This will be the first meeting between Indy Eleven and the Atlanta Silverbacks since the opening weekend of the 2015 NASL spring season. Atlanta looked like they were on their way to giving Gary Smith his first win as Silverbacks head coach. But Don Smart had other plans as he converted from the penalty spot late in the match for Indy. A lot has happened for both clubs since that 1-1 draw in Atlanta on April 5th. Juergen Sommer and Paul Telfer were released by Indy Eleven and Tim Regan is now the interim director of soccer and head coach. The Silverbacks only captured one win during the ten game spring season. Heading into the fall season Smith added the reinforcements of twins Paulo and Pedro Mendes and defenders Mohamed Issahaku and Kosuke Kimura. Atlanta have taken 7 points in the first five games of the fall season. In addition, they have scored one more goal in the last five games than they did in the entire spring season combined. Capturing three points on Saturday night could see Atlanta or Indy move within striking distance for the fall championship or a playoff position in the combined standings.
The Eleven are coming off last weekend’s 1-1 draw with the New York Cosmos. A traditional score line in the fixture saw both teams score in injury time before intermission. The Eleven’s goal came from Dylan Mares who received a long ball from Dragan Stojkov and was able to find the back of the net. Eric Norales will miss the next two matches, including this one against the Silverbacks, after receiving a red card against the Cosmos. Duke Lacroix will be questionable for Saturday’s game with a hip injury. While Sergio Peña will miss the Silverbacks game due to a foot injury.
Although this will be the fourth straight game on the road for the Silverbacks they will be full of confidence coming into this fixture after beating the Eddies in Edmonton with only 10 men. Jamie Chávez had a brace for Atlanta in the 49th and 66th minute and Shaka Bangura gave the Silverbacks an insurance goal in the 88th. Midfielder Michael Mravec will miss the match against the Eleven after picking up a red card in Edmonton.
Keys to the game
Against the Cosmos, Indy Eleven utilized their outside backs and outside midfielders to move the ball forward to their strikers. Although Indy had less of the possession compared to the Cosmos, expect the Eleven to incorporate center midfielders Brad Ring and Dylan Mares more often when the team pushes forward and shares more of the possession against Atlanta.
Atlanta has instituted a 3-5-2 formation since their July 11th clash against Jacksonville, which has helped on the attacking front. On the defensive side, the Silverbacks have allowed their opponents to accumulate more attacks, corners, and shots in each game. It will be interesting to see how the Silverbacks handle Indy Eleven’s attacking principles with only three defenders.
Last time in Indianapolis
The last time these two teams met at Michael A. Carroll Stadium was in August of last year and it was the Silverbacks who came out victorious, 4-2. That game saw Brad Ring receive a red card for the Eleven while Ryan Massoud Roushandel had two assists for Atlanta.
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