#INDvRI Playoff Preview
Indy Eleven vs. Rhode Island FC
Sunday, November 3, 2024 – 1 p.m. ET
Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis
Follow Live
TV: WISH-TV 8
In-game updates: IndyElevenLive
Stats: #INDvRI MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2024 USL Championships Records
Indy Eleven: 14-11-9 (-1), 51 pts; #4 seed in Eastern Conference
Rhode Island FC: 12-7-15 (+15), 51 pts; #5 seed in Eastern Conference
DRIVING DOWNTOWN TO THE PLAYOFFS
Indy Eleven will host its first USL Championship home playoff game since 2019 vs. Rhode Island FC on Sunday at 1 pm at Carroll Stadium.
The Boys in Blue are the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference. The 2024 USLC Playoffs presented by Terminix begin with the Conference Quarterfinals this weekend, with the top four seeds in each conference hosting first-round action.
Indy had its five-match unbeaten streak (3-0-2) in the past month snapped in the regular season finale at Tampa Bay on Saturday. Since its match in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals on August 27, the Eleven are 4-2-4.
Indy finished fourth in the East with a 14-11-9 record and 51 points. The 14 victories and 51 points this season are the second-best in franchise USLC history, trailing only 2019 (19-9-6, 63 points).
The Eleven earned its fourth playoff berth in six USLC seasons. The last time that the Boys in Blue recorded consecutive playoff appearances was in 2018 and 2019.
INDY ELEVEN USL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFF HISTORY
2024: 14W-11L-9D, 51 pts., -1 GD (4th in East)
– vs. Rhode Island FC in USL Championship Playoffs
2023: 13W-11L-10D, 49 pts., +8 GD (6th in East)
– Lost in Eastern Conf. Quarters (5-0 at CHS)
2019: 19W-9L-6D, 63 pts., +19 GD (3rd/18 in East)
– Beat New York Red Bulls II, 1-0, Carroll Stadium
– Beat Nashville SC, 1-0, First Tennessee Park
– Lost vs. Louisville City in Eastern Conference Final, 3-1 (aet), Carroll Stadium
2018: 13W-11L-10D, 49 pts., +3 GD (7th/16 in East)
– Lost in Eastern Conf. Quarters (4-1 at LOU)
PLAYOFF REWIND FEATURES KING, GIBSON, & COLLIER
Indy is 2-3 in USLC playoff action, with both victories coming in 2019 when the Boys in Blue advanced to the Eastern Conference final. Current Indy Eleven defender Macca King assisted on a Karl Ouimette goal with a precise centering pass in the 27th minute of a 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls II at Carroll Stadium in the conference quarterfinals.
Another current player provided the assist in the Boys in Blue’s 1-0 triumph at Nashville SC in the conference semifinals the following week as midfielder Tyler Gibson delivered a perfect long ball from midfield to set up Tyler Pasher’s game winner.
In the conference final at Carroll Stadium, Pasher scored in the 67th minute to give Indy a 1-0 lead, but Louisville City rallied for the equalizer in the last minute of stoppage time and then added two goals in extra time for a 3-1 win.
Current Indy Eleven forward Elliot Collier played for the Boys in Blue in 2018 when they made their USLC playoff debut.
SERIES VS. RHODE ISLAND FC
Sunday will be the third meeting this season and all-time between the two teams, with the previous games in July and August.
IND Leads 1-0-1 | GF 4, GA 3
| IND | RI | |
| 34 | Games | 34 |
| 49 | Goals | 56 |
| 50 | Goals Conceded | 41 |
| 33 | Assists | 47 |
| 148 | SOT | 151 |
| 148 | Shots Faced | 130 |
| 9 | Clean Sheets | 9 |
BLAKE EIGHT-TIME USLC “TEAM OF THE WEEK”
Midfielder Jack Blake leads Indy Eleven in scoring with 10 goals and 4 assists in 27 matches this season. The Nottingham, England, native has been named to the USL Championship “Team of the Week” a team-high eight times in 2024.
The 30-year-old Blake scored his 10th goal of the campaign in the team’s 3-2 playoff-clinching win vs. Birmingham on October 19, and it came in his 50th start in two years for the Boys in Blue. His 10 goals in 2024 equal his best professional regular-season total for the Jacksonville Armada in the NASL in 2017.
Blake is one shy of the 11 total goals that he scored for the Real Monarchs SLC in 2019 when he helped them win the USLC Championship. He is tied for fourth in Indy Eleven franchise USLC history with 13 goals.
The 5’11 Blake is tied for 16th in the USLC in goals and tied for 18th in shots (51).
Blake did not play in the July 5 match at Rhode Island, the first of five games that he missed because of injury. He made his return on August 7 in the second match vs. RI, playing four minutes.
AUGI TRIPLE DOUBLE
Forward Augi Williams is tied with Blake for the team lead in goals with 10, recording his third straight season with double-digit goals and his fourth in the past five campaigns.
The 27-year-old Williams became the first player in franchise history to score five goals in consecutive matches, after becoming the third player in club history to record a hat trick vs. Miami FC on September 28. He followed that effort with two goals vs. Louisville City on October 5.
With those two Oct. 5 goals, the Sierra Leone international passed teammate Sebastian Guenzatti to climb into fifth on the USL Championship all-time list with 76 career goals in regular-season league play.
Augi has 13 total goals in all competitions this season, scoring three goals during Indy’s run to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals, including one in the team’s win over MLS-side Atlanta United FC in the Quarterfinals on July 9.
The three-time USL Championship “Team of the Week” and October 1 USLC “Player of the Week” honoree is tied for ninth in the USLC in shots (57) and tied for 16th in goals.
In the 2023 USLC Playoffs, Williams scored two goals to help the Charleston Battery win the Eastern Conference title.
INDY ELEVEN HAT TRICKS
9/28/24 – Augi Williams vs. Miami
6/4/22 – Manuel Arteaga at Charleston
8/4/16 – Eamon Zayed vs. Jacksonville
6/12/16 – Eamon Zayed vs. North Carolina
USL CHAMPIONSHIP REGULAR-SEASON GOALS
1. Dane Kelly – 106
2. Neco Brett (MEM) – 81*
3. Cameron Lancaster – 80
4. Hadji Berry – 79
5. Augi Williams (IND) – 76*
6. Sebastian Guenzatti (IND) – 75*
*Denotes active player
FOSTER’S 20
Forward Maalique Foster has 20 goals and 14 assists in five seasons of USL Championship play for Indy Eleven, Colorado Springs Switchbacks (2023-24), Sacramento Republic FC (2022), and Rio Grande Valley FC (2019).
The 27-year-old scored his first goal in an Indy Eleven uniform vs. El Paso on September 14. He registered his first assist for the Boys in Blue on October 5 against Louisville City.
The speedy Foster, acquired from Colorado Springs on August 23, has five goals and five assists this season with 42 shots (20 on target). Foster has played in all 11 matches since he was acquired, starting nine of them.
In the USLC stats, Foster is ranked among league leaders in goals (5), assists (5), shots, chances created (45), and duels won (128).
Foster was recognized on the USL Championship Team of the Week-Bench for Week 28. Both Foster and Romario Williams are natives of Portmore, Jamaica.
ROMARIO 60
Forward Romario Williams became the third player on the current Indy Eleven roster to score 60 regular-season goals in USLC play with his tally on September 14 vs. El Paso.
Romario scored his first goal for Indy in dramatic fashion with a game-tying free kick in the final minute of stoppage time vs. Pittsburgh on August 31.
Acquired by the Eleven on June 14, the 30-year-old is among the Championship’s most prolific scorers all-time, having recorded 60 regular-season goals in 149 appearances at a strike rate of a goal every 158.6 minutes.
The UCF product has recorded four goals and one assist this season in league play, adding a goal and an assist in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
On October 10, Romario scored an international goal for Jamaica in the Concacaf National League to help his nation advance to the quarterfinals vs. the USA next month.
USLC 60+ Regular Season Goals Best Strike Rate
1. Cameron Lancaster – 80 goals, 113.9 mins/goal
2. Cal Jennings – 64 goals, 136.1 mins/goal
3. Dane Kelly – 106 goals, 150.3 mins/goal
4. Wilson Harris – 66 goals, 150.6 mins/goal
T-5. Romario Williams – 60 goals, 156.2 mins/goal
T-5. Chandler Hoffman – 66 goals, 156.2 mins/goal
TOP 12 TRIO
Forward Douglas Martinez ranks in the Top 12 in Indy Eleven USLC franchise history (2018-24) in goals (7), assists (6), and points (20).
In 2024, the Honduran international has three goals and three assists.
The 27-year-old Martinez is also in the top 12 in matches played (59), matches started (44), and he is 13th in minutes played (4,026).
In September, Martinez helped Honduras qualify for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Mexico next month.
WOOTTON WORK VS. RIFC
Midfielder Laurence Wootton scored his first professional goal at Rhode Island on July 5 in his first 90-minute outing this season. The England native opened the scoring in that match in the 20th minute off an assist from Cam Lindley.
In the return match at Carroll Stadium on Aug. 7, Wootton entered as an injury sub for Lindley in the 15th minute and he set up Sebastian Guenzatti’s 74th career goal in a 1-0 victory. On loan from the MLS Chicago Fire, the 24-year-old Wootton recorded assists in back-to-back home games vs. Rhode Island and New Mexico United in August.
The two-time Big Ten “Midfielder of the Year” at Ohio State scored the game-winning goal in the 86th minute in Indy’s playoff-clinching triumph over Birmingham Legion FC on October 19.
USL Championship Goals per 90 Minutes
# Player – G/90, Goals
1. Nick Markanich (CHS) – 0.92, 28
2. Kieran Phillips (SAC) – 0.78, 12
3. Wilson Harris (LOU) – 0.75, 19
4. Khori Bennett (LV) – 0.67, 14
5. Elliot Collier (IND) – 0.64, 5
USLC FRANCHISE RECORD FOR GOALS
Indy Eleven surpassed its standard for regular-season goals in a campaign in USLC play with 49 in 2024. The mark had been 48 in 2019.
The Boys in Blue have scored 26 first half goals this season, good for a tie for third in the USL Championship. Indy scored 11 goals between the 16th and 30th minutes of games during the regular season, tied for the most in that 15-minute span in the league with North Carolina FC. They are tied for seventh in the USLC in goals, with at least one tally in 26 of their 34 matches.
The Eleven scored in 15 straight USLC matches to open the 2024 campaign. The streak, which ended on June 22 against Orange County, is the longest to open a USLC season and is the longest run overall within the same campaign for the club. In total, Indy scored in 18 straight regular season matches dating back to Sept. 30, 2023.
AEDAN THE TEAM
Defender Aedan Stanley leads the Boys in Blue in assists (7), crosses (221), chances created (49), games played (32), games started (32), and minutes played.
The 24-year-old Stanley has logged a team-high 2,880 minutes for the Eleven this season, starting and playing the full 90 in 32 of the team’s 34 matches (DNP Aug. 24 at LV, Oct. 26 at TBR).
The former Duke collegian is third in the USLC in crosses, tied for 17th in chances created, and tied for 33rd in clearances (98).
The Columbia, Illinois, native is tied for fourth in the USL Championship with seven assists, which includes his first career multi-assist game, a two-helper performance against his old club Miami FC on May 12. He also tied for a team-high two in Open Cup games. Stanley has 15 career USL Championship assists.
Stanley has earned USLC “Team of the Week” honors three times this season, including in Week 10 when he was named the “Player of the Week”
AODHAN’S BACK
Captain Aodhan Quinn has started all 10 games since making his 2024 season debut in the second half at Charleston on August 2.
His comeback from a season-ending injury in September of 2023 is featured in GRATEFUL: Aodhan Quinn’s ACL Journey, an Indy Eleven Docuseries. Parts one and two are available on the Indy Eleven YouTube Channel.
AODHAN QUINN USLC ALL-TIME RANKINGS
Minutes | 21,788 | 2nd (2)
Assists | 50 | T4th (4)
Games Started | 248 | 4th
Appearances | 262 | T6th (4)
USL Championship 100 Club (Goals + Assists)
1. Dane Kelly – 132 (106 goals & 26 assists)
2. Enzo Martinez (BHM) – 124 (74 goals & 50 assists) *
3. Solomon Asante (LV) – 110 (52 goals & 58 assists) *
4. Neco Brett (MEM) – 107 (81 goals & 26 assists) *
Jorge Herrera – 107 (72 goals & 35 assists)
6. Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 104 (54 goals & 50 assists) *
*Denotes active player
Sebastian Guenzatti is three goals/assists away at 97 with 75 goals and 22 assists.
COACH SEAN McAULEY
Head coach Sean McAuley earned the USLC “Coach of the Month” honor in May and he was a nominee for USLC Midseason “Coach of the Year” after leading his team to a 12-match unbeaten streak in a two-month span. The Sheffield, England, native led the Indy Eleven to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals with four straight wins, including a 2-1 victory at MLS-side Atlanta United.
McAuley got his first career USL Championship win on March 16, 2024, a 2-1 road victory at Memphis 901 FC.
McAuley is in his first season in Indy after previously serving as interim head coach/assistant at MLS-side Minnesota United FC. McAuley helped Minnesota to playoff appearances in each of his first three seasons, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2020. In 2015, he hoisted the MLS Cup with the Portland Timbers. McAuley opened his playing career with Manchester United and played for the Portland Timbers and the U-21 Scottish National Team, among others.
12-GAME UNBEATEN STREAK
The Boys in Blue were unbeaten in 12 straight matches across all competitions during a two-month span from April-June this year, including a club-best eight straight wins in USL Championship games. The eight-match USLC win streak is the longest by any team in 2024 and it tied for fifth in league history.
Indy outscored opponents 23-6 in those matches, while posting six clean sheets and never conceding more than one goal.
