Quest Over: Fire II 0-1 Indy Eleven

The Fire II faced off against Indy Eleven in one of the first competitive matches in history between MLS Next Pro, technically a third division league, and the second division USL Championship in SeatGeek stadium and came up short, falling 0-1 and ending the team’s Quest for the Cup.

The young Fire II squad may have fallen short, but they can take heart in a strong offensive performance that saw the team outplayed, out-possessed and outshot a higher division opponent.

The match pitted the younger talent of Head Coach Ludovic Tallandier’s Fire II squad, featuring a number of teenagers, against a generally more experienced Indy Eleven roster, including Fire SuperDraft pick Laurence Wootton, on loan to Indy Eleven for the season, and former Fire player Elliot Collier.  The difference in ages wasn't lost on Tallandier, who said after the match "when we learned we would do the Open Cup, it was a great feeling for us, and for the players. To have to compete against men. There was always a discussion, pretty much anywhere in the world – how do you train these teenagers? Playing against great teenagers or against men also... This experience to play against men, more mature, more experienced, maybe smarter, also, in the key moments. That's definitely a great, great experience for us."

Experience didn’t take long to make its mark. In the fourth minute, 26-year-old Douglas Martinez, two years older than the oldest player on the field for the Fire II received a pass from Jack Blake at short distance from Patrick Los’s goal and buried it, putting the visitors up 1-0. The play looked like it could have been offside, but with no VAR available, appeals from Fire II players were to no avail.

The visitors would continue to press. A few minutes later, in a move familiar to many Fire fans, skied a shot from short distance into what would have been the supporters Supporters Section when he started his time with the Fire.

The Fire II, however, no strangers to battling back from a deficit, would grow into the game, building well through possession. Recent Beninese signing David Tchetchao tested Eleven Goalkeeper Yannick Oettl in the 16h minute with a hard shot from dead center in front of his net, but Oettl was there for the save and did not relinquish the rebound.  Harold Osio would also get a shot on target from distance with a crowd in front of the net, but again Yannick would deny the Fire II.

In the 27th minute, Indy Eleven Head Coach Sean McAuley would be forced to go to his bench, bringing on Aedan Stanley on at right back for the injured Macauley King. The game would get physical in the minutes after, and Benjamin Ofeimu would earn the first yellow of the match shortly thereafter.

Even if the majority of the possession would be the Fire II’s, Indy Eleven were not without strong chances of their own, and Patrick Los was tested several times forcing him to be sharp; the best chance late in the half again came off the foot of Douglas Martínez, looking for a brace but he was unable to convert, and the Fire would return to their locker room at half down 1-0.

On the restart, the Tallandier went to his bench, taking off Javier Casas Jr., in what was likely a planned substitution in exchange for Sergio Oregel Jr,  and bringing on Giovanni Granda for David Tchetchao.

The Fire II would once again stumble out of the gate, and Douglas Martinez played the ball to Elliot Collier for the first shot of the half, who again would miss the target. The Fire II would again return the favor soon after, as Harold Osorio played the ball to David Poreba who was also wide of the net.

Soon after, McAuley would go to his bench for a triple substitution, including swapping off the goal scorer for Augustine Williams, but the difference in players would do little to change the composition of the match. The Fire would continue to pepper Oettl’s net with shots, but every time the chance would land wide, an Indy Eleven player would find a way to block it, or Oettl found his way to stop it.

The Fire II’s Quest for the Cup is over, but the team, which has yet to lose in regulation in their league season, can take the experience in a season where they real postseason ambitions after making the playoffs for the first time last year. "We told the guys that we feel that they represented the club well. Of course we are disappointed," Tallandier said following the loss, "but definitely if we watch the video I think we'll find a lot of positive aspects in the game."

Those are lessons that the Fire II, currently undefeated in regulation in league play, will hope to take with them throughout their season as they hope to make a deeper run in the playoffs than they were able to this past year.