Defender Marco Franco has seen the club's growth over the past three seasons

Photo credit: Indy Eleven/Trevor Ruszkowski

When Indy Eleven takes the field on Nov. 5 for a semifinal game against FC Edmonton, it will mark the tremendous strides the club has made in its third NASL season.

With a core of players from the club’s inaugural campaign coupled with a slew of signings by coach Tim Hankinson, the Eleven has been revitalized in 2016 and is pushing for the title rather than looking to play the role of spoiler at year’s end like in previous seasons.

Defender Marco Franco, who joined the Boys in Blue initially on loan from the Chicago Fire in 2014 and has been with the club since, has witnessed the club’s growth first hand.

“It’s been a blessing,” he told NASL.com. “I think it’s a little bit sweeter for me and a couple of the other guys who have been here since the beginning. Just to witness the growth of the team and the club and the success – bringing in Hank and he’s done a good job of establishing a culture and standard and bringing in veteran guys.”

With the blend of veterans to go with the mix of young talent – including Franco, Dylan Mares, and Duke Lacroix – the club earned the Spring Season Championship to set the club on the path to hosting the first postseason contest in club history.

“They hold the team to a high standard,” Franco said. “Their expectations of what the team can do this year is very high. I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from the veteran guys – Jon Busch, Colin Falvey, Lovel Palmer, and Gerardo Torrado coming in – and bringing knowledge, wisdom, and experience as well as professionalism.”

Indy will get its first taste of postseason action in front of a raucous crowd that has seen the Eleven unbeaten in 2016 – and 18 games overall – at Carroll Stadium. The Boys in Blue have fed off the energy from the crowd all year long and will hope to do the same against FC Edmonton.

“It’s a huge day for the city and the club being that it’s going to be the first {postseason] game,” Franco said. “The BYB (Brickyard Battalion) have been fantastic and, in my opinion, it’s the best atmosphere in the league. I’ve been fortunate to play in front of them for three years and I love it – the tifos, the chants. It’s been awesome, a blessing, and they definitely keep us going every game. They push us through, when we’re down they keep us up. With a crowd like that, the sky’s the limit.”

And claiming the Spring title has only given Indy even more belief to lift the Soccer Bowl trophy as it heads toward The Championship, the NASL’s four-team postseason tournament.

“That’s always been the goal from the beginning,” Franco said. “After we won the Spring, that goal solidified a bit more. Just getting to the final we’re not going to be satisfied with that. Our goal is to win the whole thing and we know we’re capable.”