Something is happening here. There is a palpable buzz being generated across the Hoooser state in the month of may and its not associated with any racers or Pacers. Fresh off of the International Champions Cup announcement, it's safe to say that this state is ravenous for... soccer. That's right, soccer. When the international powerhouses of Inter Milan and Chelsea clash inside Lucas Oil Stadium on the first day of August the inhabitants of Indiana will finally be able to satiate their swollen bellies with a good, hearty filling of live action soccer.
While I'm excited to feast my eyes on the talents of two global giants with such prowess and monetary clout, it's not I Nerazzurri or the Blues who I am most excited to see. That next level of excitement won't be reached until 2014 when our Indy Eleven walks out onto the Carroll Stadium pitch for the first time. This got me thinking... what will our team look like? What style of football will they play? Will the world's game truly be played by Indiana's team?
It's no question that we Hoosiers like our teams to collectively represent who we are. We only have to look as far as our Indiana Pacers and their new mantra of "Blue Collar, Gold Swagger" to see that. With the limited resources of a small NBA market Larry Bird, David Morway and Donnie Walsh have done wonders constructing a respected roster of esteemed individuals who represent the lunch pail carrying, hard hat wearing, working class mentality of the state of Indiana, and the city of Indianapolis. It may not always look pretty, but they get the job done with tenacious defense, relentless effort and the willingness to out hustle their opponents, even if that opponent has a superior level of talent. Can we expect to see the same out of our soccer team?
What about our style of play? Will we opt for the highly technical style play La Liga monsters Real Madrid and Barcelona have come to perfect? Their "tika-taka" style of play has more of an affinity for short passing, quick movement and maintained possession over long passes and serving crosses. Maybe we'll see more of a straight forward attacking style that Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich and Borrusia Dortmund employ. Instead of working the ball through various channels they prefer a more direct attacking style of play with an emphasis on the final third exploiting gaps in the defense. Now, most of these decisions will be made based upon the personnel available for selection and the preferred methods of the coaching staff, but with no coaches or players currently in place, speculation can be fun! It's never too early to talk about the team. So, what would you like to see? What type of style would you prefer? Would you rather have a team that's short on talent but gets by on grit and guts? Can a unified team, determined to work hard and make the proper runs, mask enough deficiencies to overcome the patience and technical prowess of those teams who allow their precision passing and zonal spacing to create a bulk of their opportunities? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
Hit up the comments section and let us know. We'd love to hear what you have to say.
Until next time fellow Brickers...
Cheers!
Gary "Vengeance" Sweeney
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