Guadalajara bestows new challenge

The IU men’s soccer team will conclude preseason play Saturday night in Fort Wayne, Ind., against Chivas de Guadalajara, a professional team from Mexico’s Liga MX.

The game will be televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel.

IU Coach Todd Yeagley said exhibition games provide more flexibility to schedule matches against elite competition.

“The goal of our preseason is to get different looks,” Yeagley said. “The Chivas game is as talented of a team we’re going to play in a college. Everything will be exploited. You might take a lump, but you’d much rather know now because we leave both these games (with) zeroes.”

In IU’s two most recent exhibition matches, the Hoosiers played Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday and the Under-20 Mexican National Team on April 29.

Mexico’s Alfonso Gonzalez scored in the 82nd minute to propel the Mexican National Team to a 2-1 victory.

The loss left a bitter taste in players’ mouths, senior defender Caleb Konstanski said.

“We try to approach each and every game the same way, focusing on doing the things we’ve been working on in practice,” Konstanski said. “You can’t help but get a little extra juice going when you’re playing pro teams, especially on national television.”

Konstanski said the Hoosiers felt they should have defeated Mexico in April and now have something to prove.

Yeagley said if his team can execute against Chivas, it should translate well against Saint Louis on Aug. 24 in the team’s first regular season game.

“It’s a way to bring to speed young players,” Yeagley said. “We’ll see quickly how we are in some spots.”

Sophomore defender Patrick Doody said taking the field opposite Chivas is an incredible opportunity.

“The big thing for me is game speed,” Doody said. “The professionals play so quickly, and the runs off the ball are so quick, even compared to the top college programs in the country. To be able to watch their attacks and the way they move off the ball, that’s I think the biggest change. It’s just a different level that
they have.”

Junior midfielder Nikita Kotlov didn’t play against Mexico in April due to a fractured foot.

Still, he said he noticed a difference in play from the sideline.

“It seemed that they liked to possess more,” Kotlov said. “In college, it’s more of a fitness and strength game. These Mexican teams that we’ve played and will play are more technically sound.”

Though the style of play differs, junior midfielder Harrison Petts said the Hoosiers expect to win.

“I don’t think, as long as I’ve been at Indiana University, we’ve ever gone into a game expecting not to win and get a result,” Petts said. “The only difference might be the first five or 10 minutes when you really get caught up in all the
atmosphere.

“But after you settle down, soccer’s soccer. I don’t think, after the first five or 10 minutes, we’ll even be thinking about ‘Wow, these guys are professionals.’ We’re just going to be out there playing a soccer game.”