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GAMEDAY: #INDvMNU

Boys in Blue ready for fight for first with the Loons
Published May 20, 2016
PREVIEW: #INDvMNU

Indy Eleven Gameday & Match Preview

Indy Eleven vs. Minnesota United FC
Saturday, May 21, 2016 – 7:30 p.m. ET

Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

 

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  • Local TV: WISH-TV
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MEDIA GAME NOTES:

 

Last Time Out – Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0 : 0 Indy Eleven

If not for Indy Eleven GK Jon Busch, the “Boys in Blue” may have let the hosts gather all three points when they hit the road to Fort Lauderdale last Saturday.

Busch was outstanding in his sixth appearance for “Indiana’s Team,” parrying all six shots away from his area to prevent the Strikers from finding what would have been the go-ahead goal in a tight scoreless contest. Indy’s No.18 took two first half efforts, one long and one short, away from the net, diving across his line on one occasion to pin the ball on the goal line, and took another four in the second half. On the opposite end, the Eleven came closest through the left foot of defender Nemanja Vuković, though the opposition netminder, Diego Restrepo, did well to equal the effort and keep a low, swerving ball out of the back of the net.

Adding to the frustrations, the match was stopped right after the halftime break due to inclement weather. This caused nearly an hour-and-a-half delay that only confined the fixed energy levels further. The 0-0 draw leaves Indy Eleven in fifth place, still unbeaten, with 10 points after six games.

 

Spring Season’s “Moving Day”

With just four games remaining for both the Eleven and Minnesota United FC, Saturday’s clash could ultimately determine how the table shakes out, with the Spring Season champion being crowned in under a month’s time. The Week 7 slate could be equated to a golf tournament’s Saturday “moving day” as the top six will be pitted against each other in three crucial match-ups: Indy v. Minnesota on Saturday and FC Edmonton/Carolina and New York/Tampa Bay both on Sunday.

A win for the “Boys in Blue” on Military Appreciation Night could see them catapult into a tie for first place with their weekend foe (at least for 24 hours), while a loss could all but eliminate them from contention for a first shot at hardware in 2016. In between the two sides are three teams Indy Eleven has a game in hand on – FCE and the Cosmos, both of whom have already made their visit to Circle City, as well as Carolina, which the Eleven welcomes in the final game of the spring on June 11.

On the task at hand, Coach Tim Hankinson said, “We have a game in hand as they do, and three points puts you in a tie for first place, so it’s a first-place game. You have to get good at winning those, because if you’re ever going to expect to win a championship, when those games come along that’s performance time.”

 

Attack, Attack … Attack, Attack, Attack! … And Defense!

Minnesota United FC jet into town with the most prolific attack in the league, having scored 11 goals in six matches. The visitors are led up top by the NASL’s co-leading goalscorer, Christian Ramirez, who has found the back of the net four times already thus far.

The side most organized in defense may prevail on the evening, though, as the Eleven and MNU are tied at the top of the charts in fewest goals conceded (4). While Indy has kept two clean sheets this season in comparison to MNU’s four, Indiana’s Team is the only one in the NASL that has yet to concede multiple goals in a contest, the bend-but-not-break fashion allowing three points to remain a possibility at the end of every match.

 

Who to Watch, Indy Eleven edition: MF Gorka Larrea

Last week, the Spaniard Larrea earned his first start under head coach Tim Hankinson and put in a shift in the heat as one of the two central midfielders charged with breaking down the Strikers attack. Larrea, who was troubled with nagging injuries early on, appears to be in line for another chance at the starting XI this weekend against the Minnesotan adversary in a similar role.

Without Brad Ring, Larrea will also be responsible for acting as the metronome of the side. With Hankinson looking for ways to find cohesion in the middle of the field in a way that will get some offense going, Larrea’s box-to-box style and duty of linking the defense with the attack (as any No.8 would) could be the key on Saturday night.

 

Who to Watch, Minnesota United FC edition: DF Kevin Venegas

Venegas has been a key figure in all six performances for Minnesota United FC, tallying two assists on the year – one apiece against FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury FC – and one goal, against Jacksonville Armada FC.

The right-back has started all six matches so far while helping MNU climb to the top of the table with over half the season gone, acting as a competent defender with an eye towards goal. Like the scoring defender Michel for Rayo OKC, the Eleven will have to keep Venegas in line and occupied in the defensive third as much as possible in order to neutralize the attacking threat he presents.

 

Match-up to Mark: GK Jon Busch vs. FWD Christian Ramirez

A match that pits one of the best netminders in the league against one of the best forwards, Jon Busch may have to repeat last week’s performance against the Strikers when forward Christian Ramirez and Co. come to town.

Last week it was Maicon Santos losing the most sleep for the Strikers after seeing Busch stymie chance after chance for 90 minutes-plus. While United FC has plenty of firepower alongside Ramirez, if Indy is to succeed it might have to be the 2014 Golden Boot winner that Busch will have to keep at bay the most.

“I think that [Busch’s] individual performance will be an inspiration for everyone to reach for their personal best going into Saturday,” said Hankinson earlier this week.

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