SoccerwithBrian

It's okay to trust Lowry  It's been frustrating being an Indy Eleven supporter since the beginning of the Mark Lowry era. In reality... It's been frustrating since the club's inception. Each season, chopping, changing, and bringing in new faces while you can look across both leagues the club has played in and see clubs who have players who have spent multiple seasons with the same club.  For Indy Eleven their style, which at times has changed, but overall has stayed the same, hasn't valued longevity. They haven't really held onto coaches for more than two seasons, they rarely hold onto players more than that as well. Supporters have even watched in recent seasons as talented players have been let go and flourished in their new clubs. But watching the 2023 Indy Eleven team has felt... different. Sure, while the elements of the club culture remain the same, a lot of roster turnover, etc. But over the course of the season, you can see, amidst the frustration, the o

Indy Eleven are simply stuck in neutral and no one can figure out how to put them back into drive My wife and I don't watch a lot of television shows. No more than anyone else. We tend to focus on one or two at a time and rotate them in and out based on our mood at the time. Comedy, drama, and medical dramas are a big hits given my history, but we tend to enjoy a variety of shows.  The dramas, which are usually our genre of choice, tend to have a lot of twists and turns and unsuspecting parts. Nothing horror, of course, but rather real life dramas, medical dramas, etc. Things that could potentially be happening in real life tend to have us making comments like "We should watch Chicago Med when we get home" as we drive by a hospital. For Indy Eleven, their 2023 season, which is seemingly looking like a repeat of the 2022 season, has been its own form of drama. It's hard to put a finger on it, but let's try and digest and comprehend what's been going on and what

 Diagnosing the undiagnosable: Indy Eleven's woes continue Soccer is the most difficult sport to put a finger on what needs to be changed when issues come about. A striker isn't scoring? Train them to finish their chances, passes not reaching players? Train your midfielders to have higher-quality passes so on and so forth. For Indy Eleven the last two seasons have been never-ending questions of this as the tidal waves of rising and crashing form have crippled them from finding the coveted ideal of "consistency" in their form.  The most frustrating part, for the club and supporter's alike, is the hope that is generated each time they have secured 3 points over the last two seasons. The "never say die" attitude that narrowly got them into the playoffs (even unrealistically) last season brought joy each time you saw a spectacular save from Trilik or a cut inside by Dambrot. The club, itself, hasn't lacked hope and positivity. But while the lack of hope

Rob and Ryan aren't hurting The Beautiful Game; they are helping it  In case you have been living under a rock for the last year or so, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney own a professional football team in Wales. Well. Soccer, but yeah, they own a team in the fifth tier of English Football. As a result of their name, their social clout, and the fantastic quality of their documentary series, the club's public eye has widened and deepened to a level unheard of for the club, let alone that area of the world and the beautiful game.  With the new eyes on the sport, the monumental coverage of Wrexham matches on ESPN Plus - the domestic subscription service for many leagues, competitions, and sports -- Many have begun to see themselves as more than just casual viewers but rather edging closer to defining themselves as "fans" or in the soccer terms, "supporters"  There's more than one way to finish a race When you run any type of race, when you start any kind of

Why you should expect way more from Indy Eleven in 2023  It's easy to say that 2022 was not the season anyone anticipated from Indiana's team. From the team built to the early success and the eventual mountainous fall downward, 2022 was a season that most fans will be quick to forget... or want to be quick to forget.  But with the season's end, comes the beginning of a new season - the season of hope. Transfers on transfers  If there were a trophy for "winning" the offseason, Indy Eleven would at minimum be in the final for that trophy. Much like the peak - Rennie days, Mark Lowry has gone above and beyond to secure quality talent that has been successful at this level, or at the bare minimum, a talent that has a point to prove. The keys I felt going into this offseason were addressing vital statistical flaws that plauged the 2022 campaign. Namely, chances created, tackling accuracy, and above all else, goals scored.  It's easier for a fanbase of any level to

 Every win matters. Every win gives you three points and every win proves you are better than your opponent For Indy Eleven up until this past Saturday, it had been 12 matches or 1,080 minutes of narrow defeats, thrashings, and snatching defeat from the jaws of victories. Players have moved on, new ideas have been tried, but above nothing else each week Indy Eleven went out with the intention of going for three points, even if supporters couldn't find the belief that things would be changing. It was a recipe for excitement. Former Indy Eleven goalkeeper Jordan Farr was back for the first time, San Antonio sits in a strong spot in the West. For all intents and purposes - this should have been a match that ended in a similar result to every other match Indy has played during this streak. A blowout - similar to their result when they traveled to play San Diego Loyal or a narrow defeat like many of their losses have been.  Regardless many had written this game off, including me to some