Indy Eleven 2 : 4 Atlanta Silverbacks
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, August 2 , 2014) – In a game that never truly became tightly contested, the Atlanta Silverbacks built on a dominant opening stretch to record a 4-2 victory over Indy Eleven on Saturday night.
Two goals in the game's first 21 minutes – including a fifth-minute tally that deflated a sellout crowd of 10,285 at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium – put the Silverbacks ahead early, and the Eleven were never able to level the score.
The Silverbacks took control of the game quickly, capitalizing on a defensive miscommunication by the Eleven just five minutes into the game. After narrowly missing a pair of goal-scoring chances in the game’s opening minutes, Atlanta put itself ahead with a fifth-minute goal by midfielder Junior Burgos.
Silverbacks defender Mike Randolph worked his way inside the Eleven penalty area and played a low cross in towards Burgos, who had escaped his mark to reach the near post. Burgos’ tidy one-time finish froze Indy goalkeeper Kristian Nicht and gave Atlanta the early lead.
With a goal in hand, Atlanta continued to press forward. Their persistence was rewarded 16 minutes later, when a long-distance strike from midfielder Pablo Cruz doubled the Silverbacks’ lead. Upon receiving a pass from fellow midfielder Kwadwo Poku, Cruz needed just two touches before unleashing a 25-yard shot into the left side of Indy’s net.
The next 20 minutes saw the game stabilize and slow. Atlanta appeared to be headed toward a 2-0 halftime lead until a clash in the Indy penalty area allowed the home side on the scoreboard. After Eleven midfielder Don Smart was pulled down in the box in the 43rd minute, midfielder Kleberson sliced the Silverbacks’ lead in half with a rolling spot kick just inside the left post. The Brazilian’s sixth goal of the year broke his share of the team lead with Mike Ambersley and halved the deficit heading into the break.
After the halftime break, the Silverbacks wasted no time, scoring just 40 seconds into the second half to put the game out of reach. Atlanta defender Ryan Roushandel’s perfectly-placed pass from deep inside his own territory found Jaime Chavez in stride, and the forward slotted the ball past a stranded Nicht.
With the Silverbacks again at a two-goal advantage, again it was a spot kick from Kleberson that brought the game back to competitiveness. After Atlanta goalkeeper Joe Nasco brought down an attacker in front of his net, Indy’s talismanic Brazilian buried his second penalty kick of the night to make the score 3-2.
Any hopes of a comeback by the home side were cut short in the game’s 65th minute, when Indy midfielder Sergio Peña was given a straight red card for a last-man-back foul. The Honduran – whose start marked his first in an Indy Eleven uniform – trudged off the field, bringing his side’s comeback chances with him. A fourth Atlanta goal from midfielder Junior Sandoval put the game finally out of reach.
The victory puts Atlanta on seven points after four games in the NASL’s Fall Season and leaves Indy on six points. The two sides will meet again Sept. 6 at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.
Tonight’s match started a busy eight days for Indy Eleven, which will return to Carroll Stadium this Wednesday, August 6, to entertain the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Limited tickets remain for the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be seen live across Central Indiana on MyINDY-TV 23. One week from tonight, the Eleven will make their first visit to the Lone Star State to take on the Fall Season leading San Antonio Scorpions for an 8:30 p.m. ET contest at Toyota Field.
INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER
On the match:
“Unfortunately we didn’t get as much offensive play out of our front line as we wanted to. I think going down with that early goal hurt us a little bit. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot, put ourselves back on our heels. It’s disappointing because one of the things we’ve been working on is really going early in the game.”
On Don Smart:
“It’s nice for Don. He’s been coming on strong all year. We’ve used him off the bench, he’s been such a great spark for us. A great guy in training, a really hard worker, and committed, so he got a start tonight. He’s a handful. He’s very difficult to mark, he’s very slippery. He finds ways to kind of noodle through and be a threat. He did that for us tonight.”
On injuries and suspensions:
“The good part about our group is that we started with a very young group that got significant minutes, probably more so than any other team in the league. We have a lot of guys that have made contributions to our team. We’ve gotten great output from these guys and have really given young players a platform to develop and grow here. It’s a professional game now. They see this as a chance to solidify their role in this team for this year and for next year. They’ll step right in and now miss a beat. I expect them to go out and play and perform as a professional.”
ATLANTA SILVERBACKS HEAD COACH JASON SMITH
On the win:
“I’m quite happy to get three points on the road, but overall I’m disappointed with a couple mistakes we made. We had a couple mistakes in the back and had a few moments that were pretty erratic. But overall, I can’t be disappointed with four goals.
“I don’t know that we ever really got a good rhythm. Every time we scored a goal, we’d relax for a few minutes and then they were right back into it. We have to get better at keeping up our tempo.”
On giving up goals after scoring:
“Scoring early and taking your foot off the pedal, you just can’t. We can’t score a goal and sit back for a few minutes and then get going again. We’ll get better at that, I’m sure.”
On Jaime Chavez:
“He’s done a fantastic job. I was really excited about him when I came in. He’s always right there. It’s about time he busts out. He works so hard and he can make something out of nothing because he works so hard all the time.”
NASL Fall Season Week 4
Indy Eleven 2 : 4 Atlanta Silverbacks
Michael A. Carroll Stadium at IUPUI – Indianapolis, IN
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Attendance: 10,285 (Sellout)
Weather: 79 degrees, sunny
1 2 FT
Indy Eleven 1 1 2
Atlanta Silverbacks 2 2 4
Scoring Summary:
ATL – Junior Burgos (Mike Randolph) 5’
ATL – Pablo Cruz (Kwadwo Poku) 21’
IND – Kleberson (penalty kick) 43’
ATL – Jaime Chavez (Ryan Roushandel) 46’
IND – Kleberson (penalty kick) 55’
ATL – Junior Sandoval (unassisted) 83’
Discipline Summary:
ATL – Ramiro Canovas (caution) 39’
IND – Don Smart (caution) 48’
ATL – Joe Nasco (caution) 54’
IND – Sergio Peña (ejection) 65’
ATL – Mike Randolph (caution) 68’
Statistics IND ATL
Shots 16 14
Shots on Goal 4 6
Fouls 6 18
Corners 2 2
Saves 2 2
Offside 5 1
Line-ups:
Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht (c); Jaime Frias, Erick Norales, Fejiro Okiomah (Chris Estridge 83’), Sergio Peña; Blake Smith, Kleberson, Brad Ring, Don Smart (Jermaine Johnson 62’); Mike Ambersley, Victor Pineda (Dylan Mares 73’)
Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Kyle Hyland; A.J. Corrado; Pedro Mendes
Head Coach: Juergen Sommer
Atlanta Silverbacks (4-5-1) – Joe Nasco; Ferrety Sousa, Mike Randolph, Ryan Roushandel, Ramiro Canovas; Blair Gavin, Junior Sandoval, Junior Burgos (Alex Harlley 71’), Kwadwo Poku (Jesus Gonzalez 86’), Pablo Cruz (Lucas Paulini 82’); Jaime Chavez
Unused Substitutes: Eric Ati; Kellen Gulley
Head Coach: Jason Smith
Officials: Referee- Robert Sibiga; Assistant Referees- Aaron Hernandez, Joshua Brooks.; Fourth Official- Andrew Bigelow
Indy Eleven 2 : 4 Atlanta Silverbacks
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, August 2 , 2014) – In a game that never truly became tightly contested, the Atlanta Silverbacks built on a dominant opening stretch to record a 4-2 victory over Indy Eleven on Saturday night.
Two goals in the game’s first 21 minutes – including a fifth-minute tally that deflated a sellout crowd of 10,285 at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium – put the Silverbacks ahead early, and the Eleven were never able to level the score.
The Silverbacks took control of the game quickly, capitalizing on a defensive miscommunication by the Eleven just five minutes into the game. After narrowly missing a pair of goal-scoring chances in the game’s opening minutes, Atlanta put itself ahead with a fifth-minute goal by midfielder Junior Burgos.
Silverbacks defender Mike Randolph worked his way inside the Eleven penalty area and played a low cross in towards Burgos, who had escaped his mark to reach the near post. Burgos’ tidy one-time finish froze Indy goalkeeper Kristian Nicht and gave Atlanta the early lead.
With a goal in hand, Atlanta continued to press forward. Their persistence was rewarded 16 minutes later, when a long-distance strike from midfielder Pablo Cruz doubled the Silverbacks’ lead. Upon receiving a pass from fellow midfielder Kwadwo Poku, Cruz needed just two touches before unleashing a 25-yard shot into the left side of Indy’s net.
The next 20 minutes saw the game stabilize and slow. Atlanta appeared to be headed toward a 2-0 halftime lead until a clash in the Indy penalty area allowed the home side on the scoreboard. After Eleven midfielder Don Smart was pulled down in the box in the 43rd minute, midfielder Kleberson sliced the Silverbacks’ lead in half with a rolling spot kick just inside the left post. The Brazilian’s sixth goal of the year broke his share of the team lead with Mike Ambersley and halved the deficit heading into the break.
After the halftime break, the Silverbacks wasted no time, scoring just 40 seconds into the second half to put the game out of reach. Atlanta defender Ryan Roushandel’s perfectly-placed pass from deep inside his own territory found Jaime Chavez in stride, and the forward slotted the ball past a stranded Nicht.
With the Silverbacks again at a two-goal advantage, again it was a spot kick from Kleberson that brought the game back to competitiveness. After Atlanta goalkeeper Joe Nasco brought down an attacker in front of his net, Indy’s talismanic Brazilian buried his second penalty kick of the night to make the score 3-2.
Any hopes of a comeback by the home side were cut short in the game’s 65th minute, when Indy midfielder Sergio Peña was given a straight red card for a last-man-back foul. The Honduran – whose start marked his first in an Indy Eleven uniform – trudged off the field, bringing his side’s comeback chances with him. A fourth Atlanta goal from midfielder Junior Sandoval put the game finally out of reach.
The victory puts Atlanta on seven points after four games in the NASL’s Fall Season and leaves Indy on six points. The two sides will meet again Sept. 6 at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.
Tonight’s match started a busy eight days for Indy Eleven, which will return to Carroll Stadium this Wednesday, August 6, to entertain the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Limited tickets remain for the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be seen live across Central Indiana on MyINDY-TV 23. One week from tonight, the Eleven will make their first visit to the Lone Star State to take on the Fall Season leading San Antonio Scorpions for an 8:30 p.m. ET contest at Toyota Field.
INDY ELEVEN HEAD COACH JUERGEN SOMMER
On the match:
“Unfortunately we didn’t get as much offensive play out of our front line as we wanted to. I think going down with that early goal hurt us a little bit. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot, put ourselves back on our heels. It’s disappointing because one of the things we’ve been working on is really going early in the game.”
On Don Smart:
“It’s nice for Don. He’s been coming on strong all year. We’ve used him off the bench, he’s been such a great spark for us. A great guy in training, a really hard worker, and committed, so he got a start tonight. He’s a handful. He’s very difficult to mark, he’s very slippery. He finds ways to kind of noodle through and be a threat. He did that for us tonight.”
On injuries and suspensions:
“The good part about our group is that we started with a very young group that got significant minutes, probably more so than any other team in the league. We have a lot of guys that have made contributions to our team. We’ve gotten great output from these guys and have really given young players a platform to develop and grow here. It’s a professional game now. They see this as a chance to solidify their role in this team for this year and for next year. They’ll step right in and now miss a beat. I expect them to go out and play and perform as a professional.”
ATLANTA SILVERBACKS HEAD COACH JASON SMITH
On the win:
“I’m quite happy to get three points on the road, but overall I’m disappointed with a couple mistakes we made. We had a couple mistakes in the back and had a few moments that were pretty erratic. But overall, I can’t be disappointed with four goals.
“I don’t know that we ever really got a good rhythm. Every time we scored a goal, we’d relax for a few minutes and then they were right back into it. We have to get better at keeping up our tempo.”
On giving up goals after scoring:
“Scoring early and taking your foot off the pedal, you just can’t. We can’t score a goal and sit back for a few minutes and then get going again. We’ll get better at that, I’m sure.”
On Jaime Chavez:
“He’s done a fantastic job. I was really excited about him when I came in. He’s always right there. It’s about time he busts out. He works so hard and he can make something out of nothing because he works so hard all the time.”
NASL Fall Season Week 4
Indy Eleven 2 : 4 Atlanta Silverbacks
Michael A. Carroll Stadium at IUPUI – Indianapolis, IN
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Attendance: 10,285 (Sellout)
Weather: 79 degrees, sunny
1 2 FT
Indy Eleven 1 1 2
Atlanta Silverbacks 2 2 4
Scoring Summary:
ATL – Junior Burgos (Mike Randolph) 5’
ATL – Pablo Cruz (Kwadwo Poku) 21’
IND – Kleberson (penalty kick) 43’
ATL – Jaime Chavez (Ryan Roushandel) 46’
IND – Kleberson (penalty kick) 55’
ATL – Junior Sandoval (unassisted) 83’
Discipline Summary:
ATL – Ramiro Canovas (caution) 39’
IND – Don Smart (caution) 48’
ATL – Joe Nasco (caution) 54’
IND – Sergio Peña (ejection) 65’
ATL – Mike Randolph (caution) 68’
Statistics IND ATL
Shots 16 14
Shots on Goal 4 6
Fouls 6 18
Corners 2 2
Saves 2 2
Offside 5 1
Line-ups:
Indy Eleven (4-4-2) – Kristian Nicht (c); Jaime Frias, Erick Norales, Fejiro Okiomah (Chris Estridge 83’), Sergio Peña; Blake Smith, Kleberson, Brad Ring, Don Smart (Jermaine Johnson 62’); Mike Ambersley, Victor Pineda (Dylan Mares 73’)
Unused Substitutes: Jon Dawson (GK), Kyle Hyland; A.J. Corrado; Pedro Mendes
Head Coach: Juergen Sommer
Atlanta Silverbacks (4-5-1) – Joe Nasco; Ferrety Sousa, Mike Randolph, Ryan Roushandel, Ramiro Canovas; Blair Gavin, Junior Sandoval, Junior Burgos (Alex Harlley 71’), Kwadwo Poku (Jesus Gonzalez 86’), Pablo Cruz (Lucas Paulini 82’); Jaime Chavez
Unused Substitutes: Eric Ati; Kellen Gulley
Head Coach: Jason Smith
Officials: Referee- Robert Sibiga; Assistant Referees- Aaron Hernandez, Joshua Brooks.; Fourth Official- Andrew Bigelow
