Action from the international club friendly between the host Indy Eleven and visiting Pachuca (white/blue jersey) on June 26, 2016, in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. (Photo: Mexsport)
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Eamon Zayed scored early in the first half and Indy Eleven posted a 1-0 win over Liga MX champion Pachuca in a friendly before a crowd of 6,055 fans Michael A. Carroll Stadium on Sunday.
The match – played in hot conditions -- was the second of the Tuzos’ United States tour, following a 1-1 draw with Santos on June 21 in Kansas City, Kansas. It also marked the Indy Eleven debut of former Mexico national team star Gerardo Torrado, who signed with the 2016 North American Soccer League spring champion on June 8.
Indy Eleven scored the only goal in the seventh minute as a pair of Pachuca defenders had difficulty controlling the ball 30 yards from goal. It fell to an opportunistic Zayed, who dribbled into the penalty area, before slotting low and left of Pachuca goalkeeper Alfonso Blanco.
Pachuca’s best chance of the first half came in the 18th minute, but Ivan Ochoa put Franco Jara’s pass from the left side of the box just over the crossbar.
Zayed nearly doubled Indy’s advantage in the 26th minute only to chip past Blanco and wide left.
With a completely changed squad in the second half, Pachuca generated more scoring opportunities.
Wilson Morelo saw his 57th minute header be saved by goalkeeper Keith Cardona, while a second – two minutes later – flashed wide left.
Cardona denied Erick Sanchez in the 82nd minute via a kick save and with five minutes remaining in normal time, Jose Ramirez was unable to put an open touch towards after Mateus Goncalves’ free kick deflected off the wall.
Morelo was ejected in the 90th minute for an elbow to the head of Cory Miller on a 50-50 ball.
Pachuca, a 2016/17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League qualifier, will next face 2015/16 champion Club America on June 30 in Denver, Colorado.
International Club Friendly
June 26, 2016: Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Indiana, USA (Att: 6,055)
Indy Eleven-Pachuca 1-0 (1-0)
Eamon Zayed 7’
Indy Eleven: Keith Cardona; Daniel Keller, Greg Janicki (Lovel Palmer 77’), Cory Miller, Marco Franco, Owayne Gordon (Duke Lacroix 46’), Nicki Paterson, Gerardo Torrado (Brad Ring 62’), Dylan Mares (Nemanja Vukovic 60’) Eamon Zayed (Justin Braun 46’), Souleymane Youla (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 68’)
Pachuca: Alfonso Blanco (Jose Gonzalez 46’); Emmanuel Garcia (Andres Rodriguez 46’), Jose Esquivel (Oscar Torres 46’), Omar Gonzalez (Francisco Santillan 46’), Jose Martinez (Hector Lopez 46’); Ivan Ochoa (Pablo Lopez 46’), Jorge Hernandez (Francisco Venegas 46’), Ruben Botta (Jose Ramirez 46’); Simon Almeida (Mateus Goncalves 46’), Franco Jara (Wilson Morelo 46’), Jonathan Urretaviscaya (Erick Sanchez 46’)