Forward Gordon Wild Joins Indy Eleven for 2021 Season
February 11, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Indy Eleven News Release
INDIANAPOLIS - Indy Eleven welcomed another international player with North American soccer pedigree with today's signing of German forward Gordon Wild. Details of the contract that brings the 25-year-old attacker to Indiana's Team will not be released, per club policy.
"I am looking forward to joining Indy Eleven for the upcoming season and want to thank Head Coach Martin Rennie for this opportunity. After good conversations with him over the course of this offseason, this feels like the right step for me," said Wild. "I really like what Martin is building here with Indy Eleven and I want to contribute to it with my talent and goal scoring ability. I hope the team and the fans will be able to share great moments together this season."
Indy Eleven's 2021 USL Championship roster now stands at 17 players, with more signings set to come tomorrow and early next week. Wild is the sixth new international signing for the Boys in Blue within the last month, and the tenth player with foreign roots on the squad's increasingly global roster. The following players will report for 2021 preseason camp at the team's training home of Grand Park in Westfield in early March:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Farr*
Defenders: Rece Buckmaster, Neveal Hackshaw*, Nedeljko MaliÃâ¡, Karl Ouimette*, Jared Timmer
Midfielders: Ayoze (Garcia)*, Mitch Guitar*, Carl Haworth*, Gershon Koffie, Nicky Law, Aboubacar Sissoko
Forwards: Manuel Arteaga, Cal Jennings, Nick Moon*, Josh Penn*, Gordon Wild
* returning players from 2020 roster
"We've had our eyes on Gordon the last few seasons and are glad to bring him into the squad for 2021," stated Indy Eleven Head Coach Martin Rennie. "While he already has quite the track record as a goal scorer in our league, we think the potential is there for him to raise his level even higher. He's a determined, hard-working player that we expect will contribute a lot in the attacking half of the field."
Wild began his pro career in 2018 after being selected the 2018 MLS SuperDraft by Atlanta United FC, which loaned the rookie to USL Championship side Charleston Battery. As a teammate of current Eleven defender Neveal Hackshaw that season, Wild contributed seven goals and three assists for the Battery across 20 starts for the club.
After beginning 2019 back with Atlanta United, Wild signed midseason with another MLS squad in D.C. United. A loan to Loudoun United FC paid huge dividends for both the USL Championship expansion side and Wild, who scored ten times in just 16 appearances across the final half of the season. When factoring in his 18 goals and six assists overall across 2018-19, Wild averaged a goal or assist every 150 minutes of play in his two seasons of USL Championship action.
That performance earned Wild a third MLS contract in 2020 with LA Galaxy, his standout moment for the Southern California side coming when he assisted Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's first MLS goal against Portland Timbers FC in their MLS is Back Tournament opener last July in Orlando.
Prior to turning professional, the youth product of German Bundesliga regular Mainz 05 spent two seasons at the University of Maryland, where he collected 22 goals and seven assists. A standout 2016 sophomore campaign (17 goals, five assists) earned Wild ample accolades including Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten and the Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Offensive Player. Prior to joining Maryland, Wild averaged over a goal per game (16 goals in 15 appearances) during his 2015 freshman season at the University of South Carolina-Upstate.
Want to watch Wild and the rest of the Boys in Blue when they return to IUPUI's Carroll Stadium in 2021? A limited number of Season Ticket Memberships are now available and can be secured starting at just $170 by visiting indyeleven.com/tickets or calling 317-685-1100.
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