The New York Cosmos have stole the soccer headlines for most of the summer, but Indy Eleven is quietly putting together an organization that will be a force to be reckoned with in the NASL.
Owner Ersal Ozdemir started by picking the best of the best to lead the front office and coaching staff. Former Chicago Fire President Peter Wilt was brought on as General Manager and President, while former Chicago Riot executive and Pitch Invasion founder Tom Dunmore was brought on as Vice-President of Marketing & Operations. The pair have been embraced by the Indiana soccer community as if they had been there for years.
Director of Soccer Operations & Head Coach Juergen Sommer has been part of that community his whole life and was a welcome local addition to the club. The hiring of Sommer gave Indy Eleven instant credibility; someone of his stature and reputation wouldn’t just go anywhere.
The team’s motto “The World’s Game, Indiana’s Team” was carefully thought out and is one that embraces the diversity of the beautiful game. The club even hired Carlos May as the club’s Director of International Markets. You have to admire such forward-thinking.
What did Indy Eleven do for their big “coming out party” of the summer? Just bring the International Champions Cup’s premier matchup to Indianapolis. That right, Chelsea faced off against Inter Milan in Indianapolis on a temporary sod field that was later donated to a local park. Some local kids will get to play soccer on literally the same pitch used by Petr Cech, Fernando Torres, and Eden Hazard.
Almost 42,000 fans were on hand to see a strong Chelsea side take down Inter 2-0 in an entertaining and exciting match. Indy Eleven’s presence was felt everywhere as the match became a showcase for the NASL franchise, a team that already has 5,000 season ticket deposits for 2014. Indy Eleven hopes to be at 7,000 season ticket holders by November 11th. My guess is that they will put it off.
The Indy Eleven model is one that has impressed early and often. It will certainly be the standard bearer for new NASL teams moving forward.
