C'mon, you boys in blue...
As the USL season drew closer, I convinced myself that the Indy Eleven would race out of the starting blocks under new manager Mark Lowry. He proved to be one of American soccer's premier tactical minds in Jacksonville and El Paso, and I thought he'd immediately repeat the trick in Indianapolis. Things haven't been that simple. Indy lost their first two matches on the road against Loudoun and Tampa Bay, and they struggled to competently execute Lowry's 4-4-2 diamond system in the process. They're second-from-bottom in shot production and fourth-from-bottom in shots on target. What's gone wrong, and can this team fix the problem in 2022?
Defensively, Indy's El Paso-like setup is strongest when the player at the tip of the diamond joins the front line to form a front three in the press; you can see Fjeldberg occupying that role in the screenshot above. Optimally, that threesome is energetic in denying passing lanes and moves as an organized front. Behind them, the midfield three should stay relatively high to close down if the forwards are beaten; this line stalls opposing progression, allowing the #10 to get back and the fullbacks to provide support at the halfway line.
From the start of the match, the Eleven struggled to operate within this framework. The video below illustrates a few examples of how lacking chemistry doomed the approach:
Just seconds into the match, you can see how Tampa has worked past the front three. Fjeldberg tracks back admirably, but the remainder of the diamond is nowhere to be seen. All the while, fullback Byram Rebellon has stepped up to apply pressure higher upfield. Rebellon has appeared in more than 80 matches for Lowry over the years, so I trust that he's properly read the cues to move up the pitch. Evidently, though, there are some wires crossed between him and the central midfielders here. His foray leaves a gap at the back and doesn't prevent a through ball, forcing the Indy centerbacks to slide wide to recover. Juan Tejada runs into the vacated space left by that recovery, and it's 1-0 to the Rowdies.
The second clips illustrates failure in terms of support for the deeper levels of the diamond. Here, the left midfielder-defensive midfielder-right midfielder triad is sufficiently high. However, Fjeldberg doesn't get back in time, and there isn't any support from Rebellon at left back; this forces the entire midfield to slide left, and it leaves a gaping hole at the heart of the Indy system. Between these two examples, you can see the careful balance that Lowry relies on. His system works when its pieces innately recognize where their teammates are and respond accordingly. The Eleven are nowhere near that point yet.
In terms of attack, Indy wasn't much better. When the Lowry diamond works, it relies on a few key factors. Buildup play from deep is driven by the central defenders and is based on possessive, grounded passing. The fullbacks out wide push up the pitch (see #1 in the graphic), and the threat they offer forces opponents to widen out and concede holes in their defensive systems. From there, Lowry teams work through the deep-lying holding midfielder (#2) to find creative outlets elsewhere within the diamond (#3). There's obviously more complexity to the attack, but you can see how the approach works philosophically.
Right now, the Eleven aren't executing largely because of their personnel. Three examples are provided below.
In the first clip, Indy has advanced into Tampa's half, but there's stasis from that point on. Unable to work through Law and Aguilera as the shuttling, ball-carrying center men, Indy dumps it to a forward who has drifted out of the dangerous center towards the touchline. This isn't innately bad, but no Eleven players make forward runs into the space created by that drifting. Fjeldberg, in fact, is the only option here that isn't a backwards pass or a suicidal dribble into a mob of Rowdies.
The second clip illustrates another lacking aspect of the nascent Lowry/Indy marriage. Here, the issues stems from lacking progression via Neveal Hackshaw at the #6 spot. You can see his passing map in the graphic; by my count, there's only one single pass that progresses play in the middle of the park. That's a huge problem. Because Hackshaw can't drive offense through the center, Aguilera and Law have to drop too deep in the clip. This neuters their creativity and makes things that much harder when the Eleven are actually able to enter the Rowdies' half.
One more red flag caught my eye: fullback positioning in attack. The end of the second clip and the start of the third show how Indy needed their fullbacks to sit low in order to facilitate buildup. As I mentioned, high positioning from those wide defenders is vital to opening up the center of the park within the Lowry attack. Timmer and Rebellon aren't getting the job done. In the final video, that very positioning allows Tampa to close hard, resulting in a turnover and a game-sealing goal. It's emblematic of this team's issues right now. I think that the system will get better as time goes on, but I'm worried that the Eleven don't have the roster to execute this gameplan in an effective manner. Indy won't be miserable all year long, but this might be more of an adjustment season than anything else.
A Red Bull gets his wings
On the other side of this match, I couldn't have been more impressed with Jake LaCava's instant chemistry in the Tampa Bay front line. Paired alongside Juan Tejada and Sebastian Guenzatti and often linking with Leo Fernandes down the left, he showed why I was so effusive over his play with the Baby Bulls . I've provided three clips of LaCava's instant impact on and off the ball above.
In that first instance, you can see how #19 finds room and leverages it. Against a set Indy defense, he picks up possession in the half space and immediately turns to angle himself in a dangerous manner. LaCava has a full range of vision here, and he plays a nice centering pass; his immediate burst between two members of the Eleven is even better. It throws Indy off by a half step. The move comes to nothing, but it's bright play nonetheless.
LaCava doesn't even touch the ball in the second clip, but his movement is the star once again. Tampa works cleanly in the final third, and it results in Laurence Wyke claiming space in zone fourteen with the New York loanee a few steps ahead. LaCava has a plethora of options here, but he chooses to dart left. As a result, Mechack Jerome is drawn a step wide from his centerback spot; the same applies to Hackshaw as the holder. This lets Wyke dribble in the opposite direction and find a shooting angle.
Finally, we see the LaCava goal and the buildup to it. His first-time finish is lovely, but it's the roving preceding it that catches my eye. He's riding the shoulder of the defender, waiting for a moment to break free. Guenzatti drifts toward goal and asserts his immense gravity in the act, allowing LaCava to peel off into space. The header down finds him in that gap, and it's 2-0. So, so nice.
Whereas Indy lacks the personnel to execute their new look, Tampa is excellent at signing players who fit like a glove into their three-at-the-back setup. LaCava is a great example. His sense of movement and technical ability are reminiscent of his forward linemates. In New York, he was at his best driving transition on the dribble and doing so in the crowded center of the pitch. While not an exact conversion to a Rowdies side that spends long spells settled in possession in the opposing half, LaCava's tight skillset clearly had elements that would carry over. He's been great, the Rowdies continue to be excellent at team-building, and I fully expect the pairing to be immensely successful down the stretch.