Indy Eleven

Indy Eleven
Full name Indy Eleven
Nickname(s) The Boys in Blue
Founded 2013 (2013)
Stadium Lucas Oil Stadium
Indianapolis, Indiana
Capacity 62,421
Owner Ersal Ozdemir
President Jeff Belskus[1]
Head Coach Martin Rennie
League United Soccer League
2017 (NASL) Spring: 6th
Fall: 8th
Combined: 6th
Playoffs: DNQ
Website Club website

Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018.[2][3] The franchise plays its home games at Lucas Oil Stadium, with long-term plans of a new stadium in the city's downtown district.[4]

History

Indy Eleven players during a 2014 fall season league game

Thanks in part to efforts from a grassroots soccer organization, better known as the supporters group Brickyard Battalion, on January 16, 2013, the NASL announced that an Indianapolis expansion team owned by Ersal Ozdemir, CEO of Keystone Group LLC, would join the league in 2014. Ozdemir named Peter Wilt as the team's first President and General Manager, this after the veteran American soccer executive had served in a consulting role to explore the viability of professional soccer in Indianapolis in the three months leading up to the January 2013 announcement.

Indy Eleven's vision is to create a team that is representative of Indiana and creates strong emotional connections with its fans. Those connections will be made with Indiana's youth and adult soccer community and the active young adult urban and ethnic populations. The makeup of the team will reflect the community, so that it can live up to its slogan of "The World's Game, Indiana's Team". The club sold over 7,000 season tickets for its inaugural 2014 campaign.[5]

The name and club colors were officially revealed to the public on April 25, 2013 during a ceremony held at Indianapolis' Soldiers and Sailors Monument.[6] The team was named after the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, an infantry regiment that served with notoriety in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Colonel Lew Wallace commanded the regiment, which was mustered on April 25, 1861. The team name reflects both the culture of the game and pays homage to the history of the state.[7] The number also is an obvious reference to the number of players on the field when at full strength. The number eleven is also important to the world-renowned Indianapolis 500, with the race traditionally featuring eleven rows of cars and drivers and the first race being held in 1911.

Indy Eleven named former Indiana University standout, U.S. international and English Premier League and Major League Soccer veteran Juergen Sommer as its first Head Coach/Director of Soccer Operations on June 11, 2013.

On October 1, 2013 the team announced Kristian Nicht as their first signing.[8]

Even though the team did not begin play until the spring 2014 season, the team announced in November 2013 that it had already sold over 7,000 season tickets, and in capping season ticket sales, became the first team in NASL history to have a wait list for season tickets.[9][10]

The team made its NASL regular-season debut on April 12, 2014, in a 1–1 draw against the Carolina Railhawks at home in front of 11,048 fans at Carroll Stadium.[11]

On June 2, 2015, Juergen Sommer was fired as manager, with Tim Regan taking over in an interim capacity.[12] Regan's interim role ended on December 2 with Tim Hankinson being appointed as the clubs manager.[13]

Indy Eleven won the 2016 Spring Championship after an undefeated season. The team, in a game called "The Miracle at the Mike," overturned a three goal tiebreaker deficit to secure its first title.[14]

On January 31, 2017, the Eleven announced that they would seek to join Major League Soccer during the league's expansion efforts for teams to join by 2020.[15] The Eleven were passed over in the initial 2017 bidding.

On November 28, 2017, the Eleven announced that Tim Hankinson would not be returning as manager for the 2018 season.[16]

On January 10, 2018, the Eleven announced they had left the NASL and joined the United Soccer League for the 2018 season.[17] Martin Rennie was then named as the Eleven's new head coach on January 16.[18]

League and cup history

Season League Overall Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Top goalscorer Manager(s) Avg. Attendance
Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Name League
2014 NASL Spring 10th 9 0 4 5 14 20 4 9th — Fourth Round Brazil Kléberson 8 United States Juergen Sommer 10,465 (1st)
NASL Fall 7th 18 6 5 7 21 26 23
2015 NASL Spring 5th 10 3 4 3 13 12 13 9th — Third Round United States Dylan Mares
Jamaica Brian Brown		 5 United States Juergen Sommer
United States Tim Regan		 9,809 (1st)
NASL Fall 9th 20 5 5 10 23 36 20
2016 NASL Spring 1st 10 4 6 0 15 8 18 2nd Finals Fourth Round Libya Éamon Zayed 15 United States Tim Hankinson 8,396 (2nd)
NASL Fall 2nd 22 11 4 7 36 25 37
2017 NASL Spring 6th 16 4 8 4 21 22 20 6th — Second Round Libya Éamon Zayed 11 United States Tim Hankinson 8,395 (1st)
NASL Fall 8th 16 3 4 9 18 34 13
2018 USL Second Round Scotland Martin Rennie

Crest

The name "Eleven" references the eleven men who take to the field representing Indiana and also pays homage to Indiana's 11th Regiment Indiana Infantry in the American Civil War, while the navy colored checkered background is a nod to both Indianapolis' auto-racing culture and the Brickyard Battalion supporters group (more information below). Lady Victory from the Soldiers' and Sailors' monument is the focal point of the crest. The color scheme is the same as that of the civic flag of Indianapolis.[19]

Supporters

Brickyard Battalion

Brickyard Battalion

The primary supporters group for the Indy Eleven is the Brickyard Battalion and were established on August 3, 2011.[20] The supporters group has its origins in a grassroots campaign to elicit local support for bringing professional soccer to Indianapolis. Membership consists of more than 2,000 supporters, with over 4,000 officially registered supporters throughout the state of Indiana;[21] affiliate chapters in the greater Indianapolis area and beyond include, but are not limited to: Slaughterhouse-19 BYB, Battery 37 BYB and Cologne – Germany BYB (an affiliate chapter based in Cologne, Germany).[22]

Stadium

Indy Eleven play their home matches at Lucas Oil Stadium, in Downtown Indianapolis.

In early 2014, Indy Eleven sought to build a new $87 million stadium with a capacity of 18,500 seats, but were not able to build the political support to finance their plan.[10] On January 13, 2015, House Bill 1273 was submitted to the Indiana General Assembly, proposing to pay for the stadium by expanding ticket taxes through 2045 instead of ending in 2023 at a projected $5 million per year[23]

In 2018, the club announced that they will play their home matches at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium will continue to be used as a secondary venue for if the home matches may need to be moved due to potential scheduling conflicts with Lucas Oil Stadium.[24]

Jerseys

Predominantly red, white and blue, the jerseys unveiled on October 1, 2013,[25] also featured a sublimated checker board pattern paying homage to Indianapolis' rich auto racing heritage centered around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The jerseys were manufactured by Diadora[26] and Honda was the primary sponsor.

The jerseys used since the 2017 season are manufactured by Adidas with Honda remaining the sponsor.

Period Kit Manufacturer Shirt Sponsor
2014–2016 Italy Diadora Honda
2017–present Germany Adidas

Players

Current roster

As of August 24, 2018[27]
No. Position Player Nation
0 Goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard (on loan from Columbus Crew SC)  United States
1 Goalkeeper Owain Fôn Williams (on loan from Inverness Caledonian Thistle)  Wales
2 Midfielder Dylan Mares  United States
3 Defender Tyler Pasher  Canada
4 Midfielder Brad Ring  United States
5 Defender Reiner Ferreira  Brazil
6 Midfielder Nico Matern  Germany
7 Defender Ayoze  Spain
8 Midfielder Matt Watson  England
9 Forward Eugene Starikov  United States
10 Midfielder Ben Speas  United States
12 Midfielder Amass Amankona  Ghana
14 Forward Soony Saad  Lebanon
16 Midfielder Juan Guerra  Venezuela
17 Forward Justin Braun  United States
18 Midfielder Seth Moses  United States
19 Defender Carlyle Mitchell  Trinidad and Tobago
20 Defender Karl Ouimette  Canada
21 Defender Brad Rusin  United States
22 Defender Kevin Venegas  United States
25 Goalkeeper Jordan Farr  United States
27 Midfielder Nathan Lewis  Trinidad and Tobago
28 Forward Elliot Collier (on loan from Chicago Fire)  New Zealand
99 Forward Jack McInerney  United States
— Midfielder Diego Campos (on loan from Chicago Fire)  Costa Rica

Out on loan

No. Position Player Nation
23 Midfielder Zach Steinberger (on loan to North Carolina FC)  United States

Coaching staff

  • Scotland Martin Rennie – Head Coach
  • Canada Phillip Dos Santos – Assistant Coach
  • United States David Dixon – Assistant Coach
  • England Andy Swift – Goalkeeper Coach

Honors

National
Competitions Titles Seasons
NASL Spring championship 1 2016[28]

Player records

Appearances

As of October 13, 2018
Name Years Signed from League Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Total
1United States Brad Ring2014–presentPortland Timbers10924115
2Jamaica Don Smart2014–2017RVA FC9524101
3United States Dylan Mares2014–2016
2018–present		Indiana Hoosiers
Miami FC 2		842591
4United States Marco Franco2014
2015–2017		Chicago Fire822488
5United States Justin Braun2016–presentSacramento Republic582464
Montenegro Nemanja Vuković2016–2017Sacramento Republic592364
7Libya Éamon Zayed2016–2017Sabah592263
8United States Jon Busch2016–2017Chicago Fire592162
9Republic of Ireland Colin Falvey2016–2017Ottawa Fury FC522155
United States Cory Miller2014–2017Los Angeles Blues540155

Bold denotes players still playing for the club.

Goals

Éamon Zayed scored 27 goals in 63 games during his two years with the club
As of October 13, 2018
Name Years Signed from League Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Total
1Libya Éamon Zayed2016–2017Sabah260127
2United States Justin Braun2016–presentSacramento Republic180119
3United States Dylan Mares2014–2016
2018–present		Indiana Hoosiers
Miami FC 2		120113
4United States Jack McInerney2018–presentLA Galaxy100010
Jamaica Don Smart2014–2017RVA FC100010
6Brazil Kléberson2014–2015Bahia8008
7United States Mike Ambersley2014Minnesota United6017
United States Ben Speas2017–presentMinnesota United7007
9United States Blake Smith2014Montreal Impact2046
United States Eugene Starikov2018–presentNew York Cosmos6006

Bold denotes players still playing for the club.

Managerial records

As of October 13, 2018
Name From To P W D L GS GA %W Honors
United States Juergen Sommer June 11, 2013 June 2, 2015[12] 38 8 13 17 49 63 021.05
United States Tim Regan (interim) June 2, 2015[12] December 2, 2015[13] 22 7 5 10 26 37 031.82
United States Tim Hankinson December 2, 2015[13] November 28, 2017[16] 69 24 24 21 94 89 034.78 (1) NASL Spring Season
Scotland Martin Rennie January 16, 2018[18] 35 13 10 12 45 43 037.14
  • Notes:

P – Total of played matches W – Won matches D – Drawn matches L – Lost matches GS – Goals scored GA – Goals against
%W – Percentage of matches won

References

  1. ↑ "Former Speedway honcho become new Indy Eleven president". Indianapolis Business Journal. 2016-01-11.
  2. ↑ "NASL Awards Team To Indianapolis". North American Soccer League. January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Indy Eleven Joins USL for the 2018 Season". United Soccer League (USL). January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Indy officially lands 12th North American Soccer League Franchise". Indianapolis Star. January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  5. ↑ Hawley, Larry. "Indy Eleven's support grows as first player, jersey are introduced". fox59.com. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Indy Eleven Taking Soccer to the Next Level | North American Soccer League". Nasl.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  7. ↑ "About Indy Eleven".
  8. ↑ "Indy Eleven's First Player Is A 'Keeper – Indy Eleven". Indyeleven.com. May 3, 1970. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Indy Eleven ticket sales far exceeding projections", Indianapolis Business Journal, November 11, 2013
  10. 1 2 "Indy Eleven soccer stadium proposal shelved", Indy Star, March 6, 2014.
  11. ↑ NASL match center. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 "REGAN IN AS INTERIM HEAD COACH". indyeleven.com. Indy Eleven. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 "Tim Hankinson Takes Over Indy Eleven Head Coaching Position". nasl.com. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  14. ↑ "Championship Comes to the Circle City!". www.indyeleven.com. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  15. ↑ Bennett, Taylor (January 31, 2017). "Indy Soccer Team Applies For MLS Expansion". WFYI.
  16. 1 2 Kennedy, Paul. "Tim Hankinson won't return as Indy Eleven's head coach". SoccerAmerica. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  17. ↑ Tricia Whitaker (January 10, 2018). "Indy Eleven announces it will join USL for 2018 season". WXIN.
  18. 1 2 "RENNIE TO LEAD INDY ELEVEN AS HEAD COACH". indyeleven.com. Indy Eleven. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Indy Eleven Identity". Indy Eleven. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  20. ↑ "The Brickyard Battalion - About Us". BrickyardBattalion.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  21. ↑ "The Brickyard Battalion". Indy Eleven. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  22. ↑ "The Brickyard Battalion - Affiliate Chapters". BrickyardBattalion.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  23. ↑ Indiana General Assembly. "House Bill 1273". Indiana General Assembly. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  24. ↑ http://www.indyeleven.com/news_article/show/880731?referrer_id=3577980
  25. ↑ "Twitter / IndyEleven: Here's a pic of today's special". Twitter.com. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  26. ↑ Townsend, Rebecca. "Indy Eleven's new goalie, new jerseys | Sports + Recreation | NUVO News | Indianapolis, IN". Nuvo.net. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Indy Eleven roster". IndyEleven.com. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  28. ↑ "CHAMPIONSHIP COMES TO THE CIRCLE CITY!". indyeleven.com. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
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