Indy Eleven- Soccer Saturday 1/18/25

(00:00-03:24) – Greg Rakestraw is back with another edition of Soccer Saturday and opens up today's show by sharing some notes about the World Cup with it starting tomorrow from Qatar, previews the conversations he will have with the two guests on the show, and slightly explains what soccer fans locally in Indianapolis can do on next week's show. (06:26-10:49) – With the World Cup on the horizon and team USA attempting to qualify for the world cup after not qualifying in 2018, Rake turns to the Brickyard Battalion Facebook page by asking people that are members of the Facebook group what their expectations are for Team USA, how they will do in each of their individual matches, and which team is going to win the World Cup if it isn't Team USA. (13:49-25:52) – Vice President of Marketing and Club Growth in Brad Hauter joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday to explain how he's liking the new job with the Indy Eleven, shares how the Indy Eleven's youth soccer program is giving people an avenue to professional soccer in comparison to his childhood where there wasn't an alternate path, walks you through what the next ten days will be like from an Indy Eleven promotional standpoint, and discuss the famous Ale Emporium wings that Hauter has yet to have. (28:53-43:05) – The Sporting Director of Academy Operations and the W League in Phil Presser joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday to highlight some of the standout academy players that could play professional soccer for the Indy Eleven in the near future, explains how the Indy Eleven Academy team provides opportunity for players for a different avenue of improving their soccer skills, and the process of how someone can join an Indy Eleven Academy team. (46:05-57:32) – Greg Rakestraw wraps up today's show by wrapping up last week's USL Championship between San Antonio FC and Louisville City FC, shares some notes around the USL pertaining to some coaches and players following the championship match, and highlights some of the local soccer college programs that seasons are continuing in the postseason.

19 Nov 20221h

(00:00-06:32) - Greg Rakestraw is back with another edition of Soccer Saturday on 93.5/107.5 and opens up today's show by previewing the conversations he will have with today's guests, previews the USL Championship match that will be happening tomorrow evening, and highlights some of the Indy Eleven players that will not be back for a second season for the Boys in Blue. Plus, Rake makes some occasional references to Christmas with the first snow in Indianapolis coming this Saturday morning. (09:34-14:55) - With the United States Men's National Team roster revealed earlier this week, Greg Rakestraw highlights the players that made each of the position groups, explains why he believes some players were left off the roster along with why some players were selected to the roster, and goes crowd surfing on the Brickyard Battalion Facebook page to share some of the reaction from fans. (17:56-30:22) - Former member of the Indy Eleven in Tyler Gibson and current midfielder for Louisville City joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday to preview their match tomorrow night against San Antonio, explains why Lou City consistently has success year in and year out, how the club has been able to perform at such a high level despite a multitude of injuries throughout the course of the season, and if he's communicated with a former teammate in Jordan Farr ahead of the match. (33:24-48:34) - Author Ryan O'Hanlon of Net Gains: Inside The Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday to explain why it is so challenging to utilize analytics in soccer compared to American football or baseball, how analytics are primarily being used right now to determine value of players when deciding who to add to a club's team, and if analytics are starting to be used in National Soccer matches like the World Cup. (51:33-57:06) - Rake closes out the final segment of Soccer Saturday on The Fan by raving over the recent crowd turnouts for Major League Soccer matches with the season officially ending a week ago, goes through some of the upcoming local college soccer matches between now and next week's show, and thanks everyone that made today's show possible.

12 Nov 20221h

(00:00-02:45) - Greg Rakestraw is back with another edition of Soccer Saturday on 93.5/107/5 The Fan and opens the show with some quick soccer notes pertaining to the MLS, previews the conversations that he will have with today's guests, and shares some news that was broke earlier in the week via Manuel Arteraga's twitter. (05:47-15:34) - A former member of the Indy Eleven and current midfielder for the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in Cam Lindley joins Rake on Soccer Saturday to explain what has led to the team being so successful the last couple of weeks defensively, what it's like playing with Michiee Ngalina and Elvis Amoh, why the Colorado Switchbacks are a perfect fit for his playing style, and weighs in on the recent couple of seasons that his former teammate in goalie Jordan Farr has put together. (18:35-30:39) - Voice of the USL Championship in Mike Watts makes an appearance on Soccer Saturday with Greg Rakestraw to share his initial thoughts on the path to get to Colorado Springs/San Antonio and Louisville/Tampa Bay in the USL playoffs, how Jordan Farr is a different and better player with San Antonio FC compared to his days with the Indy Eleven, what is the likelihood that some of the Louisville FC players make a return tonight against the Rowdies, and where he would put the Louisville run within all of American soccer. (33:40-44:15) - IUPUI's men's soccer coach in Sid Van Druenen joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday to explain what he remembers when he faced the Indy Eleven eight years ago when the Boys in Blue registered their first win in franchise history, if he thinks that he is having more success than he initially thought in his first year as head coach, whether or not his team's best player in Joesmir Gomez has the talent to make it to the next level, what kind of impact the new turf at Michael A Carroll Stadium had on his team compared to the old turf, and shares the scouting report ahead of their Horizon League Tournament match against Detroit Mercy. (47:15-56:03) - The final segment of Soccer Saturaday with Greg Rakestraw is spent with Rake sharing some news and notes. He recaps the IHSAA Soccer State Championship winners from last week, previews The Big East Soccer Championship match featuring some of the players from the Indy Eleven's women's team that were tabbed on league teams, transitions to some of the all-league recognitions from the USL, and goes across the pond to explain everything that is going in the Champions League.

5 Nov 202259min

(00:00-02:53) - Greg Rakestraw is back with another edition of Soccer Saturday on 93.5/107.5 The Fan and opens the show by recapping the IHSAA State Finals from yesterday along with highlighting the two matches that he will have on IHSAAtv.org later today. Plus, Rake previews the conversations that he will have with today's guests, shares some tidbits of information around the Soccer landscape, and updates you on what's going on in the USL playoffs. (05:54-23:25) - A former member of the Indy Eleven and current midfielder of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in Nicky Law joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday to explain what the last three months have been like for him moving from Indianapolis to Tampa Bay during the middle of the season, what is was like trying to figure out his role with the Tampa Bay Rowdies along with playing with players he has never played with before, and what his experience was like when he first heard about the possibility of Hurricane Ian hitting Tampa Bay to how it managed to bring the team together during that time. (26:26-40:48) - The lead analyst of the USL Championship in Devon Kerr makes an appearance on Soccer Saturday with Greg Rakestraw to take a quick dive into what he is expecting from the Indy Eleven this offseason that could lead to the club making it back into the playoffs in 2023, highlights a couple of the matches going on in the USL tonight along with some insight into the matches that he and Rake discuss, and makes a prediction on who will come out of the Eastern Conference to compete in the final match of the USL Championship playoffs. (43:49-52:36) - Noblesville Millers boys soccer coach in Ken Dollaske joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday ahead of their 3A State Final match against Columbus North to explain what his preseason expectations were for his team, what it has been like trying to develop players on his team to fill the departure of Palmer Ault, details the level of competition that he plays throughout the year from teams in Hamilton County, and previews his opponent in Columbus North ahead of their 1:30pm match for the 3A State Championship. (55:36-56:19) - With Rake up against the clock, he does a quick sign off by thanking all the parties that were able to make today's edition of Soccer Saturday possible.

29 Okt 202259min

1st Break - The show opens this week with a 5-season veteran of the Indy 11 joining Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday. Karl Ouimette calls in to the program and discusses his loan to Detroit City this year. Ouimette says Detroit was a pleasant surprise. He has received quality treatment from the city and the team. Rakestraw dives into the differences between Indy and Detroit's playing venues. Ouimette claims that Detroit's field is very small, which allows it to sell out and give fans a more intense feel. Ouimette misses home in Carmel, Indiana but he is focussed on this Detroit team that is still seen as an underdog despite their post season appearance. 2nd Break - John Morrissey of USL Tactics joins the show and gives a detailed rundown of players and teams that are matching up in the USL playoffs. Colorado Springs vs. Rio Grande Valley is a standout game for Morrissey. They had a couple of players step up as offensive producers while having a very limited defensive presence. Rio Grande Valley on the other hand has been a team that steadily improved the entire year. They started as a slow paced offensive team and transformed into a counter-attack powerhouse. What does the abscence of Hadji Berry mean to Colorado Springs? Morrissey then does a quick look into the Tampa Bay vs. Miami game. 3rd Break - Drew Thompson of "The Game Beckons" blog is up on the program and recaps the Indy 11 season in terms of roster size, returning members and possible new members, age of the roster, and more! Thompson and Rakestraw also go over his favorite moment from the Indy 11's 2022 season. Rakestraw closes the interview by promoting Thompson's entry and exit interview with DePauw's soccer coach Brad Hauter. 4th Break - Dave Leno closes out the show giving a preview of his call with the Philadelphia Union in the MLS Ploffs. Coming off of their 1-0 win in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Union await their opponent in the conference finals. FC Cincinnati had been a team that frustrated the Union earlier in the year and with such a close game it was clear the frustrations continued into this game. Philadelphia had a winning streak to defend however as they have won 13 in a row at home and that streak, plus the pressure of playoff elimination was enough to elevate them to a single goal victory. Rakestraw puts Leno on the spot to predict who the Union will see in their next matchup. They will face the winner between Montreal FC and New York City.

22 Okt 202256min

(00:00-02:36) - Greg Rakestraw opens the show by previewing the upcoming show and recapping the season that came to an end last weekend. (05:36-17:42) - Head Coach Mark Lowry of the Indy Eleven returns to the show to recap the 2022 season as Indy Eleven enters its first week of the offseason. He talks about what changes may be made this offseason for the team and the positives of the 2022 season. He talks about Ayoze and what he has meant for the program as he decides to step away after five seasons and into possible retirement. (20:42-30:50) - During this segment, Greg gives tribute to Captain Ayoze as he steps away from the Indy Eleven and into possible retirement from playing. You hear Ayoze talk about his career and his teammates talking about what he has meant to the program. (33:50-45:37) - It is the MLS Playoff Preview Segment, Greg Rakestraw talks with the Voice of FC Cincinnati Tom Gelehrter as they make their first playoff birth since moving up to MLS from USFL. He discusses what it means for the team to make their maiden playoffs and previews their match against the New York Red Bull and discusses their chances to advance in the postseason. (48:37-58:26) - To wrap up this week’s edition of Soccer Saturday, Greg talks about the news and notes with possible Televison contract changes when it comes to soccer matches. He also talks about overseas soccer and the up to date tables and begins to talk World Cup.

15 Okt 20221h 1min

(00:00-03:17) - Greg Rakestraw is back with another edition of Soccer Saturday and opens up this week's edition with a quick preview of the conversations he will have with today's guests in Mark Lowry, Brian Dunseth, and Palmer Ault. Additionally, Rake teases up some soccer topics that he will discuss on next week's show. (06:19-13:11) - Head Coach Mark Lowry of the Indy Eleven makes his final regular season appearance on Soccer Saturday with Greg Rakestraw to share his thoughts on the team heading into their final two matches of the season, how much stock he puts into their 4-2 loss to FC Tulsa, what it has been like coaching at Carrol Stadium for his first full season instead of being a visiting sideline, and what he expects to see from the Charleston Battery in the home finale. (16:11-37:14) - TV analyst for Real Salt Lake and ESPN in Brian Dunseth makes his return to Soccer Saturday with Greg Rakestraw to explain what it was like signing off for the local telecast for Real Salt Lake for the final time with it heading to Apple TV, what led to him moving away from Sirius XM Radio full-time, why there is a problem with players being treated poorly in the NWSL, and what match today has his attention on decision day. (40:16-51:37) - A member of the Butler Bulldogs men's soccer team in Palmer Ault joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday explains how training with the Indy Eleven during the summer has helped his performance in the Big East with the Bulldogs, how the IU game a couple weeks ago was one of the most exciting games that he has played in, and how his initial thought when we committed to Butler that he would be there for four years. (54:37-57:19) - Rake quickly wraps up today's show and taking a quick look at the standings and matches going on today in the English Premiere League.

8 Okt 20221h

(00:00-03:03) - Greg Rakestraw is back with another edition of Soccer Saturday and opens up this week's show by highlighting the remaining matches within the next eleven days, recapping last week's match, and previewing the conversations he will have with today's guests. (06:05-15:18) - Head Coach Mark Lowry of the Indy Eleven makes his weekly appearance on the program to highlight some players that have been playing well the final month of the season, how he feels about his teams legs ahead of tonight's Tulsa match, explains how well of a job goal keeper Tim Trilk has done, and breaks down what he expects to see from FC Tulsa tonight. (18:19-29:10) - Full-back Alex McQueen of the Indy Eleven makes an appearance on Soccer Saturday with Greg Rakestraw to weigh in on what has been the biggest reason for success for the Indy Eleven the last three weeks, how he watched his first NFL game last week, what this experience has been like for him since he has always lived and played soccer in England, and the adjustment that he made from playing on natural grass to occasionally on turf. (32:12-43:23) - Broadcaster Matt Schumacker joins Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday to discuss his undefeated record when filling in for Rake this season, what are some of the notable differences between college soccer and professional soccer, highlights some of the matches that he filled in for Rake for, and what he has seen from the Butler Bulldogs men's soccer team this season. (46:23-56:56) - Greg Rakestraw closes out this week's edition of Soccer Saturday with a conversation with legendary Indiana High School soccer coach Greg Mauch to explain his decision to retire after the conclusion of Fort Wayne Canterbury's season, who some of his favorite soccer players to coach were throughout his career, and what his expectations are for his team heading into the start of sectionals.

1 Okt 202259min