On June 2nd Indy Eleven made changes to their technical staff, releasing Director of Soccer and Head Coach Jurgen Sommer and assistant Paul Telfer. The front office replaced Sommer and Telfer with assistant Tim Regan as the Interim Head Coach with two games left in the NASL spring season. Joining Regan on the sideline is Indy Eleven player, Kleberson who is out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles. While Gary Yohe will have the duties as the goalkeeper coach. Although Regan has been in charge for two games I will examine how Indy Eleven has done under his command during their two game winning streak that has seen the Eleven jump from last place to 5th in the standings. This is the team’s first winning streak since last October.
Regan’s intensity in leading the team on the training pitch has carried over to all game day aspects. From their warm-up through the entire game, his presences is felt on Indy’s sideline. ‘The Boy’s in Blue’ have an extra skip in their step in the two games Regan has taken over with his coaching style being more animated and vocal on the sideline giving the team more determination to prove themselves for their new manager.
Tactically, Regan has not modified the formation nor the starting line-up since he has taken over. Regan has used the 4-4-2 with a diamond in the middle, something Sommer used periodically during his reign. Kristian Nicht has been between the posts. Corey Miller and Erick Norales have played well in the center of the back line while Marco Franco and Kyle Hyland have solidified their outside back positions. The spine of the midfield has been anchored by Brad Ring in the defensive midfielder position and Dylan Mares as the attacking midfielder. Dragan Stojkov and Victor Pineda have played on the wings with Brian Brown and Charlie Rugg giving the team energy up front. Ring and Mares have played great all season long, but Pineda has stepped up his game in the midfield since Regan has taken over. Pineda was awarded NASL Player of the Week against Fort Lauderdale for his two goals against the Strikers. One move Regan has made is, Wojciech Wojcik playing an attacking midfield role against the Strikers. A move that allowed Wojcik to play to his strengths of distributing the ball and playing combinations with the forwards. Under Sommer, Wojcik was slotted in the traditional central forward role and at times struggled to create chances on his own.
Statistically, Indy Eleven has been much better these past two games against Fort Lauderdale and Edmonton under Tim Regan. While collecting the maximum 6 points, the Eleven have outshot their opponents 33-20 and have outscored their opponents scored 5-1. In the 5 games prior to Regan taking over, the Eleven went 0-1-4 (including US Open Cup loss to Louisville City FC) and collected 1 point out of a possible 12 in league play. In that time the Eleven only recorded 3 goals while their opponents scored 9. The Eleven conceded 36 corners while being awarded 25 in their five game beaten streak. The Eleven outshot their opponents 52-51. However, opponents had 24 on target shots compared to the Eleven’s 19. During this 5 game skid, the Eleven went from 4th in the league to last place.
In my opinion, two games in charge is too short to determine if Tim Regan is the man for the job long term. However, I like the way the team has played since he has taken over. Defensively, the Eleven have been stingy in front of their own goal. After receiving the ball in their own half, the Eleven have been able to find their target players to release into their counter attack. When Indy has the ball in the final third, their patterns of play and combinations have helped them outscore and dominate their opponents for long periods of play. Sunday, the Eleven’s friendly against Monarcas Morelia is still a friendly. But it will be crucial for Tim Regan if he still wants to be the number one choice for the head coaching position. This game will also present the opportunity for players who saw little to no action in the spring prove they have what it takes to be in the starting line-up during the fall and make Regan’s decisions on who to start difficult. A week after the Morelia game, the Eleven start the NASL fall season on the road against the league’s toughest opponent, the New York Cosmos, who were crowned spring champions earlier this year.
If Regan is given the reins for the fall season we will see if and when he makes his own changes and philosophy to the team. Especially, the formation and starting line-up when the schedule presents several games, on short periods of rest for the players, and long stretches of travel. One thing is for sure, if Regan does well in the fall leading Indy Eleven to their first playoff appearance in franchise history, the team will have a very difficult task of keeping Regan in Indianapolis long term as other clubs in North America will be wanting him to lead their team.
For now I give Tim Regan an A+.
