ottawa defense that let in its first goal in 648 minutes last weekend at Minnesota United FC. That being said, Ottawa’s 4-3-3 set can open up some spaces in the midfield for Indy Eleven, which has been pinging the ball around and building up play quite nicely since the beginning of the "Tim Regan era."  It could be another strong game for Pineda should he find the right opportunities to make repeated runs inside from his usual left spot in the midfield diamond.

HONORABLE MENTION: M/F DANE RICHARDS
How coach Regan decides to fit in the newcomer from the New York Red Bulls remains to be seen, but it would surprise no one to see the veteran winger get a run out from the starting XI should his fitness be up to snuff. 

PLAYER TO WATCH, OTTAWA FURY FC EDITION—FWD TOM HEINEMANN
Heinemann’s 75^th minute converted penalty kick versus Minnesota last weekend drew Ottawa even with the ‘Loons’ en route to a 1-1 tie that kept the Canadian squad’s unbeaten streak alive and gave him a goal for a second straight contest. Heinemann leads the Fury with three goals on the season and has been a consistent force for them in the attacking third. Though Ottawa has only scored eight goals on the season, the pressure they provide offensively can catch up to a defense and Heinemann provides a large amount of the threat.