Indy Eleven Soccer Saturday- 1/5/2025

(00:00-03:01) - Greg Rakestraw is back with another edition of Soccer Saturday and opens the show recapping the matches the Indy Eleven have played since last week's show, preview the upcoming schedule for the boys in blue, and teases some of the conversations that he will be having with today's guests. (06:03-15:09) - Head Coach Mark Lowry of the Indy Eleven joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday to detail the improvements that he has seen from his team over the course of each match this season, previews today's match against RGV Toros, and then provides an injury update on a the trio of players that have yet to appear in a match this season for the Indy Eleven. (18:09-27:31) - Retired professional soccer player in Amy Rodriguez joins Soccer Saturday to detail her transition from a playing career to a coaching career, if she always saw herself becoming a coach once she felt like her playing career was over, and explains how her partnership with Invesco QQQ plays a tie into what she's doing as an assistant coach at USC. (30:33-48:21) - Jeff Rueter from The Athletic is the final guest of today's installment of Soccer Saturday with Greg Rakestraw. Rueter shared his experience of covering the United States Men's National Team World Cup qualifying match against Honduras in the freezing cold, details how many changes there could be to the roster for the World Cup, and highlights some things that are on his radar right now in the soccer landscape. (51:22-56:21) - Rake closes out today's edition of Soccer Saturday by hitting on some news and notes that he forgot to mention on last week's show.

9 Apr 202259min

(00:00-07:38) - Greg Rakestraw is back with another edition of Soccer Saturday and opens the show by recapping the Indy Eleven's latest match in Louisville against rival Lou City FC, the status of the United States within the World Cup, and previews the conversations he will have with today's guests. (10:41-20:30) - Head Coach Mark Lowry of the Indy Eleven makes his weekly appearance on Soccer Saturday to give his thoughts on how the draw against Louisville City FC felt like a win, how incredible the fan base was last weekend in Louisville to help give the team a lift, and the transition that Nicky Law has made from the previous coaching staff's to him. (23:31-37:29) - Lead analyst for the USL in Devon Kerr is back on Soccer Saturday with Greg Rakestraw to detail the improvements that the Indy Eleven made between their first match of the season to last week's match, the coaching difference between the eastern and western conference in the USL that Coach Lowry is adjusting towards, and which team has impressed him the most in the first three weeks of the season. (40:31-49:34) - Vice President of Marketing and Strategy with the Indy Eleven in Josh Mason to explain what they have learned over the course of the past couple seasons from a gameday experience, identify some experience changes that the club has made with the home opener being tonight, and some of the unique festivities that will take place tonight at the Mic! (52:35-56:58) - Rake closes out today's show by giving a shout out to former men's soccer coach at his alma mater, the University of Indianapolis, in John Higgins for being hired as the men's soccer coach at Xavier University, highlights some of the matches to come with World Cup implications, and then goes through the pairings for the World Cup.

2 Apr 202259min

(0:00-3:23) Greg Rakestraw is back for another edition of Soccer Saturday on 93.5 and 107.5 the Fan. It has been a slow start for the Boys in Blue losing their first two matches and failing to find the back of the net in either contest. Then, Greg sets the agenda for a jam packed Saturday morning for Soccer Saturday. (6:23-17:44) The head coach of the Indy Eleven, Mark Lowry, joins the show to recap the first week of the season for the Eleven. Mark first discusses the loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the difficulties of early season action and figuring out what his team has in the locker room this year. Coach shares his excitement for the future with the young talent on his squad and making sure the team is set up for long term consistency and success. Then, Greg and Mark discuss loaning out some of the young talent on the team to ensure weekly minutes for the future of the club. Finally, the Eleven are headed to Louisville to take on Louisville City and the head coach touches on what is so impressive about that squad. (20:47-30:49) Indy Eleven forward Rodney Michael joins Greg Rakestraw. The 22-year-old details his journey from Sierra Leone to Santa Barbara, California to UC Santa Barbara to professional soccer. Coming from a lot of warm places, the forward talks about getting used to playing in different conditions and training through the winter here in Indianapolis. Finally, Rodney and Greg touch on what he's heard about playing in front of the Indy Eleven and adding yet another nationality to the list that are represented by the Boys in Blue. (33:50-44:56) Former Indy Eleven player and Butler University alum, Zach Steinberger, joins the show to talk about retired life and his life after soccer. Steinberger discusses the decision he made to hang up the boots and how being able to throw himself into real estate full time was helpful when coping with the end of his soccer career. Greg and Zach set up a bro date on Indy 500 race weekend before the pair takes a look back at Steinberger's professional soccer career. (47:57-57:01) To round out the show, Greg is joined by his fourth guest of the morning, this time it's former Indy Eleven player Tyler Gibson. Gibson talks about how life is treating him in his second year in Louisville and breaks down what's going on with the club 100 miles south of Indianapolis. To end the conversation, Tyler and Greg talk about both sides of the Indy-Louisville rivalry and what it's like to be on both sides of the equation.

26 Mars 20221h

(00-3:17) Greg opens this week’s edition of the show looking back at Saturday’s match, and previewing today’s guests that will appear on the show. (6:17-17:49) Indy Eleven head coach Mark Lowry makes his weekly appearance on the show. Greg talks with him about the winter weather effecting these early matches. Lowry breaks down what went wrong in the team’s loss last weekend, and the importance of throw-in execution for his club. Then, the conversation turns to tonight’s matchup with Tampa Bay. (20:49-31:44) In the third segment, Greg welcomes Jonas Fjeldberg to the show. He talks about his road to join the team as the season began and the challenges faced early in the year. Then, they take a look at the weather being a factor in the opener. Fjeldberg speaks to how he got into soccer being from Norway. Greg asks Jonas about his journey from Norway to the University of Dayton. (34:44-51:20) The show continues as Greg welcomes Hoosier native, Dave Leno, who is the voice of the Philadelphia Union. Leno breaks down the success for the union and the two historic season that have taken place the previous two years. (54:20-57:13) Greg closes out this week’s show looking ahead to tonight’s match and looking at the US National Team trying to qualify for the World Cup.

19 Mars 20221h

(0:00-4:19) It is finally here! The Indy Eleven season is upon us and Greg Rakestraw is back for another edition of Soccer Saturday on 93.5 and 107.5 the Fan. With just hours left before match time, Greg sets the agenda for a traditional, opening day version of the show. It's a loaded Saturday morning with the head coach of the Indy Eleven, the captain and the voice of the USL all stopping by as the USL Championship season gets underway. (7:20-19:38) The head coach of the Indy Eleven, Mark Lowry, joins the show ahead of Saturday's night match against Loudon United. Greg and Mark discuss the final weekend of preseason friendlies, Elliot Panicco joining the club as the goalkeeper and the decision to make Neveal Hackshaw the guy with the captain's armband to start the season. Before the conversation ends, Coach Lowry breaks down what Loudon brings to the pitch and why it's a very difficult draw to the start the season for the Boys in Blue. Then, Greg details the season opener in Virginia on Saturday. (22:39-30:29) Neveal Hackshaw, the Indy Eleven captain, stops by as he prepares for year four with the Indy Eleven. Neveal and Greg talk about how last year is fueling this season and what it has been like playing for Mark Lowry. The captain is taking on a different position in the Lowry era and touches on what the challenges are when switching positions and his excitement for the switch. The Boys in Blue will be looking fresh during home matches this season with the arrival of new, checkered jerseys. Neveal touches on the new kits and how Indianapolis has turned into home over the last four years. (33:31-49:39) As is tradition on opening day, Greg Rakestraw is joined by the voice of the USL Championship, Mike Watts, to get his thoughts going into another season of the USL Championship and the arrival of Mark Lowry in Indianapolis. Watts then transitions to what the Indy Eleven did over the offseason to improve on a tough year last season that saw the Boys in Blue struggle to put the ball in the back of the net. Then, Greg and Mike take a tour around the USL Championship in a season preview of sorts, specifically the top of the league in 2022 in Louisville City FC and Tampa Bay. (52:41-56:31) To round out a busy Saturday morning, Greg provides you with some news and notes around European soccer and gets you ready for the Indy Eleven season to begin.

12 Mars 202259min

(0:00-6:52) Greg Rakestraw is back for another edition of Soccer Saturday on 93.5 and 107.5 the Fan. Rake opens the show with recent friendly action for the Indy Eleven as they prepare for the beginning of the regular season next week. Elliot Panicco is the newest member of the Eleven and Greg lays out a very busy morning agenda on Soccer Saturday. We also update you on Premier League action and a club in the EPL now being led by an American. (9:53-22:09) The newest member of the Indy Eleven, Elliot Panicco, joins the show on loan from Nashville SC. Elliot and Greg discuss the young keeper's first full season of professional soccer last year, why he's excited about playing for head coach Mark Lowry and his time with the Austin Bold. Elliot touches on his time as a Charlotte 49er in college, what he's looking forward to about being in Indy and what he knows about his new teammates on the Eleven. To finish the segment, Greg gives an update on Premier League action on Saturday morning. (25:11-36:19) The man behind the USL Tactics Twitter account, John Morrisey, joins Rakestraw to talk about the light bulb moment to start a tactics Twitter account and how much bigger the operation has gotten since he started it in 2020. Morrisey breaks down what Mark Lowry brings to the Indy Eleven from a tactics perspective and what he's trying to do on the pitch. In addition, Rake and Morrisey touch on who benefits the most from a change in tactics here in Indianapolis before bouncing around the strategy and what's going on around the USL. (39:21-51:45) Chris Doran, the radio voice of the Columbus Crew, joins the show to discuss the season opener for the Crew and how impressive the new home of Columbus, Lower.com Field, is and what the facility has done to lift up the club. Then, Chris and Greg discuss the Crew personnel, specifically Gyasi Zardes, and whether or not the Crew can contend for their second MLS Cup in three seasons. Finally, Chris previews Saturday's match for the Crew against San Jose. (54:46-56:45) In a brief conclusion to the show, Greg touches briefly on European soccer action.

5 Mars 202259min

(0:00-4:20) Greg Rakestraw is back for another edition of Soccer Saturday on 93.5 and 107.5 the Fan. He begins with the most recent Indy Eleven action in preseason friendlies as they gear up for 2022 season and sets the agenda for a busy show on this Saturday morning. (7:21-14:52) The head coach of the Indy Eleven, Mark Lowry, joins the show in the second segment to discuss recent Eleven action on the pitch and how close the squad is to "regular season" form. Greg and Mark discuss how close his coaching staff is to having a Starting XI in ink with just a couple weeks left before the season opener as well as what Raul Aguilera. The conversation concludes with an update on personnel for the Boys in Blue. (17:55-27:15) A recent addition to the Indy Eleven, Raul Aguilera, calls in to chat about his transition from Florida to Indianapolis. Raul touches on what he has explored in the city thus far and Rakestraw, as a longtime Broad Ripple native, gives him some guidance on where to find some good tacos. Transitioning to the pitch, Raul discusses the dynamic of the Eleven locker room and what attracted him to the club here in Indy. Finally, how close is the team to regular season form? Raul paints that picture to end the conversation. (30:17-47:40) It is the opening week of the MLS season and Jason Davis from SiriusXM FC joins Greg Rakestraw to kick off the season. Jason touches on how he feels like everything is running behind before running through some of his predictions for the 2022 season. Which teams have a chance to win the whole thing? And who is the best player in Major League Soccer right now? Then, the conversation switches to the USMNT and the road ahead for them to make it to the World Cup at the end of 2022. Then, Greg and Jason discuss MLS NEXT Pro and the impact it will have on talent in the US and MLS. (50:42-56:20) To round out the show, Rakestraw takes a tour of the international soccer landscape making stops at the Premier League and the Champions League. Finally, Greg takes a moment to talk about what's happening in Ukraine and hopes for swift resolution when it comes to the conflict in eastern Europe.

26 Feb 202259min

(00-2:53) Greg Rakestraw is back for another week of Soccer Saturday. Greg opens the show with an overview of the upcoming schedule this week, and previews today’s show. (5:56-18:58) Bobby Edwards, who recently retired, joins the show to talk about his transition to coaching within weeks of retiring. Edwards explains how the move came about, and he touches on the coaching experience he had while still playing soccer. Then, Greg asks Edwards about the adjustment to being on the sideline, rather than on the field. (21:59-31:20) Indy Eleven’s Tim Trilk is featured on this segment of the show. Trilk walks Greg through his thought process over the off-season and the thought of him making the jump in leagues. The goalkeeper talks about how fast the game has been in the training and friendlies with Indy Eleven. Also, Greg asks Trilk about his past experience playing in Chattanooga, with multiple clubs in the same city. (34:22-46:03) Indianapolis native and Pike graduate, Justin Ingram joins the show. First, Greg talks with Ingram about the process after graduating, along with the road to Indy. Ingram speaks on the adjustment after arriving later than most players. Next, Justin details his college career, and Greg asks about how soccer is part of his family. (49:04-56:31) Greg concludes the show with a look at the Champions League. He previews next week’s show with conversation about the MLS season, and finishes with a reminder about the countdown to Indy Eleven regular season.

19 Feb 202259min