PREVIEW | Cosmos vs. Eleven

If Indy Eleven is to carry the momentum gained at the end of the Spring Season into the Fall it will earn it Sunday night, as the “Boys in Blue” begin their 20-game campaign with an away affair at the undefeated Spring champion New York Cosmos.  Kickoff from Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, and the match will be televised across Central Indiana on WISH-TV 8 (Countdown to Kickoff starts at 6:00 p.m., match followed by the 30-minute Honda Post-game Show).

ROAD WARRIORS ARE BACK: After back-to-back losses on the road in May at Jacksonville and Ottawa, Indy Eleven returned to its “Road Warrior” form on June 6 with its 2-1 comeback win in Fort Lauderdale.  Prior to its May 9 setback at Jacksonville, Indy had been riding a nearly record-length wave of good fortune on the road, that loss derailing the team’s five-game away undefeated streak – just one off the NASL’s modern era record.

The win at the Strikers last time out on the road brought Indy Eleven’s all-time away mark to 6W-5D-7L (24 GF / 29 GA) – a mark the team will look to bring to the .500 mark with a first-ever win over the Cosmos at Shuart Stadium on Sunday. Indy Eleven became adept at gaining results on the road following its slow start last year, as Indiana’s Team is actually over .500 away from Carroll Stadium in the 14 road games played since the start of the 2014 Fall Season (6W-3D-5L).

GETTING OFFENSIVE:  During its current three-game undefeated streak Indy Eleven has scored seven goals, this after the “Boys in Blue” tallied just six times goals in their opening seven games of the Spring Season. The team has also had three consecutive games with multiple goals scored (2-2 vs. Tampa Bay, 2-1 @ Fort Lauderdale, 3-0 vs. FC Edmonton), a feat it accomplished just once in its first seven contests (4/18 @ SAS, 2-1 W).

MARES GOING STREAKING: South Bend native and Indy Eleven playmaker Dylan Mares is currently riding a three-game NASL point streak heading into Sunday’s match after notching a goal on a penalty kick and an assist on Brian Brown’s opener in the Spring finale on June 13 vs. FC Edmonton. Mares has contributed on a pair of other goals in the three-game streak: his opening tally in the 22nd minute on May 30 vs. Tampa Bay (in an eventual 2-2 draw) and an assist on Victor Pineda's first strike (44') on June 6 at Fort Lauderdale. 

Mares is now tied for second in the NASL with four helpers alongside FC Edmonton’s Lance Laing and Carolina’s Tiyi Shipalane, the trio sitting one assist behind leader Georgi Hristov of Tampa Bay.  Mares now has four of Indy Eleven's seven assists on the season, is the club’s all-time leader in the category (6) and is also tied for the team lead in scoring this season with a pair of goals.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE … Spots, that is, for the NASL “Championship” to take place in November. With the way the NASL postseason system is set up, the victors of both the Spring and the Fall Season automatically clinch the top two seeds in the playoffs, with the remaining two teams with the best combined records also securing a spot. The Cosmos have already clinched their spot courtesy of their Spring Season title (5W-5D-0L), so now three spots remain. While Indy Eleven final kick pushed them into fifth place after the Spring Season (3W-4D-3L) and in sound position to make a run for the playoffs, there is still plenty of work to be done – starting with Sunday’s affair in New York.  

WHO TO WATCH, INDY ELEVEN EDITION – OUTSIDE BACKS & MF BRAD RING
As you read above, Indy Eleven found its offensive mojo towards the end of the Spring Season, and much of the success came about because of the support given in possession and forays going forward by wide defenders Marco Franco and Kyle Hyland and deep-sitting central midfielder Brad Ring.  While their efforts might not have shown up on the scoresheet (with the notable exception of Hyland's ridiculous blast vs. Tampa Bay), their contributions to the offense were noticeable.  But getting up the field with regularity will be much tougher on Sunday against a New York team that is able to hold and spray the ball around perhaps better than any other squad in the NASL.  For the trio, picking their spots - and perhaps more importantly, covering for each other when one does push up - will be pivotal to gaining a result.

WHO TO WATCH, NEW YORK COSMOS EDITION – MF LEO FERNANDES 
Sure, the easy play here is Raul, who indeed leads the Cosmos with four goals on the season, including the game-tying goal in the first meeting between these two sides on April 11.  However, the more under-the-radar Fernandes has collected three goals and contributed a pair of assists from his position out on the left flank and brings ample danger cutting inside or providing service.  The Brazilian's battle with Indy's "Ironman" - right back Marco Franco - might be the individual "mano y mano" matchup to watch on Sunday night.