In recent years the term “narrative” has crept into the beautiful game, the concept of which is typically centered around the pace and flow of a match. The understanding is that an event in a match doesn’t just happen on it’s own but happens because of a build up leading to it.
If the theory of narrative exists in soccer, then the spirit of storytelling was alive and well in Atlanta Silverbacks park as the Silverbacks opened the season against Indy Eleven.
Coming off a rather productive preseason, Indy Eleven seemed keen on flexing their muscles earlier than they did last season, in hopes of showing themselves an improved side. With pieces like LA Galaxy’s Charlie Rugg and the experience of Pedro Norales and former Scorpions man Greg Janicki, Indy came into this season ready to show the NASL what they’re capable of.
FINAL: ATL: 1 IND: 1
Story of the match:
The main story for this game was the slow movement by the Indy Eleven midfield and forward game. The teams spent much of the first 30 minutes getting a feel for the opposition, but it was clear that the battle for movement of the ball was set in the middle of the park. Atlanta did well to protect it, erasing any doubt that they would concede the midfield game. The starting midfield for Indy, lacking the leadership of Jose Kleberson and Brad Ring, found it difficult to maintain possession in the midst of a packed midfield from Atlanta.
The last 15 minutes of the first half saw Atlanta seize the control and push the ball the direction they saw fit. This was the theme of the night. Atlanta would create and Indy would deal with the pressure. Regardless of your opinion of the state of the Silverbacks currently, they looked strong and ready to take on anyone in the NASL.
The first half had flashbacks of Indy of the past as the struggles to deal with the pressure from Atlanta shed light on the backline for Indy. The struggle for Indy Eleven last season was defending against the counter attack and that seemed to be at the top of the list of what Atlanta wanted to do all night. Indy slid safely into the end of the first half having not given up a goal.
Atlanta responded very quickly after the start of the second half, as Shaka Bangura squeaked in the ball past Kristian Nicht during a moment of disarray for the Indy Eleven backline. Atlanta’s 18 attacks against Indy Eleven gave Nicht a tough night, but this wasn’t as much his fault as it was the difficulty of dealing with all the people crowded around the ball.. The goal was less quality and more defensive mishap.
This was the spark for the offensive fire Indy needed, as a bulk of the attacks Indy had left bottled up were unleashed in a full blast as they pushed against the Silverbacks’ defense. Much of this offensive pressure developed after Don Smart came off the bench, as he scored the equalizer after a penalty in the 94th minute.
What to take away from the match:
- One game in and both teams looked fair after 90. It’s difficult to read much into the first match of a season, but Atlanta Silverbacks look like confident team that can put up a fight against a lot of what the NASL will throw at them in the Spring.
- Indy Eleven seemed slow to reach for the trigger from the start of the half. Not a clear offensive pressure allowed for Atlanta to comfortably poke at the backline of Indy. Indy responded well to the Atlanta goal eventually commanding 53% of the possession by the end of the match.
- Indy didn’t have much in way of attacking, only having eight “dangerous” attacks, leaving no more than three that would be considered threats to Atlanta’s Cochran. With a rookie goalie in front of the net for the Silverbacks, Indy wasn’t able to pressure Atlanta and take advantage of inexperience.
Beyond:
Indy will need to look past the slow start. While escaping Atlanta with a point is a success, the second half after the goal showed us that there is a team that can attack and apply pressure. Players like Woj were silent for most of the game. Brown showed speed and control that could earn him a starting spot soon.
Whatever the case may be. Indy can’t play slow to start soccer in a league like the NASL. Indy Eleven were missing for much of the first 50 minutes, but managed to correct themselves in time to take a point home with them. They will need to stray away from slow starts as they welcome the Cosmos to Indianapolis next week. Look for Indy to play more wide, expressive soccer as they struggled to really show personalty in this match.
Indy Eleven’s next game is the home opener April 11th as they welcome Raul and the New York Cosmos to the Mike. The match will be on ESPN 3 with a start time of 7:30 PM.
Main Photo: Indy Eleven forward Don Smart moves the ball up field during a training session at Carroll Stadium on July 18th. Courtesy of Fox59.
