GAMEDAY: #FTLvIND

Indy Eleven Gameday & Match Preview
Indy Eleven at Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Saturday, May 14, 2016 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Lockhart Stadium – Ft. Lauderdale, FL

 

TEAM RECORDS:
Indy Eleven - 2W-3D-0L, 9 pts., 4th place in NASL Spring standings
Fort Lauderdale - 1W-2D-2L, 5 pts., 9th place in NASL Spring standings
Click here for the complete NASL Spring Season standings

 

WATCH LIVE:

• Local TV: None
• National TV: None
• Online: ESPN3
• Watch Parties: Union Jack Pub, Chatham Tap (Mass Ave & Fishers), St. Joseph’s Brewery
• See how to catch all the Week 7 action via NASL.com’s “Where to Watch” page

 

FOLLOW LIVE:

• In-game updates: Follow @IndyElevenLive on Twitter
• Live stats: Visit the NASL.com MatchCenter for in-depth Opta statistics

 

MEDIA GAME NOTES:

• Indy Eleven notes
• Fort Lauderdale notes pending

 

Last Time Out – Indy 1 : 1 FC Edmonton

Last Saturday, “Indiana’s Team” could not produce a late winner similar to weeks past as a one-all stalemate left the Eleven with just one point taken at home. However, the draw also left Indy as the only unbeaten team in the NASL, a quality worthy of mentioning when speaking of title-winning resumes.

Two first half goals is all “The Mike” would see as Eleven centerback Greg Janicki netted his first of the year, getting a slight touch on Nicki Paterson’s free kick delivery in the 22^nd minute. Just a few moments later, Justin Braun nearly made it two-nil to the good but was unable to make Edmonton ‘keeper Matt VanOekel pay for his poor distribution.

The visitors managed to tie things up in the 37^th minute as Sainey Nyassi pushed in a cross from the right flank that found teammate Jake Keegan near the penalty spot. Keegan would beat Janicki to the looping ball and nudged a header that went just over the reach of Eleven netminder Jon Busch as the reset button was hit at Carroll Stadium.

The second half was devoid of any major chances for the most part as both sides struggled to break through the other’s midfield. Sinisa Ubiparipovic had an attempt blocked in the 58^th minute, and FC Edmonton missed the best chance of the night with two minutes to go as they streaked with numbers down the right flank but could not beat an onrushing Busch, who corralled a low cross in.

Though Coach Tim Hankinson rued the missed opportunity to climb further up the standings, he was impressed with his side’s grit to keep at least a point from the proceedings.

 

Unpredictability at Hand

After kicking their way through a 1-1 draw at home against FC Edmonton, Indy Eleven now hits the road to the “Sunshine State” for the second time in the 2016 Spring Season, this time to face the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

Last week’s results leave Indy Eleven square in fourth place with a game in hand, just three points off the co-leading New York Cosmos and Carolina RailHawks (NYC currently has the goal differential tiebreaker). Heading into this week, the Cosmos face a Sunday trip to the Eleven’s recent opposition, FC Edmonton, while Carolina hosts Miami FC. Also in front of Indy Eleven – and, like Indy, with a game in hand on the leaders – is Minnesota United FC, who will welcome Jacksonville Armada FC.

This weekend’s final scores could help shake out who is really in the hunt at the top of the table, and Coach Hankinson is insistent on his “Boys in Blue” escaping Florida with all three points.  

 

Midfield in Question

With Brad Ring questionable for this Saturday, “Coach Hank” has a few things to ponder in regards to his starting XI. If Ring is unable to, does Hankinson stick to his recently-favored 4-4-2 with a flat line in midfield? Ubiparipovic could stay in the middle with Nicki Paterson, but given the nature of the two’s playing styles, would it make more sense for Hankinson to move towards a diamond in midfield with Ubiparipović in the No.10 role and Paterson as a deep-lying playmaker?

Out wide, Omar Gordon is set to keep his place in the team following his debut against Rayo OKC and home debut against FC Edmonton, but if Ubiparipovic is shifted back centrally then a spot opens up on either flank – enter Duke Lacroix and Dylan Mares. Hankinson has repeatedly mentioned his belief in rotating players into positions to keep guys fresh and keep the talent continuous, and with Lacroix earning starts in Indy’s first three matches (and playing much of the next when Ring went out injured at Rayo OKC), his return to the XI would not be considered a shake-up by any means.

Meanwhile, Dylan Mares has a strong case having impressed both in the starting lineup and as an impact substitution when called upon. However, Mares could also enter the match as a straight swap in the center of the pitch if Ubiparipović works just as well out wide. While the backline is likely to remain as steady as it’s been across the first five contests, the Busch-Vuković-Janicki-Falvey-Palmer line having started every match thus far, it is the midfield and attackers that will have Coach Hankinson keeping people guessing come Saturday night.

 

Who to Watch, Indy Eleven Edition: FW Justin Braun

Away games require players to have a little higher-revving engine to make things happen, and that’s where Braun can be a game-changer. In his return to the starting lineup last weekend, Braun was buzzing all over the field – and found himself in the right place to almost put things away on the heels of Janicki’s opening salvo, only to see how best look at a first goal in checkers be thwarted.

Can he use that as motivation to put one away on the road? Can he do the dirty work that the players around him can feed off of? Can that help grind out three important points on the road? We’ll see what Coach Hankinson has in store line-up wise, but it could be a game that’s tailor-made for the Salt Lake City native.

 

Who to Watch, Fort Lauderdale Edition: MF Ramon Nunez

American soccer watchers may recognize the talented Nunez from his early-career days with FC Dallas, but are more than likely to have seen him in the blue-and-white of the Honduran National Team. The 2010 World Cup vet was late to the party for Fort Lauderdale having just been added on April 19, but if his two-assist performance in last Saturday’s surprise 3-1 win at league-leading Carolina is any indication, the diminutive playmaker is starting to find his footing.

 

Match-up to Mark: D Nana Attakora vs. D Nemanja Vukovic

It’s a match-up of attack-friendly wide backs this week … the two-time goal scorer Vuković versus the reigning NASL Player of the Week Attakora. Their side of the field will be active all night long as neither defender is shy about getting forward to support in possession, so don’t be surprised if a pivotal moment comes from one of these two.