Indy Eleven 2017: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

Coach Tim Hankinson. Indy Eleven/NASL

INDIANAPOLIS — There are no surprises here.  The Indy Eleven have retained a core group of players from last season.  A season which included record goal scoring and a championship run.  Indy Eleven’s head coach Tim Hankinson is a seasoned leader and he is pragmatic with his approach.  There is a home unbeaten streak to protect.  There is hardware to win in 2017.  Fans of the NASL have seen firsthand just how important stability and chemistry can be in such a volatile league.  It takes a while for systems and players to grow together into a cohesive unit.  The Indy Eleven’s top brass hope that there will be less need for a discovery period this time around and that is evidenced by their recent roster activity. In last night’s Season ticket holder meeting, Coach Hankinson suggested that he would start next season with a playing style similar to last season’s.

Indy Eleven have announced a total of 13 (at the time of publication) players that will return from last season’s squad.  Most of which are starters or of starting quality in the NASL.  I find that comforting.  One of the leagues top defenses returns almost entirely intact.  Greg Janicki has retired, but a back line with Colin Falvey, Marco Franco, Nemanja Vukovic and Lovel Palmer can be seen as a stable building block.  Those four combined for 99 appearances and their abilities are well proven on this stage.  It would take a monumental swing in opinion for Colin Falvey, last years captain, to lose his place as the field general and the organizer from the back.  Falvey will be sidelined for the entirety of preseason due to an offseason surgery for a sports hernia, but he is expected to return in six weeks.

Kwame Watson-Siriboe is a central defender with MLS experience.  He was recently signed to add depth and perhaps test a starting role, but he will get a good look in the next few weeks leading up to the regular season.  Interestingly though, at 30, Watson-Siriboe would be the second youngest member of the defensive unit behind the baby face of 26 year old Marco Franco.  Perhaps that youthful infusion will be a departure for Hankinson’s veteran approach, but really, it looks like more of the same.

Lovel Palmer. Indy Eleven/NASL

There was a touch of a positional battlle for the right back spot between Palmer and Franco in which the latter won out in the end last year.  Palmer is a valuable and versatile asset for Hankinson and it’s not yet known where the Jamaican veteran will slot in, but coach has alluded to Palmer’s abilities to fill in at center back if needed.  Look for that in preseason along with a healthy Cory Miller who has surfaced on Palmer’s social media account.  The two could be seen lacing up in the locker room and obviously in the early stages of training camp.  There has been no official announcement from the team regarding Miller’s return, but it worth noting he has apparently worked his back to strength after last year’s season ending injury.  Hands clapping emoji.  Both Miller and Franco have been around since late in the 2014 season and players like that are becoming a rarity on this squad.

I asked coach Hankinson about some of his philosophy and if he considered himself to be a pragmatist.  I said I wanted to put him in a box and categorize him.  I used the phrase ¨If it ain´t broke…¨

¨That´s fair. I take things as they come.  There were some players that we wanted that were free agents that wont be with us this year.  We will have to make adjustments, but I don´t believe in change just for change.  It´s all about continuity.¨ -Indy Eleven Head Coach Tim Hankinson

Continuity is key in the defensive third and that is why Jon Busch and Keith Cardona will return as shot stoppers for Indy.  Busch is transitioning to another phase of his career, but the 40 year old showed no real signs of aging with 29 starts and 11 clean sheets during his most recent campaign.  Cardona is is the heir apparent and he will be back for his third season in the circle city.  The only question here involves just when the passing of the torch will occur.  Busch maintains dual duty as Indy’s goalkeeper coach but his sole pupil hasn’t been allowed to spread his wings completely.  It’s not much for drama, but it’s about all we’ve got in Indy so far.  Cardona was spotted on a trial with the Philadelphia Union in MLS just a few weeks ago, but no announcements have been made by either club regarding his departure from Indy. Certainly, at last night’s ticket holder meeting, Cardona looked relaxed and ready to take on the next season.

Both of Indy’s star forwards will also be back.  Justin Braun and Eamon Zayed formed a notable partnership on the pitch.  The two combined for 23 goals and 11 assists as they were the preferred tandem up top.  The scouting reports for Indy’s opposition will detail how to address these threats first.  That does not mean that they are unstoppable, but it means that sleeping on this duo is not a winning strategy.  Coach Hankinson fondly refers to Zayed as El Raton (The Rat who finds his cheese) and Braun is said to run like the legendary Steve Prefontaine.

There were no challengers in the striker position that were worthy of taking time away from either attacker.  Zayed’s 2,686 minutes and 31 appearances were second only to Nemanja Vukovic who was the team’s Ironman.  Braun logged just over 2,000 minutes, but his mileage could not be topped.  Hankinson has suggested that he would like more options going forward but it is hard to imagine intentionally disrupting this pair without cause.

Eamon Zayed. Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/Indy Eleven

The name Dino Williams has been reintroduced into the conversation regarding attacking reinforcements.  Williams had been loaned to Indy last season, but an injury forced the Eleven to reconsider and to pick up Omar Gordon instead.  Both Williams and Gordon had been teammates under Hankinson at Montego Bay United just before Hankinson departed for the Midwest in December of 2015.  Both Williams and Gordon were league leaders in goals scored while in the Red Stripe Premiere League, but Gordon found little success translating the Jamaican league in America.  Gordon is not returning, but subbing one Jamaican golden boot for another is not exactly reinventing the wheel.  There are no official reports of Williams’ return…yet. Based on Coach Hankinson’s comments last night, it’s likely that Williams would be a loan, rather than a permanent, signing for Indy XI.

The midfield is messier and a lot less clear how things will shake out.  Don Smart, however,  is bae. The 29 year old will return to Indiana’s team as one of only two players to have been to all four preseason camps.  Brad Ring is the other.  And assuming he continues to impress the coach, Smart will be Indy’s first player to 100 appearances.  My count puts him at 76 so it is within reason for a 32 game season.   Even though Smart is committed to the club, there are questions about whether the club values him highly; it is understood that Smart’s contract – the same he signed with the club 3 years ago – has him at a markedly low base salary.

Gerardo Torrado is back.

Bae Smart. Indy Eleven/NASL

Brad Ring is back. #Legend returns after his own lengthened contract negotiation.  Taking nothing away from the others mentioned, Ring is one of the most familiar faces on the team.  Hoosiers have adopted him as one of their own because of his work ethic and his celebrations with the Brickyard Battalion.  Ring is a bulldog in the middle that doesn’t shy away from challenges.  His 34 tackles won and 106 duels won were second only to midfielder Dylan Mares whose departure leaves the biggest hole in the Indy Eleven lineup.

Hankinson revealed to me, in an interview, that Miami FC signed Mares to a new contract that would have made him the highest played player in Indianapolis.  With his age, his attacking prowess, and his defensive stats; it wouldn’t be too hard to make that case for value.

Duke Lacroix has (at this time) moved on as well.  The 23 year old is a speedy Ivy League product, but he was not retained by his first pro team.  It is not for a lack of trying although it may be due to a lack of money.  Lacroix is currently shopping around and had been seen on trial with MLS side Minnesota United.  That didn’t pan out.  It is unknown where Lacroix is attempting to find work, but Hankinson mentioned that he continued to reach out to the young up-and-comer.

There haven’t been very many new faces in the locker room and Indy has announced only three names in addition to the 13 that have worn checkers before.  All of those players are in positions that have notable departures.  One central defender and two midfielders leads me to believe that Hankinson is only addressing the cracks caused by normal roster movement.  It is safe to say that Hankinson seems very comfortable in who he is bringing back and what they can do.  There are no upgrades addressing current players who aren´t quite up to snuff.

Ben Speas will be a replacement for Dylan Mares and Craig Henderson has international experience.  Indy Eleven fans are in for a treat with Speas.  Soc Takes’ own Kevin Johnston recently analyzed his role on the team in an interview with Hankinson.

At this time last year, there were many more unknowns.  A bevy of new players had been introduced, to the fortunate remnants of unsuccessful seasons past.  The team stumbled and slogged through preseason as they attempted to gel into a cohesive unit.  By the end of the 2016, all who witnessed were believers.  The second best offense and the second best defense went on the road for the championship only to remain second best.  They were tested and came up short even though it was only just.  Penalties can be a cruel mistress.

Now is not the time to begin anew and this team doesn’t have to.  This team is ready to go as is.  Training camp is now three days old.  Indy Eleven will welcome talent and reinforcements into the fold, but get ready for a lot of what we saw last year.  The Eleven will be stingy on defense and the boys in blue will be relentless in attack.  The fire fueled by defeat is going to be a powerful driving force as well as a continual theme throughout 2017.

What would you change on the squad?  Make use of the comments section here or follow me on Twitter @AGunyon.