Indy #$!@-ing Eleven 1-Lou City 3
Taylor Davila (aka DavOOla) writhes in agony on the pitch after the blind referee failed to call the 714th foul of the game. Extensive coverage on this event below. Spoiler alert - because I don’t post pictures of injured players - Taylor may have been acting a little bit.
I remember my first LIPAFC game. The year was 1804, and duels were all the rage. After the long-standing rivalry between Aaron Burr, sir, and the amazingly good singer Alexander Hamilton resulted in a fatal shot to Lin-Manuel Miranda, Americans were devastated. They needed a new rivalry to lift their spirits, and it would be years before Dwayne Jonhson and Vin Diesel squared up.
Enter Louisville and Indianapolis. Even now, the drive up I-65 offers the breathtaking views of corn fields and bigger corn fields that makes the short drive seem like a mere 12 hours. It’s only natural that a USL Championship rivalry would pop up between Lou City and the Indy Eleven. For the 2025 match, loads of Lou City fans (including moi, the hubby, youngest daughter, and bonus daughter) made the 18-hour trek up to Indy where we received the warmest of greetings from the Indy Eleven fans.
This match was really defined by the fans, so I’m starting with pictures of the fans. I love when people want to have their picture taken, and I will almost always oblige (unless, say, Kyle Adams is waiting for me to take his picture with Savannah DeMelo, or Ryan Reynolds with Blake Lively, or Hugh Jackman with literally anyone). But otherwise, I love to take fan pictures! I hope you see someone you know in the Fan Gallery.
Most pictures are 4x6, and they’re all free to download! If you have trouble, grab a nearby teen ask them if they know how. Not because you need help, but because you want to make sure they’re ready to enter the workforce.
My youngest daughter, although almost 19, is still learning the ways of the sports world. When Michael pointed out Lucas Oil stadium, despite context clues (like the picture of a football players in a Colts uniform and the fact that were driving in downtown Indianapolis), she asked “Who plays there?” Bonus daughter gave the correct answer to that question regardless of which stadium you might be driving by: Taylor Swift.
Lou City warms up on the pitch with stretches and goal kicking while the Indy fans warmed up their vocal cords with warm ale and hate.
The Player Walk-Out was down bleacher stairs, across a running track, and through the woods to grandma’s house. In cleats. If someone had fallen and broken their leg, we would’ve been forced to put them down (like a horse), according to the wise words of the Indy fans in the supporters’ zone. And so it begins.
Player Walk-out Gallery featuring doggos!
Taylor Davila and Kyle Adams congratulate the referee on the fantastic job he’s already doing five minutes into the match.
After Adams offers to take over the job of refereeing himself, the ever-patient Phil Goodrum politely takes the ball from Adams in order to restart play.
Goodrum immediately comes down to try to score and silence the profanity emanating from the supporter zone. The fans decided to let Goodrum know that “he sucks,” having done their research and realized that Goodrum is now just tied for 2nd in the Golden Boot race. He can only hope to one day match the extensive vocabulary of the Indy Eleven supporter zone.
Congrats to Niall McCabe, who would earn his 30th assist in the USL during last night’s match. (All have been with Lou City!)
Aiden McFadden, seen here running for his life from a foul-mouthed Indy player, looked right at home in the left-wing position last night.
Kevon Lambert gracefully takes the ball down the pitch, ignoring the pleas from Indy for a high-five.
At this point in the match, tensions were running high between the Indy players who seemed to be confused about possession of the ball and McCabe was fine to watch mom and dad fight it out.
Adams being Adams.
Great header from Brandon Dayes, who is giving Lambert a run for his money with the high headers. Lambert still owns the headers in and out of the net, for now.
Like Thor without his hammer, Josh Jones manages to throw in the ball without his Gatorade towel. He didn’t even use his shirt to dry the ball. Somehow this picture series is less fun without the ball being dried before the throw.
Jones, still missing his towel, goes to Lambert for a mid-match hug.
Wilson and Dayes, hearing the line-up for Bourbon and Beyond. “Benson Boone, no way!”
Adams is ready to rip the Ford right off nameless Indy player after being hit in the face by a ball. Lucky for us, Kyle calmly consulted with the ref about his penchant for missing calls.
Ref-consoles-Adams-after-being-hit-in-the-face-with-a-ball Gallery
The best revenge on a dirty team is just being better. And maybe getting an extra 12 inches on your jump with their unwilling help. Arturo Ordóñez wins this one either way.
Dayes is a little taken aback by the invasion of his personal space and the number of ponies this player is trying to rock.
This. This was the moment when Davila decided that he was tired of letting Indy pretend they could run with Lou City. He left the first player completely befuddled and then weaved through a few more before making a shot on goal. That temporarily shut up the supporter zone’s incredibly creative chant of “F*&$ Louisville City.”
Jansen Wilson, looking like he got an invite to the Taylor Swift wedding featuring Travis Kelce.
Goodrum sets up another play before taking a tumble, during which the ref called a foul (ha! of course he didn’t) and the classy Indy fans proceeded to taunt Phil. Who yells profanity at an injured play on the pitch? All of them PhD candidates, let me tell you.
Ownby is in for Goodrum. He’s ready to kick some a&$. (Sorry, I must’ve absorbed some of that language from the kids in the supporter zone.)
McFadden setting up for that first goal. And the team celebrates. It was an angry celebration, as if they had to prove they could win an unregulated match.
Second half kicks off, with mickey mouse forced to do a side-by-side with this specimen of a footballer. Bet he’s rethinking some of his life choices.
Ownby watches Lambert’s header earn a second goal for Lou City. Indy’s #5 is in tears.
Now-this-is-a-Celebration Gallery
Totsch leaves the celebration huddle saying “I gotta get me one of them goals.”
And so he does. The first goal slides in way too easily (someone was offside) so he does it again making it look much harder this time.
Getting-away-from-Lambert-was-harder-than-the-goal-itself Gallery featuring Tucked-in Sean Totsch
“You kiss your mutha with that mouth?” McFadden and I cannot believe the arguing and f bombs exchanged between the little boys in blue.
Here we go. Another missed call lands Davila on the ground and an audition for “dying man” on CSI Miami. The laughter from Indy doesn’t sit well with the captains and Ownby goes full Cap ala the Avengers.
The Cash-Me-Outside-How-Bout-Dah Gallery
Serrano enters the match with some fresh legs.
Lancaster and Troutman share a laugh as the announcer shares Evan DaVOOla’s entry to the match. I have a feeling that Elder and Young Davy have not heard the last of that.
Jones feigns interest as Indy player shares that his granddaddy’s second cousin went to school with Larry Bird’s dry cleaner.
Lambert with a beautiful headed clearance after Indy decides it’s not done wasting Lou City’s time.
Gives me a chance to get some more snapshots of Danny Faundez, whose talent was pretty wasted this match.
The Boys in Purple are all smiles as they walk over the greet the fans, who comprised about 25% of the crowd.
