Eleven’s struggles weigh heavily on captain’s mind
Photo Credit: Matt Schlotzhauer/Indy Eleven
INDIANAPOLIS — The mounting frustration was visible on Indy Eleven captain Colin Falvey’s face even before he opened his mouth. In fact, his solemn gaze wasn’t just visible, it was indelible. The scoreboard spoke for him: Miami FC 2, Indy Eleven 0.
Falvey had just gone a full 90 with the armband on for a team that had now lost three matches over the past eight days. The man who gives better speeches than Al Pacino, according to ex-teammate Neil Shaffer, was left virtually speechless.
Well, almost speechless. This is still Colin Falvey we’re talking about, after all — the Nick Swisher of the NASL. He’s a passionate close-talker and as genuine as they come.
There’s a reason the 31-year-old center back gets the “C” beside his name on the lineup sheet on a veteran-heavy roster full of former captains. When Indy is winning games, Falvey deflects credit. When Indy is losing, he’s the spokesperson. It’s what leaders do.
His look of despair changed to that of resolve as he mustered up a few words to try to make sense of things.
“When you don’t win a football game for a while, it starts to maybe mentally weigh on people,” Falvey said. “That’s the way it is right now. We’re doing everything — we’re training, boys are doing their reps. I can’t put my finger on it why it’s not going our way.”
The funk started for the Eleven with six straight draws to start the season and a heap of injuries. But drawing isn’t losing, and optimism remained that the club could still right the ship and contend in the NASL spring season. Then came two losses to Miami FC along with a confidence-draining U.S. Open Cup loss to an amateur side, the Michigan Bucks. Indy might be more concerned with the long-term now.
“It’s become a case of ‘forget about the spring, we need to get some points on the board to make sure we have a chance of playing in the postseason.'” Falvey said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Photo Credit: Matt Schlotzhauer/Indy Eleven
A second-place finish in both the 2016 NASL regular season and playoffs set sky-high expectations for this season. Most of the team’s core returned, but injuries, inconsistent performances, budget cuts, and the losses of Dylan Mares and Greg Janicki have led the 2017 group to a disappointing start.
The recent 2-0 home setback to Miami not only snapped Indy’s 21-match home unbeaten streak, it also emitted a vibe of reaching rock bottom.
“Tonight we couldn’t come out and play an open game against them. We tried that last week and got our backsides handed to us,” Falvey said after the loss. “The last seven days have probably been the toughest in club history.”
Whether the Eleven turn their season around or not, one thing’s for sure: The captain’s armband won’t be the only thing on Falvey’s sleeve. He’ll continue to wear his heart on it, too.
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