Indy Eleven Hosts North Carolina FC
August 13, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Indy Eleven News Release
The "Boys in Blue" return to Lucas Oil Stadium to face North Carolina FC after a four-game road stint. "Indiana's Team" will face North Carolina FC for the second time in Week 23, after defeating the East coast side 1-0 in Week 4.
Indy Eleven (9W-7L-5D) currently sit at eighth in the Eastern Conference with 32 points. The "Boys in Blue" drew Louisville City FC 2-2 in a Week 21 thriller that saw two penalty saves, one from each goalkeeper. Indy Eleven forward Jack McInerney scored a brace in the span of five minutes to give "Indiana's Team" a 2-1 lead 21 minutes into the game. The two goals bring McInerney's scoring tally to six on the 2018 season, his first with Indy Eleven. The lead remained in the hands of Indy until the 59th minute, when Louisville's George Davis IV drew the game level with a strike from near the 18-yard box. Indy had a chance to win it in the 72nd minute after forward Eugene Starikov earned a penalty, but failed to convert. The 2-2 draw means that the "Boys in Blue brought back a total of 4 out of12 possible points from the four game road trip, returning with a 1W-1D-2L record in the short span.
North Carolina FC (8W-8L-6D) sits five spots below Indy Eleven in 10th in the Eastern Conference with 27 points. North Carolina defeated Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-0 in their Week 21 matchup. Goals from midfielder Marcel Kandziora and forward and leading goal scorer Daniel Rios powered North Carolina to victory. NCFC goalkeeper Alex Tambakis recorded his sixth clean sheet of the 2018 season. The fixture against Tampa Bay was their first match of a three game road trip that sees NCFC face Indy Eleven next, followed by a trip to New York to face New York Red Bulls II. North Carolina will seek revenge following a 1-0 defeat at home to Indy Eleven in Week 4 after Indy defender Tyler Pasher netted the game's only goal.
Indy Eleven head coach Martin Rennie will look to hand his former club a series second defeat against his current side. A home victory will be vital for Rennie and his squad after declaring his intentions of making Lucas Oil Stadium a home fortress.
INDY ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH | MF MATT WATSON
Captaining a side is not an easy task. Indy Eleven midfielder Matt Watson may beg to differ, though. He's captained the "Boys in Blue" throughout the 2018 campaign, martialing the team through the midfield. Although Watson might not regularly score, his ability to read the game has drastically improved Indy Eleven's midfield performance.
Watson's success can be most accredited to his ability to read passing lanes and intercept passes. This not only frustrates opposing midfielders, but leads to counter attacking goals. The Englishman has both scored and assisted off intercepting passes in the midfield this season. He scored against Atlanta United 2 in Week 13 and assisted Jack McInerney in the previous match against Louisville City FC after intercepting passes in the midfield. The veteran midfielder will need to contain North Carolina midfielder Kyle Becker, who leads the team in assists with 10, in order to gather three points at home.
NORTH CAROLINA FC PLAYER TO WATCH | GK ALEX TAMBAKIS
North Carolina FC goalkeeper Alex Tambakis recorded his sixth clean sheet on 2018 against Tampa Bay Rowdies in a 2-0 shutout in Week 22. The 25-year old goalkeeper managed three saves and a punch to hold off a stellar Tampa Bay offense.
Tambakis has been an integral piece of the NCFC defense in 2018, starting in every game so far. The Greek goaltender currently has the most saves in the Eastern Conference with 67 saves, nine more than the next goalkeeper. His six clean sheets have him tied for seventh most in the Eastern Conference. He'll be keen on shutting out an Indy Eleven side that was able to put one past him in the previous meeting between the two sides resulting a 1-0 defeat for NCFC and Tambakis.
MATCHUP TO MARK | INDY FW JACK MCINERNEY VS. NCFC FW DANIEL RIOS
Soccer sometimes carries the notion among fans that the beautiful game can be the boring game if goals aren't scored regularly. In their last five games, Indy Eleven has found the back of the net seven times and North Carolina FC eight times. One of the main reasons each team has been able to regularly find the back of the net the last five games is good forward play, specifically from Indy Eleven's Jack McInerney and NCFC's Daniel Rios.
McInerney has caught form for the "Boys in Blue" at the right time. In the last two games, the 26-year old has found the back of the net three times, totaling six goals in 2018. He scored twice against Louisville City FC netting a header and scoring off a break away. He also defeated Bethlehem Steel FC in the late minutes of the match scoring a header from a corner kick. McInerney has displayed versatility in front of net all season long, scoring with his head, each foot, and even using his hip. McInerney will need to continue to be resilient in front of net and create chances, as he will be facing a tough goalkeeper in North Carolina FC's Alex Tambakis.
One of the most dangerous forwards in the Eastern Conference has been North Carolina FC's Daniel Rios. Rios is currently tied for the third most goals in the Eastern Conference with 12, trailing Louisville City FC's Cameron Lancaster and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC's Neco Brett by one. The 23-year-old was able to find the back of the net against Tampa Bay in the team's previous outing. The native of Mexico has found the back of the net three times in the last five games. Rios will be eager to score against Indy Eleven after being kept off the scoresheet in their Week 4 matchup at home.
Don't miss the "Boys in Blue" return to the Circle City this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are still available to the midweek match-up for as low as $15 at IndyEleven.com/Tickets.
Indy Eleven vs. North Carolina FC - #INDvNC
Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - 7 P.M. EST
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, Indiana
Watch/Listen Live:
Local/National TV: MyINDY-TV23
Streaming Video: ESPN+ ($)
Follow Live:
In-game updates: Follow @IndyElevenLive on Twitter
Official stats: USL Match Center
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