Head Coach Tim Hankinson Returning to Indy Eleven for 2017 Season
Published on December 9, 2016 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Indy Eleven News Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Indy Eleven Professional Soccer made its first move of the offseason official today by announcing the return of head coach Tim Hankinson to the team's sideline for the 2017 season.
"A year ago we brought Tim Hankinson aboard to provide leadership on the team side of the club and improved results on the field, and he certainly checked both of those boxes," said Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir. "The Indy Eleven family is excited to continue working with Coach Hankinson as he helps the team towards more success in 2017."
Hankinson, who was announced as Indy Eleven's second permanent head coach on Dec. 2, 2015, led a remarkable turnaround for Indiana's Team during his first season at the helm in 2016, earning the NASL's 2016 Coach of the Year award in November for his efforts. The 61-year-old New York City native steered Indy Eleven to a 13-game undefeated streak to begin his tenure, a 4W-6D-0L run in the first 10 games leading the Boys in Blue to a dramatic Spring Season championship, the first title in the team's three-year history.
"A fire was lit with how the 2016 season ended in The Championship Final, and that will serve as a burning motivation for what will come in 2017," said Hankinson. "Continuity is important, so I am looking forward to keeping the core of last year's squad and building on the foundation of success it achieved. At the same time we do need to grow tactically and add new faces that will bolster our play on the field and the tremendous relationship we've built with our fans."
Indy Eleven shattered club records in wins (15) and points (55) after compiling a 15W-10D-7L regular season record, good for a second-place finish in the NASL's Combined Season. Hankinson also led Indy Eleven to its first postseason appearance last month, defeating FC Edmonton 1-0 in The Championship Semifinal in front of a sellout crowd at Carroll Stadium before dueling the New York Cosmos to a hard-fought 0-0 draw in The Championship Final, eventually dropping the result in penalty kicks.
Indy Eleven is the latest stop on a now 37-year coaching journey that has seen Hankinson lead teams at every level of the sport in the United States - including now three-plus seasons in the NASL and nine years in MLS - and taken him across the globe.Click here to read Hankinson's extensive bio (http://www.indyeleven.com/coaching-staff/tim-hankinson), which spans from his successful start in the collegiate ranks to stops domestically and internationally across four continents.
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