David Woods

david.woods@indystar.com

The Indy Eleven fell to 0-2 in the preseason, losing 3-1 to Major League Soccer champion Sporting Kansas City in a 105-minute scrimmage Friday at Tucson, Ariz.

The Eleven scored first, just 20 seconds into the match, by a player that the club did not identify. The Eleven, with 11 men signed, are using tryout players to fill the roster and are not disclosing names of trialists.

Sporting KC scored in the ninth and 11 minutes against Indy goalkeeper Kristian Nicht to go ahead for good.

"We had a great start, and I thought our group was very composed and stayed in the match even after we went behind," Eleven coach Juergen Sommer said in a release from the club. "We had one or two defensive breakdowns that did come back to bite us, but we were also able to create some chances of our own on the attacking side.

"I think the camaraderie of the group is starting to show after being together for the last week, so across the board we are pleased with our progress."

Considering the Eleven had spent so little time together and were playing the first-division champions of American soccer, their performance was more than satisfactory.

The Eleven's website has more details.

The Eleven finish the preseason Wednesday in another scrimmage against an MLS team, Portland Timbers FC, also at Tucson.

*****

Around the Pitch:

-- High school All-American Kayla Murphy (Evansville Reitz) among those in Indiana University women's recruiting class.

-- This is pretty funny (video). Women of U.S. national team wish Team USA good luck in Sochi and identify their favorite winter sports.

-- FIFA president Sepp Blatter, 77, wants to run for a fifth term . . . after saying he wouldn't.



--Atlanta might be nearing MLS franchise.

-- The NWSL (women's league) opens its second season April 2.

-- Another construction worker dies ahead of World Cup in Brazil.

*****

Contact me at david.woods@indystar.com or call (317) 444-6195. Follow me on Twitter at @DavidWoods007.