Kevin Johnston

Special for IndyStar

WESTFIELD – Indy Eleven newcomers Cam Lindley and Andrew Carleton — both young, promising prospects with dreams of becoming Major League Soccer regulars — are in nearly identical stages of their careers. Yet, their current situations could also be described as polar opposites.

Lindley, a Carmel native, had spent his entire adult playing career away home before signing with the Eleven this offseason. Carleton, on the other hand, grew up in Powder Springs, Ga., just outside of Atlanta. Besides a brief stint with the Charleston Battery in 2016, he had never played anywhere but home prior to being loaned to Indy by Atlanta United FC in January.

“Yeah, we speak about (how we flip-flopped scenarios) a lot,” Lindley said. “Me and him get along really well. And having encountered each other about two or three years ago, we’ve spoken here and there. But it’s super cool to be able to play together. I know he’s missing home, but Carmel is not too bad a place to be so I’m kind of showing him the ropes a little bit.”

Lindley, 22, was a basketball and soccer standout at Guerin Catholic and came through the Chicago Fire academy with Indiana Fire Juniors, qualifying him as an MLS Homegrown Player in Chicago.

After two collegiate seasons at North Carolina, Lindley opted to ignite his pro career — just not with the Fire. The decision caused a slightly awkward departure from the organization.

“I never asked him (why). I’m only concerned with players who are in our locker room and want to play for us,“ Fire president Nelson Rodriguez told reporters during a January 2018 conference call. “We don’t take personal offense to (footballers wanting to play elsewhere) and we hope that the players that we pass on also don’t take offense to that either.”

Orlando City SC then acquired Lindley’s Homegrown Player rights from Chicago, but only gave him 201 minutes across three appearances in 2018. Orlando City loaned him to Memphis 901 FC for most of the 2019 USL Championship season and declined his option at the end of the year, freeing him up to sign with Indy.

Carleton, meanwhile, now gets a chance to jumpstart his career in Indianapolis after encountering some turbulence in Atlanta. To do so, he’ll have to dispel questions about his maturity following a few blips at his hometown club.

The 19-year-old’s issues were perhaps exacerbated by having old-school coaches in Atlanta United first-team managers Frank de Boer and Tata Martino. Carleton’s infractions included a forgotten passport at the airport that de Boer — not an ideal move for a young player trying to endear himself to his coach.

In another, more boneheaded incident on Martino’s watch, Carleton was spotted partying on Snapchat before the 2018 MLS Cup. He wasn’t going to make the 18-man game day roster, but still, it wasn’t the best optics. The team disciplined Carleton by barring him from attending the final.

If Carleton performs at a high level for Indy, it could lead to his return to the first division in Atlanta or elsewhere.

Eleven coach Martin Rennie said he envisions Carleton as “more of an attacking player” without definitively labeling him a forward or midfielder. Carleton started up top alongside 2019 leading scorer Tyler Pasher in Indy's 4-2 season-opening win at Memphis on Saturday.

“I like to attack, and I like to be a creative player,” Carleton said. “I think my job here is scoring and creating goals, and so I’ll work as hard as I can to do my job.”

“What he’s very good at is the final pass and also getting on the end of things and finishing,” Rennie said of Carleton. “I think that this year the team does have more creativity than it did before.”

Lindley, was an unused substitute against Memphis, but he figures to get plenty of playing time despite a logjam of solid veterans in the central midfield.

“He’s going to be in an area which has got a lot of competition,” Rennie said. “So, it’s probably going to be different combinations at different times. When we play with two central midfielders, he could be one of those. When we play with three (central) midfielders, then obviously that would be kind of more in line with his game. But he also could play higher up … so I think he brings good versatility.”

Tyler Gibson will likely be used as a workhorse again this season if healthy, so Lindley’s minutes may come mostly at the expense of returnees Kenney Walker and/or Drew Conner. Rennie has shown a proclivity for starting three central midfielders, which bodes well for everyone at the position.

The Elevenplay three more road matches before returning to Lucas Oil Stadium for their April 4 home opener against rival Louisville City.

FiveThirtyEight’s model projects Indy as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference and sixth-best in the league.

“I think we’re definitely one of the frontrunners,” Rennie said. “From a personal perspective, I feel like we’re quite a bit stronger than last season. But now we have to go and prove that on the field.”

For Lindley and Carleton, how they’ll fit boils down to a matter of attitude.

“For guys like Andrew and I, you just have to stay positive and every day wake up to focus on just getting better,” Lindley explained. “Kind of remind yourself that right now this is where I’m at, and I want to help this team win and I want to give everything to this team. And I know if this team succeeds, then at the end of the day — being so young — that people will take notice and we’ll get our move back up to MLS.”