Kevin Johnston

IndyStar correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS – With both the Indy Eleven and Puerto Rico FC mathematically eliminated from the North American Soccer League playoff chase, Saturday’s match at IUPUI's Carroll Stadium seemed meaningless enough on the surface. As it turned out, the game’s ramifications off the pitch made it one of the most important games of the season.

Hampered by Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico FC was forced to play out its remaining fall slate away from home. Saturday’s contest was one such game, and got relocated to Indy. Part of the proceeds from the match benefited the Carmelo Anthony Puerto Rico Relief Fund. Anthony, who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is Puerto Rico FC’s owner.

“It’s all about helping each other,” said Eleven coach Tim Hankinson. “They’ve been living through a disaster. They’ve had players whose wives were delivering babies. I know that mentally and emotionally it’s been very difficult.”

In the end, Puerto Rico FC used a gutsy performance to put Indy on its heels early, then held the hosts off late to seal a 2-1 win.

Hankinson inserted backup goalkeeper Keith Cardona in the starting lineup with Indy playing for pride. Beyond that, Hankinson went mostly with regulars. Central midfielder Gerardo Torrado was unavailable due to yellow card accumulation, so the Eleven came out in a 4-1-4-1 formation with Brad Ring protecting the back four.

A miscommunication in the fifth minute between Ring and Don Smart led to a botched clearance — and Puerto Rico’s first goal — on a ball chipped to the edge of the 6-yard box. The flub left striker Sidney Rivera with a sitter that he slotted home to put the visitors up 1-0. Smart’s appearance was his 100th for Indy.

Emery Welshman doubled the Puerto Rico FC lead just before the break, finishing a crafty pass from Hector Ramos. Eleven center back Colin Falvey nearly blocked Welshman’s shot, but instead deflected it past Cardona.

Two rookies linked up to pull one back for Indy late, as Tanner Thompson got free on the right wing and found the feet of David Goldsmith, who tapped in from close range. Indy pressed for the equalizer in the waning moments but couldn’t find it. Hankinson wasn’t at all pleased with his team’s showing.

“Quite honestly, the fans deserve so much more than what we’re giving them,” Hankinson said. “I’m quite disgusted with how our performance was. It was heartless — no effort, no fight, no quality. I hope I’m here next year, because the fans will see a whole new team based on what we’ve seen this season.

“If I could start with a blank piece of paper, I’d be feeling like we’ve got a good chance next year.”

Eleven forward Eamon Zayed concurred with his coach’s assessment.

“We just went through the motions in the first half,” Zayed said. “I don’t think the effort was there from anybody today.”

The Eleven will finish their season Oct. 29 at home against North Carolina FC. The future of both the club and NASL are up in the air. After being informed by U.S. Soccer that it’ll lose Division II status at the end of the season, the league will hope for a preliminary injunction at an upcoming Oct. 31 hearing that would allow it to keep Division II status for 2018.