As Indy Eleven grow on the field - roadblocks develop off the field

Adding Lovel Palmer (and two more signings later on as of this writing) that are being built up as larger names as well have been clear indications that Indy Eleven is preparing to go the distance and (at least) qualify for their first playoffs since forming as a professional team three seasons ago.

But as the names pile up and new head coach Tim Hankinson begins to start training camp in Arizona, questions are forming off the field. Earlier this week it was announced that Peter Wilt will be moving to a consultant general manager as he begins work on launching another soccer team back in Chicago. Replacing him at the Indy Eleven throne is former CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff Belskus.

Source 

Belskus comes with a load of political knowledge and networking as well as the business acumen that comes with someone involved with putting together one of the largest motor races in the country. Belskus doesn't shy away from the fact he isn't a "soccer guy."

“I’m excited about taking it all in, I’ve never run a professional soccer franchise, but I’m a soccer fan. I know about the game and I’m just excited to learn more and to continue to grow and develop. One reason Ersal separated the jobs of president and general manager is that as president I’m going to need a GM who has the soccer knowledge. That job will be a lot more soccer specific than it has been.” [source]

 He joined the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1987 as the corporate controller. Rising through the ranks, he was named President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation in 2009. On October 1, 2013, Belskus was appointed to serve as president and chief financial officer of Hulman & Company, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation’s parent organization [source]

Belskus has a well deserving resume regardless if the obvious lack of background in soccer brings concern to your mind. What Indy Eleven will run issue with is the idea of replacing a name rather than the ideas. Belskus mentions in his interview with Jack Ball on NASL's website that Indy Eleven will be hiring someone for general manager who does have the soccer knowledge.

But what is concerning is the idea you can simply replace what Peter Wilt has been able to do with someone else. Wilt, who helped elevate Chicago Fire and has experience with teams in Milwaukee brings a hair of experience both with dealing with a specific market but also being able to work with soccer minded people. It's been made clear that Wilt will stay to help work with Belskus integrate into the sport but when the next rung on the ladder doesn't have the same length of experience, how do you know he will be the best filter for important decisions like loans and what players to bring back at the beginning of next season?

I won't begin to speculate who could end up with the general manager tag. The only hope is that this person is brought in before Wilt departs for Chicago around the Spring of 2016 so there is a smooth enough transition from leaders.

On Stadium for Indy

The hire of Belskus is also a statement by Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir about what the main objective is business wise for Indy Eleven is in the next 2-3 years. A stadium (as well as a divisionly tied boost in attendance perhaps) are what stand between Indy Eleven and a soccer stadium.

Source

Oh... and money.

Indy Eleven have been pushing since before even taking the field for funding to develop a stadium. The latest attempt (submitted on purpose) involved 80+ million dollars of funding that would be supported by the "if you use it, you pay for it" funding system as well as back up funding from a hotel built near the stadium by Ozdemir.

Indianapolis current funds through taxes and other public funding a professional AMERICAN football stadium that rose in cost a year or so after it was built. This, along with previous stadiums built have tax payers around the state a little... unenthusiastic to let lawmakers pass any funding. An attempt almost made it through that would see some 20 million get passed to allow for much needed renovations for the Eleven's current home on the campus of IUPUI with Michael A. Carrol stadium.

Source

Look. I'm a fan, but I take my fanship out of this and have to be honest. There is no way right now that the state (or city of Indianapolis which the club is in talks with for more funding) gives much more than the bonds that were issued at this point. While this discussion is being taken place between two sets of people who have different views of it, when you look at the economic makeup of the stadium being constructed in Minnesota and how much of it is being publicly funded how does it look for lawmakers when a publicly funded stadium is being pushed here?

While it won't be exactly as profitable for the club, one idea that I've kicked around is playing games in Lucas Oil Stadium.

I'll let you finish your argument in your head as I say that yes, the field would be in poor condition compared to a soccer specific stadium. Yes, the seats wouldn't be as full as they would for an Indianapolis Colts game. You also have to map a schedule around the NFL which MLS already does with Seattle Sounders but it would be a home, you could probably alleviate the "minor league" stigma that sits around general fans who read about the North American Soccer League and get out of The Mike to allow yourself more leverage building up towards getting a stadium.

This is from a Facebook post about the chance sections of Indiana interstates having a toll (instead of a tax) for road repairs but it pretty much encapsulates the issues with the Indiana/polis economy has:

Regardless, as Indy Eleven grown on the field roadblocks develop off the field that will make the business side of things interesting to watch

"All I want for Christmas..." wishlist for Indy Eleven

Christmas is the time of the year where children take into account their year and throw together a list of things they want from Santa this year. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, at some point something you celebrate has you list things you want or need. Even if it's just a list to the grocery store, we all make lists of things we want or need.

24 hours after naming Tim Hankinson head coach last week , Indy Eleven announced the 8 players from the 21+ the team had by the end of the season that they would retain.

Photo and text from Indy Eleven

Eight players have seen their contract options picked up by Indy Eleven for the team’s third season of North American Soccer League play next year: defenders Marco Franco, Greg Janicki and Cory Miller; midfielders Dylan Mares, Don Smart and Dragan Stojkov; and forwards Duke Lacroix and Wojciech Wojcik. 

“Indiana’s Team” declined to pick up options on eight other players: goalkeepers Jon Dawson and Kristian Nicht, defenders Judson McKinney and Erick Norales and midfielders Marvin Ceballos, Daniel Cuevas, Kleberson and Victor Pineda.
Two players, defender Kyle Hyland and D/M Daniel Keller, have seen their contracts with the team expire, while Indy Eleven is continuing contract discussions with two other players, goalkeeper Keith Cardona and midfielder Brad Ring. 

In addition, loan arrangements with six players – defender Jaime Frias [C.D. Guadalajara (Chivas), Mexico]; midfielders Sergio Peña (Real Sociedad, Honduras), Dane Richards (New York Red Bulls, Major League Soccer) and Zach Steinberger (Houston Dynamo, Major League Soccer); and forwards Brian Brown (Harbour View FC, Jamaica) and Charlie Rugg (Los Angeles Galaxy, Major League Soccer) – have expired.

Hankinson has made it pretty clear that while these eight are retained, that "one or two of them" could be starters on the field. Of note on the declines of options would be Erick Norales. Norales was a staple of the "NASL Team of the Week" and outside of being suspended for three games as a result of two red cards during the season he was a constant goal threat and help marking men on the run.

While it's unofficial the reasoning behind his option being declined, Indy Eleven president spoke on "Soccer Saturday" on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis and touched lightly on the reasons, citing his age, cost, and Hankinson's experience with Janicki over Norales. Also of note would be the numerous amount of written interviews that came out after Norales made it public he wasn't returning to the team including this portion:

Photo and quote from Aficionado

- Erick as your departure from the club Indiana Eleven, which were part several seasons and helped build a new professional team is given?  

"Well there coaching change, with new plans and new expectations for the club and a decision is made. The truth would not think, my plans were to continue, but this is football. Very grateful to the institution, and very happy so I made personally, but not with the results collectively. "

It's unclear his next destination, with many saying not to rule out retaining his location in the States, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Norales return to Honduras or otherwise so he can even be brought back up for the Honduras national team.

Other departures, like Hyland, seem more based on the tactics of Hankinson citing that the backline will probably play a "flat four" which leaves Hyland high and dry as he typically led attacks on the wings. Pineda, Ceballos, and others seem really just based around the tactics the team will be using and the changes that will be coming for the club.

Wishlist

While there wasn't much surprise from the roster choices, there were still aspects that I'd like to tweak... Thus presenting my wishlist (in no specific order):

1. Re-sign Brad Ring. Both Ring and Cardona (as reported) are in contract talks but between both Ring not only fits the mold of "experience" that Hankinson is after for this year's team, but Ring has also been steadily the best player on the field for Indy since year one. Ring can provide a great bit of play building and confidence in the midfield, but if Mares makes his way back to the starting lineup in that attacking mid role he held in the beginning of the season, he and Ring are great to build off of each other and help each other. 
2. Hankinson needs to establish his "plan" tactically by the first game. Hankinson has said no wrongs (per Bloody Shambles column) but really, what head coach on the new job won't say what he's said? He's credited the fans, the culture, and the club as his reasons for taking the job but in reality it's December. I'm remaining cautiously optimistic but by that first game we need to see a real difference in the style and feel of play compared to the previous two years. I'm not crazy enough to say "We need to see a WIN!" but Hankinson needs to back up his talk. 
3. Avoid bandaids on bigger wounds. One of the issues that this club ran into was putting small fixers on bigger wounds. Cuevas, who eventually broke his leg after his first game and Ceballos came in and provided, but weren't ever going to be long term solutions for the club. In a league where your turnover roster wise can anywhere between five or six to twenty players you need stability. Avoid the quick fixes unless there is a long term vision behind it. 
4. Bring back Steinberger. Financials aside, that is arguably the most logical and realistic loan deal that can be done again in year three. Rugg has had his option declined by LA Galaxy as has Dane Richards but Steinberger provided more compared to all of the loanees short of Richards. Houston also just traded away for three big named MLS midfielders, so Steinberger would otherwise get lost in that set up. 
5. Finally, in regards to roster building, Eleven need to bring players in who can support the starters. That seems odd to write, but at some points during the year we had 13, 14, even 15 fringe starters who were rotated out which in reality, isn't bad, but you then run into the issue of chemistry when you are constantly rotating players around. Bring in 12 guy who could be rotated around, but after that support the spine of your team otherwise team cohesion will again haunt a team with around 30 goals last year.

In reality, the moves Indy Eleven made were needed. Losing players like Norales, Hyland, and even born leaders like Nicht hurt the fans who have followed the club since day one, but Hankinson has made it clear that he is here to right the ship and will be grabbing the issues this club has faced on the field in the last two years and pushing them away. 

For now, we can just speculate. Judgement on moves comes in January when the club really takes form and we get to see what identity they will have.  

-@SoccerwithBrian 

Hankinson makes good first impression ahead of busy offseason

In case you missed it yesterday afternoon, Indy Eleven announced that Tim Hankinson will be the team's third head coach (second officially titled head coach) in franchise history. Hankinson comes from a grocery list of teams including colleges, success in MLS, as well as international experience. He arrives from Montego Bay of the Jamaican Premier League where he led Montego Bay to a successful 7-4-2 run before leaving as quickly as he arrived to return back to the states. Hankinson is no stranger to the North American Soccer League, having led the (soon to be) defunct San Antonio Scorpions in 2011.

Tim Hankinson quickly put down a foundation in a shaky club scene, retaining interim head coach Tim Regan as his assistant to allow the transition to stay smoothly. No real news is known where Kleberson is at this point but one can only assume he won't be appearing on the field as a player for Indy Eleven.

Hankinson did to reveal his grand scheme farther than you would expect from a new coach, saying that he was grateful for the fans and the Brickyard Battalion and wants to help grow the game long term in the city. You can watch the press conference in full here. 

Takeaways from yesterday:

Tim clearly wants to avoid any major foundation shakeup. Retaining Tim Regan was the first step in that as a major concern of most fans seemed to be retaining the young coach in the system. Regan did well in the interim after the Sommer firing, not moving the needle table wise but showing what the team should have been doing with Sommer. Clearly though, Regan was never the solution. 

One of the things that did keep appearing in media from yesterday was Hankinson's statements about bringing more mature players. It's no shocker to many that the financial status of many teams in the North American Soccer League outside of the Cosmos and Minnesota United often restrict what can done from a signing standpoint, Indy Eleven has been struggle to keep up with the financials of the league since the beginning. 

This morning on Tony Katz on WIBC in Indianapolis, Wilt and Hankinson appeared to be confident of the budget increase. On top of dropping the salary of Jose Kleberson who was a bulk of the first two year's budget, Wilt spoke about an increase "of about 50%" for salary. Projections bring that up over a health million dollars for the club based on different projections and estimations. 

Regardless of the increase, Hankinson was very clear that maturity and experience were the two things this club lacked on the field and the two things he'd be bringing to the forefront early on. It is pretty clear that Hankinson at least has a general understanding of some of the issues the team has.

Tactically the team has always struggled with the fluidity of play building. 30+ goals in a season isn't anything to slouch at but dropping that many seemed to keep that number from seeming as positive as fans would like. 

Hankinson's made it pretty clear that he will be designing the team to do what Sommer aimed to have happen in year two and build from the back. I would love to see the team build from the middle and help achieve more confidence there. Not to be over looked though is the success of the wings that caused the ball to get closer through the work of Kyle Hyland. 

Regardless, yesterday put another feather into the Indy Eleven cap and helped them begin to build a real foundation and spine of a team that has struggled to have a spine at all. We will know in the coming weeks about the new names coming in and we will know as early as later today (12/3/2015) about what names will be retained.

Regardless, with the lose of a huge part of the back line in Erick Norales as well as the club's first signing and a great representation in Kristian Nicht, the names coming in have rather large shoes to fill on the field and off the field in the eyes of the most important people in any club

The fans

PS... I couldn't let this go unnoticed. Thanks "local media coverage"

Tim Hankison is guy in the middle...new @IndyEleven coach pic.twitter.com/bEum5krrLe

— Dana HunsingerBenbow (@DanaBenbow) December 2, 2015

Tim versus Tim - Who wants to be the next Indy Eleven Head Coach

Last week reports broke from source that Indy Eleven, who fired the first head coach of the club in the middle of the season, was appointing a new man at the helm as 'seasoned' Tim Hankinson would be taking over for interim head coach Tim Regan with further reports speculating that Regan would assume his role as assistant coach once again.

Now, back to present day and no movement has been made publicly to either completely confirm nor deny these reports. So whether or not the news of the appointment squeaked out unintentionally or the club chose to leak it early, fans (and most certainly players) now much be left wondering 17 days away from a two day tryout for Indy Eleven and Indy Eleven NPSL who will be leading the team into battle ahead of their third season.

I am Team Regan for the sole fact that I believe that this team has had so much turnover in terms of leadership that the most consistent thing to do regardless of the right or wrong of it is to give him the keys for a year. Tim brought a new confidence to the team with flashes of offensive brilliance that allowed him to show what shell this team was in before Sommer was fired.

He brought the harmony of the team out and brought up the energy for the most part. Whether it was a system - wrong players or wrong system - right players issue with his tactics is another thing to look at but disregarding the table which didn't change from last year to this year, Tim Regan did everything you would want from someone taking over mid season and rebuilding a team that had obviously had it's confidence shaken.

Sooner rather than later

It's lightly circulated that Indy Eleven will "make an announcement" this week, but regardless the leader of your team needs to be put into place as soon as possible if you are making a switch. Indy Eleven told me close to the end of the season that the head coaching status of Tim Regan would be decided at the end of the season. Let's hope we see a name pop out of the hat this week.

Consistency be the key

One of the common threads among supporters was the lack of consistency in play and selection for Indy Eleven this season. Unlike in year one, where most of the time the starting eleven was pretty well set given the smaller squad size (as squad talent) year two presented a new problem as the team actually had justification for many of the players they had to get the starting nod week to week.

Outspoken about his selection criteria, Tim Regan made it abundantly clear each week that "the best eleven players will start each week." selecting around practice and the week before's game. Now whether or not Dane Richards (a natural winger and now a former Redbull) was always the best selection for striker is up in the air, this left the starting eleven to be decided by straw picking rather than building a spine for the club to work around.

Names like Brad Ring, Erick Norales, Cory Miller and while not out injuried, Dylan Mares were often seen each week regardless but for a bulk creative spots flexed back and forth week to week not allowing for a lot of team chemistry and thus ruining any of the creative energy that would otherwise be held with a team that has a regular eight, nine, or ten players that are staples of the team.

Whichever Tim is calling the shots this season needs to understand that while a player might shine in practice, practices aren't games. Should they hold that same quality week to week brings justification for selection but ruining the cohesion between your creators and forwards.

A whole new Eleven

For Indy Eleven to even just make a little nudge more of success a few things need to happen.

1. Resign players like Brad Ring, Erick Norales, and anyone else that is a part of that spine. Having players who have not only played in the North American Soccer League but also know what Indy Eleven is about can help ease in young players into getting comfortable. 
2. Find a consistent nine to ten players and STICK.WITH.THEM. Selection week to week was like watching a wheel spin around and land on a player's name. While it could catch a team off guard, it also caught many players off guard by not being able to help build chemistry which (outside of an uncomfortable fear of shooting the ball) was the biggest pitfall of the team. 
3. Stop trying to fill craters with water. The loan deals for Indy Eleven last year (while providing home-grown talent like Zach Steinberger) were all temporary fixes for a bigger issue and in the case of players like Charlie Rugg kept a spot on the bench warm rather than provide for the team in the long run. 

We should know by the end of the week who will be the third (second official head coach) of Indy Eleven. For now, we can only continue to speculate on the whos, whats, wheres, whens, and most imporantly...whys. Thanks for reading. 

-@SoccerWithBrian 

UPDATE: 

As of December 1st, the team has made an announcement that December 2nd at 3:15 PM in Indianapolis with an event to follow. More information can be found here 

Gunter Kronsteiner as the new Indy Eleven head coach: sloppy seconds

With the absence of Tim Regan from the latest press release announcing Indy Eleven's partnership with the renamed Indy Eleven NPSL (read my thoughts here) one can only begin to see the tea leafs and draw a conclusion of the future of Indy Eleven's second head coach, Tim Regan.

Now, removing any idea of where Regan would move clubs or stay with Indy Eleven, the name that has poked out of the brush as a possible replacement (from the Bloody Shambles Bloody Podcast Shambles Podcast Show...link here) is now two-time former Strikers head coaching, Gunter Kronsteiner.

Kronsteiner has an impressive resume with the Strikers, leading them to a surprise appearance in the Soccer Bowl (The NASL's Championship) in 2014, being let go after that performance, and being brought back in in 2015 and leading the Strikers to the playoffs again. Gunter Kronsteiner was then let go again in only way the Strikers can:

Deja Vu? pic.twitter.com/H07myonlgk

— The Tailgate Show (@TheTailgateShow) November 13, 2015

While Kronsteiner has the resume that Wilt and company seek and has the track record of having done all that, like most things in sports and generally the world, I feel there is more to the story than just what we have been told.

The nature of NASL management continues to hover around mysterious and magical. According to a few reports, the manner as to which Kronsteiner was fired (second time) was by the club not informing Kronsteiner in person, but rather calling the hotel he was staying at and informing him that he needed to leave.

This, coupled with the first firing, are what have been known to the general public. While unfair, one has to wonder if the reasoning behind his firing is squared on the shoulders on the management at which dare not show their face.

And now that I'm done sounding like a Shakespeare poem, let me explain more:

Is Gunter Kronsteiner a quality coach? Yes

Could he do amazing things with Indy Eleven? If given proper control, Yes.

The only thing settling in the back of my mind is the fact he's been let go twice. Yes it could (and probably is) the sole responsibility of the management of the Strikers. Regardless, there is just an aura of awkfulness that is above the head of Gunter with a Deja Vu (all over again) with his departures and casts a shadow of sloppy seconds (thirds?) over Indy Eleven if they choose to go after him.

The long standing problem

What this issue does bring back up is the idea that owners in NASL are beginning to feel the heat of financial success and have begun to adapt a "plan that must not be named" mentality that caused Thomas Rongen to be booted from the Rowdies.

It also stands to see whether or not Gunter Kronsteiner would actually accept the role of head coach in the same league where he's been kicked out of twice now. One insight that hasn't been looked at is the fact that Tim Regan (As well as Juergen Sommer) acted as the Directors of soccer for Indy Eleven. According to my research Gunter worked under a general manager during both stints in Florida.

I'm not going to pretend to know how the insides of teams are run but unless Peter Wilt has a voice in scouting rooms and otherwise Gunter Kronsteiner would be working without a net assuming the same set up that Indy Eleven has had in the past would be the system they would employ under him.

Regardless, a third head coach in three years doesn't do much for a club who struggled with any sort of stability on the field in 2015.

UPDATE:

Comment form Club President Peter Wilt confirms no sign of Gunter Kronsteiner coming to Indianapolis

Comment from discussion Rumor: New Coach According to MLSWriters.

Indy Eleven-Indy Fire Partnership: Step in the right

Photo provided by Indy Eleven

November 16th marked a new step in the history of Indy Eleven as the club announced their first foray into a "reserve" system by maintaining the membership fee and rebranding NPSL's Indiana Fire to Indy Eleven NPSL.

This news is the club's first step outside of maintaining it's own club and fuels more speculation into the debate of whether or not the North American Soccer League will make official a partnership between the amateur league on the second division professional squad. 

“The addition of Indy Eleven NPSL will deepen Indy Eleven’s connections with the top collegiate programs and players across the country, with a particular focus on the Midwest,” said Indy Eleven President and General Manager Peter Wilt. “Indy Eleven will provide the resources necessary to make the successful program Mark Webber and John Simmonds have built in the last two years even stronger.” (Source)

The move signals a notion of stability as the team looks to ingrain it's roots into Indiana as a hub for soccer. The team already trained in the area that Indy Eleven NPSL held matches and even worked out a few players late in the season this year. 

 “Our NPSL team has had outstanding partners in the Chicago Fire and Indiana Fire Juniors the last two years.  The guidance and financial support from the Fire and talent provided by Indiana Fire players has been an invaluable part of our initial success,” said Webber. “This new relationship with Indy Eleven expands our organization to a ‘State of Indiana team’ as opposed to a team embodied by one club.”  (Source)

It's unclear of the future this partnership will have. At the time of this writing, it's pretty clear that Indy Eleven won't be able to have players play officially for Indy Eleven NPSL, but might offer training for players coming off knocks. 

The move also shows that Indy Eleven may not have the desire to experiment bringing in the Raul's of the world and would rather exploit the youth of the soccer universe in the midwest region. I think it's a great step towards putting down a huge foundation on soccer in Indiana and really becoming a bigger threat in the world of soccer in the United States. 

One note, and this is purely speculative, is the absence of Indy Eleven's interim head coach and director of football Tim Regan from the release. Regan, who took over for the club's first head coach Juergen Sommer, led the team valiantly into the rest of the spring and the entirety of the Fall Season is awaiting the decision if he will become the new head coach for team. 

In an email exchange with the club, they told me a few weeks back (before the season ended) that it would be a post season decision. I can only imagine that this decision will be made before the Indy Eleven/Indy Eleven NPSL joint two day tryout on December 19th, but we will see. 

  

Rayo Oklahoma: Right intention, wrong execution.

Have you ever intended for something to be done well and it ends up being a square peg in a round hole? That was this past week in North American Soccer League news as the league (which has widely been known for announcing things and not making any movement) announced a new expansion team as "Rayo Oklahoma" (in connection to Royo Vallecano) brings their La Liga presence into the North American Soccer League.

The announcement of a La Liga team building a team in the United States is a lot like getting a box on Christmas Morning that's the size of her house, but really there are about 15 boxes inside and it was really a pair of socks.

This is the third team that will begin play in 2016 (all three beginning in the Spring) and regardless of your opinion of the parent club (which according to my research is more of a bottom feeder in La Liga) the issues with this club in the immediate seems more to do with where they will be playing.

This is Miller Stadium, which will be the home of Rayo Oklahoma City... in Yukon, Oklahoma. And while you look at this project look of the stadium and think that (outside of the fact this is a stadium for a High School in Oklahoma) compare that with the google map image of the stadium as it stands (which was build in 2007)

What is really wrong with Rayo Oklahoma City as it stands: 

I'm not blind enough to think that it isn't a good thing that Bill Peterson and the North American Soccer League is continuing to grow and grow in a world where MLS' additions are seismic waves through the domestic soccer world. What I do have issue with is the gate keeper casting this image that anyone with the money can join. 

It's a huge issue running through the veins of domestic leagues in this country when the quality is thrown out for the money that they bring in. It's incredibly early to be passing judgement down on teams like Los Angeles Football Club in MLS but expansiosn that are announced and quickly manifest themselves into 140 character jokes ruin the excitement of a new team before they even hit the field. 

Whether or not Rayo Oklahoma comes in and flourishes as another pillar for the North American Soccer League or the door closes before it opens is left to the speculation crowd until next season. For now, the image that Rayo Oklahoma casts on the second division of US Soccer feels more like a third or fourth division.

Time will tell. Until then, 

-Brian