Michael Pointer

michael.pointer@indystar.com

The huge crowds that have watched the Indy Eleven during its inaugural North American Soccer League season haven't translated into wins.

And it may be quite some time before they get one if they lose tonight.

The Eleven (2-9-5, 2-4-1 fall schedule) host fellow expansion side Ottawa (3-9-3, 0-4-2) at IUPUI's Carroll Stadium in a battle of the league's bottom two teams. A few tickets remain as the Eleven try to sellout their ninth home NASL match in a row.

They want to keep that streak alive. The one they want to break is a home winless skid of 0-5-3 at Carroll Stadium. Saturday appears to be a good time to do it, but it's far from a certainly. Ottawa won 4-2 in Indianapolis on May 17.

The Eleven have allowed the most goals in the NASL (34) and are minus-13 in goal differential. Atlanta has the next-worse figure in the league at minus-7. The Eleven have been outscored 13-5 in their last six games, with former Brazilian national Kleberson scoring all five goals

"We're getting most of our guys healthy and getting them back on the field, but it's not just getting them back on the field," coach Juergen Sommer said after the team's practice Friday morning. "Now they have to get in the rhythm of training and playing again."

Sommer, who also serves as the team's director of soccer operations, and team president Peter Wilt warned before the Eleven's first season might be an uneven one. Both had either worked or played in Major League Soccer, but it was their first season in the NASL.

Sommer said earlier this year the quality of play in the NASL — which is considered the second-tier North American league after MLS — has been better than he expected. He repeated that on Friday.

"There are some really good players in this league," he said. "MLS has a bigger budget and they can carry more of those guys. But there are plenty of guys in our league that could play in MLS."

Being an expansion team also made some players reluctant to sign with the Eleven over the winter, Sommer said. Many chose to stay in established markets such as Minnesota, New York and San Antonio.

Because of that, the Eleven signed more young players than they intended. Twelve of the 21 players on the current roster are 24 or younger. Sommer is pleased with the development of many of them, but there is a short-term price.

It's made it more difficult to be competitive now. Minnesota, the league's top team, has just seven players 24 or younger and only two are regular starters. The Eleven usually have five starters that are 24 or younger.

"We've got a young core group," said forward Mike Ambersley, 31, a former Indiana University standout now in his ninth professional season. "I think that's been a factor. There's just a lot of inexperience on this team."

Ambersley noted that college soccer has virtually unlimited substitution rules. The NASL uses the international rule of just three per match. Once a player is taken out, he can no longer re-enter the game. That's an adjustment for younger players that came up through the American college system, he said.

"Your fitness needs to be a little better level to go a full 90 minutes," Ambersley said. "When guys aren't used to playing 90-minute games, it takes a while to understand that."

The Eleven have had their share of injuries and not enough depth to overcome them. Defensive midfielder Brad Ring is out for the season because of a broken foot. Key forward Ben Spencer has missed the last four weeks because of a knee surgery and won't play on Saturday. Key defenders Erick Norales (concussion), Fejiro Okiomah (head laceration) and Kyle Hyland (foot) all have missed time, but are expected to play against Ottawa.

But the best news is that Jamaican national Jermaine Johnson will be back after being penalized two games due to a flagrant red card against Fort Lauderdale earlier this month. It was Johnson's first start after being signed following a long career in the English second division. His speed and strength on the ball is expected to help Ambersley and Kleberson up front.

"I will say that from an overall depth perspective, we're at least two or three players away from having good balance and cover that we need just to manage things that happen, like injuries and red cards," Sommer said. "We're getting there. We're just want to make sure we're bringing in the right players on and off the field."

The Eleven hope to sign an additional forward during the next week, but their options are limited at this time of year. Sommer says the fan support will pay off as management looks to upgrade at season's end, when a glut of NASL players hit the free-agent market.

"A lot of these players want to play in front of a nice audience and a nice atmosphere," he said. "We have hands down the best in the league. It's going to help us come early November."

But he said the Eleven aren't giving up on this season in mid-August. He likes the way they are playing in many areas, with one notable exception being an inability to finish scoring chances. They are tied for sixth in the fall standings with six points. That's 10 behind first-place Minnesota with 11 games left. The winner of the fall portion earns a berth to the four-team playoffs.

"Hopefully, the final touch on the ball is going to be there for us (Saturday) night," he said. "I think that's the last little piece we're missing right now."

Call Star reporter Michael Pointer at (317) 444-2709. Follow him on Twitter @michaelpointer.