Indy Eleven fans need to relax; it will all be okay

 For many this season has been like a dream they can't seem to get past every night they go to bed. Poor defending, issues with players' efforts, and generally feeling like the team loses interest after the 70th minute (or right after halftime) are feelings that Indy Eleven fans aren't new to feeling from previous head coaches and many are shocked to feel with the energy that Mark Lowry, the first year head coach, has cast over fans.

It's not like Lowry hasn't tried. His energy can be seen on the sidelines each week and his unwillingness to settle for poor performance has seen the team move players and bring in new names to help challenge the existing players. Lowry has clearly, audibly, and visibly bothered by the performances put on by Indiana's team no clearer than Lowry's half-time interview when Detroit City came to town. 

Coach’s halftime interview for those that didn’t see it, clearly the frustrations of the past few weeks are starting to show. The second half performance improved slightly but still yet another loss @ovultras @hold_kaeft pic.twitter.com/Jiq9iyxQ5V

— Indy Eleven UK 🇬🇧 (@IndyElevenUK) July 10, 2022

The frustration on the face of a man in charge of Indy Eleven isn't new, but for Lowry it comes from a different angle. Arguably, Lowry is one of the top coaches not attached to Major League Soccer. Having had much success in Jacksonville and El  Paso his brand brings a blend of both tactical excellence and a big missing piece for Indy Eleven over the last few seasons (arguably their entire time in the United Soccer League) tactical identity. 

Recent interviews on Soccer Saturday,  Indy Eleven's Saturday morning radio show hosted by Greg Rakestraw have also illustrated that Lowry isn't ready to settle with what he has this season. The moves for Tejada from the Rowdies, Lewis to play in the net from Tulsa, and a slew of other moves (of which I don't think we've seen the last) show that Lowry isn't about to lower the bar for the season. 

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There is a constant debate within lower division soccer but a debate that often dominates any downturn in form with Indy Eleven fans. How do you build a roster in the lower divisions when it's near impossible to maintain consistency season to season? It's a debate that has flooded Facebook groups, Twitter pages, and other mediums. Indy fans constantly go between the need for better players or feeling that time should be given to the current roster to let them "gel more." 

The Hankinson era, the Rennie era... there hasn't been a period of time where the question of whether time heals the on-the-field woes. In short, there hasn't been a period of time where that theory has been proven. What has been proven is that getting the right players for the right systems provides the right outcomes and the moves Lowry has made have slowly shaped the team in the mold he wants, a 4-4-2 diamond shape as stated on Soccer Saturday a few weeks ago. Whether his ideal set-up finds itself this season or next Lowry knows what he wants and how he wants it - it's just a matter of time before he finds it. Each move, defenders, trades for goalkeepers, and forwards being loaned in show clearly that the coaching staff hasn't been happy with the current team and a little spice added to the same recipe can only make the result taste better. Sure, it will take time for new players to gel but have the current players even gelled? 

Personally, I hate the theory that players need time to gel together or need even close to a full season to be able to play well together. This isn't a recreational league or even a college league. This is the second division of US Soccer. Near the top division of the sport and these are paid, professional athletes. If you can't look up while dribbling a ball down the field and hit a forward who's well within his abilities to beat the defender and you think time helps with that? Sorry... excuses like that don't fly with me. 

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It's unclear if the woes of the midseason form have been the tactics or players. Lowry has been firm in his position, saying in a halftime interview that it isn't either but the effort the players put in. Watching any Indy Eleven game you can tell, at times, that a lack of effort is there. However,  reviewing the previous standings of the previous El Paso teams Lowry coached non seemed to really struggle with effort. 

His first season leading the western conference side saw him land in the Conference finals... actually looking over the young post-season history of El Paso the lowest position the team secured during Lowry's time there was last season when they were knocked out in the quarter-finals for the western conference. 

Was that due to more effort? Or did Lowry build a team properly around his ideas, did players buy more into his ideas, and were their efforts positioned correctly with how the tactical ideas should work? 

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Ultimately if there are serious fans questioning where the team is in the standing, the lack of goal scoring, and a slew of other issues this team has faced this season they should pump the brakes and look around a little more. This is the first year of a new coach, with a team aiming for bigger ambitions. While slack shouldn't be given just on the principle of being new, this game that we watch each week has many layers that affect the physical and mental aspects of coaches and players. 

Sometimes, in The Beautiful Game, it's not your time. Indy Eleven is searching to recapture the performances from their Spring title-winning season in the North American Soccer League and supporters are hungry for that joy. But if you can't find hope in the bad times then you don't deserve to hold onto the good times.

To quote Ted Lasso, which should shock no one -  

“Fairy tales do not start, nor do they end, at the dark forest. That's only something that shows up smack dab in the middle of the story, but it will all work out. It may not work out how you think it will or how you hope it does. But believe me, it will all work out, exactly as it's supposed to.”

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If it be time that heals the on-the-field woes if it is new players coming in to shake up the fabric of the team and challenge for spots if it is the tactics that Lowry employs... whatever it be ultimately I'm not worried about the 2022 Indy Eleven season. Am I frustrated each week informing my wife that the team lost or drew another game? Sure... but if the time on the field together heals these issues then supporters should give that same time to Lowry to better secure a squad that plays not only his style but represents the shirt just as much otherwise it's not worth getting worked up about. This is a long season and a sport with many twists and turns. 

We will see what the next chapter in this fairy tale takes us.

- Brian