USL Indy Eleven

Preview: Indy Eleven Invades Pittsburgh Looking to Advance from U.S. Open Cup Third Round

Published on May 28, 2019 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Indy Eleven News Release


Last Time Out | USL Championship Edition

Indy Eleven 0:0 Nashville SC | Saturday, May 25

The Boys in Blue kept their scoreless streak alive after goalkeeper Evan Newton and the defense recorded a sixth clean sheet of 2019 - and fourth consecutive in league play, all at home - via a 0-0 draw with Nashville SC. Indiana's Team also extended its undefeated streak at home to 13 games, dating back to last July, boasting a 7W-0L-6D in the span. Midfielder Kim Do-heon made his first start for the Boys in Blue after previously making his Eleven debut as a 77th minute substitute in Indy's 3-1 win at Swope Park Rangers on April 15.

#INDvNSH: Highlights | Recap | Stats | Post-game Quotes

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 0:0 Charlotte Independence | Saturday, May 25

Pittsburgh also battled to a 0-0 draw with Charlotte Independence, but their scoreless duel on Saturday had an added degree of difficulty after going a man down in the 36th minute. Defender Joseph Greenspan received a first yellow card in the 28th minute and another eight minutes later, resulting in his ejection before the halftime whistle. The clean sheet was Pittsburgh's third of the season.

#PITvCLT: Highlights | Recap | Stats

Last Time Out | Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Edition

Indy Eleven 1:0 Lansing Ignite | Wednesday, May 15

Goalkeeper Jordan Farr made his impromptu professional debut for Indy Eleven after Evan Newton was forced off the pitch in the 21st minute for a red card offense. Farr recorded the first clean sheet of his career in the Second Round fixture, and helped Indy Eleven to the first shutout in its now eight-game U.S. Open Cup history since first entering the tournament in 2014.

#INDvLAN: Highlights | Recap | Post-game Quotes

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 3:0 Dayton Dutch Lions | Tuesday, May 14

Pittsburgh handled their Second Round Open Cup fixture easily, defeating the Dayton Dutch Lions at Riverhounds SC's home of Highmark Stadium. After a scoreless first half of play, a brace 12 minutes apart by midfielder Neco Brett and a stoppage time insurance goal from Anthony Velarde helped the Pennsylvanian side advance to the Third Round.

Recap

#INDvPIT Storylines

Indy Eleven has an all-time record of 3W-4L-1D (10GF/10GA) in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with all three wins coming at home. Indy Eleven has struggled on the road in Open Cup play, holding a 0W-3L-1D (2GF/5GA) record.

Indy finished its three-game series against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in 2018 with a 0W-1L-2D record (4GF/5GA).

Indy Eleven will be looking to win a second game in a U.S. Open Cup tournament for the first time in club history on Wednesday night. The Boys in Blue previously won their Third Round openers in the 2014 and 2016 tournaments, but fell in the Fourth Round to Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew (2-1 in added extra time) and Chicago Fire (4-3 loss in penalties after a 1-1 full time finish), respectively.

The match at Pittsburgh will be Indy Eleven's third USOC game against a fellow second-division team, and the first against a club within the same league. As a member of then NASL, Indiana's Team played against USL Championship side Louisville City FC in 2015 & 2016.

Eleven Head Coach Martin Rennie has a 6W-4L-2D all-time record in the U.S. Open Cup.

This year marks the 106th consecutive year the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will crown a champion, making it the longest continuously running soccer tournament in the United States. The tournament, re-named in honor of American sports pioneer Lamar Hunt in 1999, is U.S. Soccer's national championship tournament and open to all professional and amateur teams annually.

Indy Eleven Player to Watch | GK Jordan Farr

A theme in the past few weeks in the Indy Eleven camp has been players making their first starts. Last week against Nashville SC it was midfielder Kim Do-heon, and the weekend before Lucas Farias did the same. This week it will be goalkeeper Jordan Farr's turn, marking his first start for the Boys in Blue since signing with the club in February 2018.

His first appearance two weeks ago was anything but planned after Evan Newton received a red card in the 21st minute of the Second Round fixture against USL League One's Lansing Ignite FC. Despite the difficult circumstances, Farr made the most of his debut, making several acrobatic saves en route to a confidence building clean sheet. The Corban University product has known for the last two weeks that the start between the posts will be his, and you can bet he'll be plenty prepared with the extra preparation in practice in recent days.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Player to Watch | MF Kenardo Forbes

Forbes has started sporting the captain's armband for Pittsburgh in 2019 after earning a spot on the 2018 All-League Second Team. The 31-year-old has been an integral part of Pittsburgh's squad, starting all nine fixtures of the 2019 USL Championship season and playing all but eight minutes.

The reason for the midfielder's success throughout his career is his ability to pick out a pass anywhere on the pitch. The set-up man is the co-leader in assists for his side, having recorded three throughout his nine games in 2019. He's also played 17 key passes, leading his side in creating scoring opportunities.

Matchup to Mark | Indy FW Thomas Enevoldsen vs. Pittsburgh GK ???

If you were to place a hefty bet on a who would be a starter come Wednesday night's fixture against Pittsburgh, it'd be safe to wager that Indy forward Thomas Enevoldsen would make the cut. What would be unwise though, if you were to gamble, would be to put money on who the netminder Enevoldsen will square off against is going to be (because all three of Pittsburgh's 'keepers have played this year).

Enevoldsen isn't the only reason the Boys in Blue are facing Riverhounds SC in the Third Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, but he did play a big factor after scoring the lone goal that helped Indy advance two weeks ago. The Danish forward has started in every match of Indy's season so far and played all but three minutes for Indiana's Team, during which he's scored two goals. He's played in the "10" spot, acting as both a goal scorer and creator. He is second in key passes played at 19, trailing only defender Ayoze Garcia's 22 on the season.

Your guess is as good as ours who when it comes to who will protect the net for Pittsburgh come kickoff. It could be former Boys in Blue 'keeper Ben Lungaard, who's started four games and has arguably been the most impressive of Riverhounds' choices having only conceded a single goal and recorded one clean sheet. Kyle Morton may find himself net minding on the night, as the 25-year-old keeper has also made four starts for the club but leads the team in goals conceded with eight. The last option is Austin Pack, who's appeared in one game for Pittsburgh in which he kept a clean sheet and saved the only shot he faced.

Regardless of who mans the Pittsburgh 18-yard box, Enevoldsen will need to have a keen eye in front of net - and will likely be able to stay in front of it more assuming the Eleven stay at full strength for the full 90 minutes.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 28, 2019


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