INDY ELEVEN GAME PREVIEW
Indy Eleven vs. Ottawa Fury FC
Saturday, April 9, 2015 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indy Eleven

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Watch Parties: Union Jack Pub, Chatham Tap, St. Joseph’s Brewery

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Live stats: Visit the NASL.com MatchCenter
Match Notes:    Indy Eleven Game Notes       Ottawa Fury FC Game Notes

LISTEN: April 9th edition of Soccer Saturday on 93.5/1070 The Fan

The last time Indy Eleven took to the pitch at Michael A. Carroll Stadium, they were wrapping up a 2015 season which saw them finished 9^th in the combined standings. What is to come in the 2016 slate is a revamped roster led by a new coach with a different style and a different mentality.

This includes a staunch defense that holds a league-high 23 interceptions through the first game thanks to a back four of Lovel Palmer, Greg Janicki, Colin Falvey, and Nemanja Vukovic, who was named to the NASL Team of the Week for Week 1. The challenge for this week will feature the midfield and attack as the “Boys in Blue” attempt to break down an Ottawa squad that let up a trio of goals in a 3-0 loss to the Cosmos.

Additionally, this Saturday is the first opportunity for “Indiana’s Team” to take “The Mike” by storm and start getting three point results in front of a home crowd that has represented the NASL's largest audiences in each of its first two seasons. Indy Eleven failed to get wins at home until its 12th and 5th games in 2014 and 2015 respectively ... in 2016, the "Boys in Blue" hope the wait will be over before it can begin.

 

2015 Overview vs. Ottawa: 0W-0D-3L

OTT 1 : 0 IND – May 23, 2015 – The least lopsided of the Eleven’s encounters with Fury FC in 2015 was also their first, a one-nil loss at the end of May at TD Place in Ottawa. New boy Nicki Paterson was on the score sheet that day as the two sides combined for just 11 shots total. The “Boys in Blue” came closest to striking first when forward Wojciech Wojcik had a half chance near the penalty area, but defender Rafael Alves was there to sweep the ball away before the Pole had an opportunity to strike. Paterson put the finishing touches on the match with three minutes to play after collecting a deflected effort and burying the chance from 12 yards out.

OTT 4 : 2 IND – July 19, 2015 – Fury FC once again controlled their home turf with a dominant 4-2 victory over “Indiana’s Team,” with three different names finding the back of the net that day. The Eleven found themselves down a goal inside a quarter of an hour when defender Rafael Alves headed home past ‘keeper Kristian Nicht after Sinisa Ubiparipovic floated his cross towards the back post. Clawing back into the match, Don Smart gave Indy Eleven a deserved equalizer in the 33^rd minute when the Jamaican charged through 20 yards of space and fired a low shot inside the left post of Ottawa netminder Romulad Peiser to make 1-1. Two minutes later, though, Richie Ryan scored the first of two goals for him that day when the captain throttled a 22-yard free kick over the wall and into the side-netting. Taking a 2-1 advantage into the half, Tom Heinemann made it 3-1 in the 56^th minute with a touch of skill after pouncing on a clearance from the centerback Alves before beating Nicht for a third time. Fury FC tacked on a fourth when Ryan ripped a second free kick from a similar position past Nicht to put the home side up 4-1. In stoppage time, debutant Judson McKinney found the end of an Erick Norales headed cross to tack a second goal onto the “Boys in Blue” side.

IND 1 : 4 OTT – August 8, 2015 – The lone fixture against Fury FC at Michael A. Carroll Stadium turned for the worst when the Canadians again found four goals for the second time against the Eleven in the 2015 season. Now a “Boy in Blue,” it was Sinisa Ubiparipovic who opened the scoring in the 9^th minute. Forward Tom Heinemann collected a turnover in the midfield and found the Bosnian in the area, who made no mistake with a tidy finish to the right side of the goal. The 1-0 lead would last until halftime, but a flurry of four goals in ten minutes between the two sides decided the tie. Andrew Wiedeman threw a second into the net on the end of Ryan Richter’s cross from the right flank, though it was the Eleven’s Duke Lacroix who pulled one back following a 30-yard sprint that saw him beat Peiser low and away. However, Ottawa would answer in quick succession when Mauro Eustaquio buried Heinemann’s ball into space before Wiedeman added a second of the evening just two minutes later. The visitors took charge in the final half hour of play to close down a third victory over Indy Eleven, this time at Carroll Stadium.

 

Last Time Out – Tampa Bay 0 : 0 Indy

Indy Eleven got a hard-earned point to kick off its 2016 season last Saturday in the Sunshine State, as “Indiana’s Team” used a stout defensive effort to duel to a 0-0 draw with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in front of 5,740 fans at Al Lang Stadium. New goalkeeper Jon Busch would stop all three shots faced on the evening and the quickly-bonding ten men in front of him would frustrate the Tampa Bay attack throughout the evening, combining to register a clean sheet in the season opener.

 

Familiar with Fury FC

When it comes to getting a scouting report on Ottawa Fury FC, coach Tim Hankinson won’t have to go very far. Three members of this year’s Indy Eleven side – defender Colin Falvey and midfielders Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Nicki Paterson – were a part of last year’s Fall Season Championship winning side in Ottawa, and the latter two also suited up for the Canadian club during its expansion season of 2014.

WATCH: Indy Eleven's former Fury FC trio talk home opener 

Falvey – who debuted as the Indy Eleven captain last Saturday at Tampa Bay – logged more than 2,800 minutes in his 32 starts for Ottawa last season. Ubiparipovic was also a mainstay in the Fury FC lineup, nothing 9 goals and 10 assists across the last two season (50 appearances, including playoffs, 43 starts). Paterson saw both season in ottawa cut short due o injuries, but did manage to scratch across 2 goals each season in 26 combined matches (9 in 2016).

Paterson had the distinction of scoring the game-winner for Ottawa in last year’s 1-0 win over Indy in the Spring Season on May 23, while Ubiparipovic also terrorized the “Boys in Blue,” scoring twice and adding an assist in his 6 career appearances against Indy.

 

New Season, New Faces

Indy Eleven named American coaching veteran Tim Hankinson as the club’s second permanent head coach on Dec. 2, and changes to the roster of “Indiana’s Team” would be soon to follow. As it turns out, the 22-man roster as it currently stands is split nearly down the middle between returning players and newcomers – a trend that carried over to Hankinson’s coaching staff thanks to the return of Tim Regan to an assistant role and the addition of veteran goalkeeper Jon Busch, who will serve as the squad’s goalkeeping coaching in addition to the team’s first-choice netminder.

 

Who to Watch, Indy Eleven edition: MF Nicki Paterson

Paterson comes to the Circle City as one of three to convert from the Fury to the Eleven in the offseason. Though the Scotsman was one of many fighting a niggle of an injury, the now fully healthy midfielder is relishing the opportunity to fight in Indianapolis and to earn a consistent place in Hankinson’s starting XI.

Starting seven of nine games for the Fury while tacking on two goals, Paterson’s 2015 was brought to an early end by a knee injury. After a full hour against the Rowdies last weekend, Paterson was brought off in place of Gorka Larrea as the “Boys in Blue” attempted to close down the night.

 

Who to Watch, Ottawa Fury FC edition: DF Rafael Alves

Starting in all 30 games for Fury FC and logging over 2,600 minutes, Alves was a consistent fixture of the visitors back line. Scoring four goals and notching an assist over the span, Alves was the third-leading goalscorer while also sitting third in total minutes played.

However, with a massive amount of turnover on the Canadian’s roster from 2015 to 2016, Alves is also one of the few regulars returning to the squad. He'll be tasked with leading Fury FC's back line against “Indiana’s Team” - and most notably striker Eamon Zayed, who will be hungry to not just score himself, but to also maximize his hold-up play after getting just 20 touches last week. Alves featured for all 90 minutes in Ottawa’s 3-0 loss away to New York, and he'll certainly want to atone for the defense's lapses in their season opening defeat.

 

Match-up to Mark: Indy MF Sinisa Ubiparipovic v. Ottawa Fury FC MF Julian de Guzman

The main matchup to watch for the home opener is new Indy Eleven midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Ottawa captain Julian de Guzman. The two former teammates now square off in the center of the park as the Bosnian playmaker goes head-to-head with the Toronto native and Canadian National Team stalwart in a duel of who can further impose their influence. Indy's number #10 will be charged with jumpstarting an admittedly sluggish Eleven attack coming out of preseason, while de Guzman's box-to-box play will be an indicator of Ottawa's overall effectiveness in the all important middle third of the field.