Raul touched my shoulder; recap of Indy Eleven's first home game

I was just about to find my seat in Section 103 in the East goal end; where the Cosmos forwards were practicing shooting. Soccer balls were flying everywhere. As I sat down, I heard a scream from a little girl. She had just been struck in the face by a wayward strike. Luckily for her, she hadn't rolled down the bleacher stairs and her dad was quickly trying to check on her. I ran down to help her and made sure she wasn't bleeding and concussed (For the record, she was fine) and held her hand for a few moments as she wept - probably thinking to herself - "I hate soccer!"

Suddenly a hand rested on my shoulder and spoke to the young girl - "Are you okay?" It definitely wasn't your regular Midwest draw. In fact, it had a bit of a Spanish flavor to it. I looked up and realized that the man whose hand was on my shoulder was devilishly handsome and frighteningly familiar. 

I stood up immediately and realized it was Raul! Within two minutes of being at the stadium, I was standing side by side by one of the greatest European forwards of all time. Raul had jumped the bleachers to come check on this little girl and spoke inaudibly to  her. While her dad had no idea who this man was, people around us were starting to take pictures of Raul (if any of you reading this has one with me in it - I'm wearing a Man United jacket - PLEASE share it with me), and the spanish forward gave the little girl a kiss on the cheek and went back to warming up.

Seriously- RAUL!

I remember watching Raul play for Real Madrid against Manchester United in the early 2000s. In a team comprising of the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Ronaldo, the young spanish trequartista stood above the rest. Admittedly United's defense that day (and that season) was rather inexperienced - A young Rio Ferdinand was supported by error-prone Wes Brown, up-and-comer John O'Shea and the simplicity of Gary Neville. However, I doubt that even a Maldini lead AC Milan defense could have stopped Raul that day. He scored a brace, and was involved in the build up for every single attacking foray by the Spanish conquistadors.

History will look at that Madrid side as one of the all-time best XIs. And, even though some will focus on the galacticos (Zidane, Figo, Beckham, Ronaldo, Carlos), Raul's contribution and leadership is beyond doubt. 

What made Raul such a good player? It was his speed of thought, rather than his foot speed. It was his ability to play one-twos is tight areas and allow his intelligence to create chances for others. His heading ability was vastly underrated, as was his work rate. I remember watching him run back 70 yards to make a tackle on an impressive Ryan Giggs; when Figo decided to forego his defensive duties.

Here are some of his goals from YouTube. If you are just getting into football, you should spend some time watching his goals in other videos on YouTube as well. Trust me, it's worth your time. Golazos

All of these  aforementioned attributes were on display - albeit momentarily - in tonight's game between Indy Eleven and the New York Cosmos. Youth coaches should show replays of Raul's goal as it was an example of how forwards should get free of man-marking on set pieces. During a corner a few minutes earlier, Raul checked back towards the near post. This time, he made the same run, but checked again and found just enough space to slot the ball home. 

The game itself was largely dominated by Cosmos. Although Raul scored the goal, the best player on the pitch tonight was Marcos Senna. Cosmos played the ball out of the back - perhaps due to the poor kicking ability of their keeper Maurer (who bravely put up with some insults from my section behind the East end goal) and the ball inevitably landed at Senna's feet. Senna was omnipresent all over the pitch, and was clearly asked to play the deep-lying playmaker role; a role he thrived in during his time at Villareal. 

As for Indy Eleven, I was impressed by our defense. Erick Norales continues to be the leader of the defense, and excelled playing alongside Greg Janicki. The Michigan-born Janicki has played in all the North American soccer leagues and brings some much-need physicality to this Indy Eleven back line. On-loan Marco Franco was impressive on his debut as well, but will need to improve his positioning; the way his compatriot on the other wing, Jamie Frias, has been able to do since his shaky start last season.

Although the technically superior Cosmos dominated possession, we were very impressive on the counter attack. Debutante forward,  Brian Brown held up the play well, but found himself isolated for the vast majority of the game.  I don't think we break as quickly when Kleberson is on the pitch; as the Brazilian maestro likes to possess the ball. Coach Sommer will have to find a way to include his marquee player without affecting our counter-attacking prowess.

My biggest concern is the tactic that bothered me last season - Sommer seems to ask his full backs to not overlap past his midfielders. Admittedly, we were on the back foot today, but there were possible 2 v 1 opportunities that were not availed due to the defensive mindset that coach Sommer seems to have. I hope that changes as the season progresses. 

Certainly, last week, I was encouraged by Indy Eleven's ability to switch play and possess the ball. In some ways, Sommer's tactical decisions will influence the success of this team. Charlie Ruegg and substitute Don Smart will have crucial roles to play in this team as well.

All and all, a fantastic outing on a beautiful spring day. A packed stadium. NOT a loss. A goal by one of my favorite all-time players. And, being able to be less than a foot away from him. #ManCrush

Indy is red and blue. 

In support of the proposed Indy Eleven stadium

Yesterday, the Indianapolis Star posted an opinion piece by writer Erika Smith, that flippantly dismissed the planned soccer stadium for local NASL team Indy Eleven. Before I write out why the stadium is a fantastic idea, let me address The Star and my own biases.

First of all - my own biases. I am a season ticket holder for Indy Eleven and love the sport of soccer. That is my bias. But, I have no economic or social relationship to Indy Eleven or any of it's players and staff. Well, I know their community relation's director, but, at this point, we are acquaintances more than friends. This is as unbiased as you're going to get.

 In my day job, I am a scientist. And, as such, I care deeply about the truth. And that is what this blog post (My first in years) attempts to do - to understand the impact of this stadium. I genuinely don't even want you should subscribe to this blog - because I won't really update it. Anyway, here goes.

(at Indy Eleven's first home win with good friends)

To those of us who still read newspapers and magazines, print media is the most sacred of all journalism. Articles in print media are well-researched and not-reactionary. This is why an article in the New Yorker/Wall Street Journal has more gravitas than anything HuffPo or Gawker will publish. The Indianapolis Star is our local newspaper and has upstanding journalists such as Jill Disis, but has, of late, been devolving into click-baiting. There has been a preponderance of unsubstantiated opinion articles that belong in poorly-crafted blogs rather than in a reputable newspaper.

Ms. Smith's article falls into that category. We are told that the stadium is a terrible idea, yet, no evidence is given why that is true. We are told that the money would be better spent on multiple other things. Yet, the author does not care to cross-check whether money devoted to the stadium would take away from money for those other things. The author does zero research for this article. So much so, that she does not even fact-check how many wins the team had all season; something a simple google search would have answered.

In researching my blog post, I was able to directly email the GM of Indy Eleven - Mr. Peter Wilt. I have no relationship with the man, other than that I follow him on twitter. Yet, he immediately forwarded my questions to an Indy Eleven spokesperson who replied to me within 24 hours. Did the author or Indy Star try to reach out to Indy eleven at all? Of course not. Let me reiterate - as a nobody blogger - I was able to get answers to my questions. I tweeted The Star to ask them if they would be willing to post my "well-researched other side of the stadium story". There was no response. I submitted a letter to their editor this morning - I doubt that will get published either.

At best, the Indy Star article was unsubstantiated. At worst, it was intentionally incendiary.

(in case you haven't seen the proposal yet)

Now, back to the question at hand --- Is this stadium a good idea? Let's split this answer into two sections: 1. The socio-cultural impact and 2. The fiscal impact (which includes a Q and A with the indy eleven spokesperson).

1. The sociocultural impact - I will keep this section short, because most people are in agreement over the benefits of having soccer in Indianapolis. Soccer is hitting it's exponential phase in popularity across the country. From being a marginal sport 10 years ago - being shown on paywall channels such as Setanta Sports - to being a mainstream money churner on NBC these days. Closer to home, in Indianapolis, soccer has taken off as well. As the Indy Star article pointed out, Indy Eleven sold out all of their home games. And, each week, fans would travel to cities across the country to support the team.

Soccer is the sport of the masses. As a child, you can play this sport anywhere as long as you have a ball. You don't need helmets, you don't need bats, you don't need sticks, you don't need hoops. You don't even need grass. The reason I regurgitate these cliches is this - minority communities rally around the sport of soccer. If the city of Indianapolis is serious about increasing it's diversity, a thriving soccer scene is a massive selling point. Will a new stadium galvanize communities? Absolutely! A beautiful new stadium is a fantastic way of attracting good players. Attracting good players is an ideal way of winning games. Winning games is the best way to start a "dynasty" - a word that the Indy Star article throws in our faces. In the science-world, we call this a positive-feedback loop. And, socio-culturally, a new stadium would be the start of a tremendous positive feedback loop.

The fact that the stadium would also be used for other 'non-mainstream' sports such as Lacrosse is fantastic. And, frankly, a lot of good musical artists skip Indianapolis as a venue. Perhaps, the opportunity of performing at a unique novel stadium would attract excellent bands that would normally head to Louisville instead of us (I'm looking at you, Death Cab for Cutie). From an architectural standpoint as well, the stadium would be stunning.

2. Fiscal impact - This is the area most Hoosiers are concerned about. It was clear from her article, that Ms. Smith did not read the proposal or the FAQ section before her article. So, let me summarize what it says ---

a) Over time, the stadium will pay for itself - by ticket sales and taxation.
b) It will cost 82 million to build and be ready in 2017.
c) Neither Carroll stadium (too small, not enough facilities), nor Lucas Oil (scheduling conflicts, too big) would be a long-term solution to the problem.

Admittedly, the succinct nature of the FAQ section, necessitated some follow up questions. I got in touch with an Indy Eleven spokesperson and asked him some obvious questions. I am copy pasting the entire Email, for full disclosure. My questions are in red, his email and responses are in Blue. I have highlighted portions that I deem to be crucial. But, I encourage you to read the entire interview.


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First, let me say thank you for taking the time to dive into this issue. And especially for taking the time to write a proper response to the Indianapolis Star in regards to the recent column. 

1. The quoted 82 million is described as " if you don't go, you don't pay". The organization makes it clear that the money will be generated from stadium ticket sales/tax/etc. Forgive my ignorance, but would you be essentially be taking a loan from the city for the construction and then paying them back? 

Before I get into the answer, just know that the current bill language and the financial mechanism to fund the stadium is still in discussions and will likely change as we progress through the legislative process. With that said, as to your question about a loan from the city for construction - We are proposing a government-financed loan that would be secured by taxes captured at the stadium - these are user taxes paid for only by those who attend stadium events. They are taxes such as admissions tax, food and beverage tax, and income tax on employees (such as stadium employees, Indy Eleven players and even players from opposing teams). What government entity we are talking about is still to be determined - but likely to be a mixture of state and local issue of bonds with the potential for some kind of back-stop from Indy Eleven.

We continue to have productive talks with lawmakers and various stakeholders to create a final proposal that will responsibly finance the construction costs of the facility without raising taxpayer dollars and provide measures that will not leave them on the hook for any potential shortfalls in revenue generated from the stadium. With this structure in mind, the stadium would be owned by a public entity with Indy Eleven serving as a primary tenant.

2. The FAQ on the website says that the proposal "nor will it divert taxpayer dollars earmarked for services or programs funded by the City or State.". Where exactly would the 82 million borrowed (as I assume it will be) come from? The city doesn't have 82 million sitting around, I assume.

Per my answer above in Q1 ... These taxes Indy Eleven is proposing to capture to pay down the debt service for the stadium's construction is new revenue. These tax dollars are currently not captured at the local or state level. So, that's what we mean when we say we're not diverting taxpayer dollars - because the tax revenue generated from the stadium will be new revenue. And again - who we are paying back will be determined as this bill progress through the legislative process.

3. (and this is tied to #2) - How do you address the criticism that the money would be better spent on infrastructural improvements (road repair, improved transportation)?

Again - since we're talking about capturing new tax revenue, we're not diverting any funds away from municipal services. In fact, Indianapolis’ new sports and entertainment hub will grow the local and state economies through the attraction of visitors to the Circle City and the creation of jobs through the construction phase and full-time employment once operational. Ultimately, the State and City will benefit from substantial new revenue streams that could not be realized without the existence of the stadium.  And those revenue streams help fund the kind of infrastructural improvements that people expect.

Indy Eleven has already shown the team is drawing new visitors to downtown Indianapolis. Wherever the stadium is located will see more tax revenue from all the development and business that come with attendance at events. Hotels, restaurants, bars and retail shops all stand to gain as we bring in fans who otherwise would have stayed home. And the new tax revenue generated from these fans outside our stadium will go toward the City’s budget to pay for infrastructure and public safety. 

4. Would any increase in sponsorship be put towards the stadium?(The reason i ask this is b/c I think soccer is still an untapped resource for sponsors - so, indy eleven will hit the exponential phase soon - as far as marketing goes.)

Potential sponsorship revenue streams generated by the stadium will be part of the discussions to be had with the public entity that will own the facility and Indy Eleven, which will be determined by the legislative process.

Regarding sponsorship revenue created solely by the club, the more revenue the team can generate the greater the resources it will have to build both on and off the field (and let's be frank, on-field success absolutely ties in to a club's fiscal success). Indy Eleven is committed to paying 10% of ticket revenue from all taxable events at the stadium back towards the building's construction costs, so the club has shown the willingness to put some "skin in the game" from its revenue streams with the current funding mechanism.

5. What happens if the organization is unable to generate enough ticket funds - what if interest in the sport drops after the initial bump of the debut season?

The 18,500 figure for attendance at the stadium is by design – we fully believe that capacity figure will fit the area’s appetite for Indy Eleven games at a world-class venue. While we are confident in our ability to attract soccer fans to this new home for the sport, we also realize the need to assure taxpayers that they will not be “on the hook” should projections not be met.  Discussions are currently ongoing with legislators on the best method for this measure, but it will likely include Keystone – the owner of Indy Eleven – having some responsibility.  (see update below)

Very few bills at the Statehouse are passed without any changes during the legislative process, and we anticipate this bill to be no different. We look forward to working with the General Assembly on finding the most responsible funding structure possible that will not put Hoosiers on the hook.

As the discussions on the stadium proposal and legislation continue, I’ll be sure to reach out and update you on any changes. I really appreciate your engagement and willingness to take on the reporting in question.

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Update - This afternoon (February 2nd), I was contacted by the spokesperson, and he asked me to make the following change to the highlighted statement in Q5. The statement should read - Discussions are currently ongoing on the best method for this measure, and Indy Eleven will continue those conversations to ensure the team has “skin in the game.”

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Let me add a couple of points. I do not think that the support will die out. Having loved this sport all my life, I know that soccer fans are the most loyal fans out there. There is a camaraderie among soccer fans stateside as well - probably from being continually asked to defend the merits of the sport. More than that, Indy Eleven boasts arguably the best set of supporter groups - Brickyard, Slaughterhouse, etc. Having befriended a few of these people, I can assure you that they will stick by this team through thick and thin. Besides, I think the increased revenue generation is a huge benefit. Although I don't have the statistics for it (and I tried to look them up), based on anecdotal evidence, I can assert that the games at IUPUI were a huge boost to the economies for the restaurants/bars around Mass Ave/downtown/IUPUI.

The only concern that remains is the EXACT source of the original loan. And, honestly, we can only wait and watch as that develops. But, to denigrate the proposal before it has taken off - based on a bunch of straw-man arguments - is just juvenile.

So, is this stadium a good idea? Yes, I think so. I am cognizant of the risks of taking a loan. Any loan for that matter. But, I think in spite of the risk, the eventual socio-cultural and fiscal benefits outweigh the risks. And, I for one, whole-heartedly support the proposal for the new stadium.

I hope you will share this with your friends and get in touch with your legislators. Let's help make this happen. If you want to find me on twitter, you can do so at @nipunchopra7.


***Emily Neitzel (@emilyneitzel) contributed to the research of this article***