Indy Eleven’s Farr leads USL charity campaign off the pitch
CARMEL, IND. (WISH) — The 2020 season meant business for the Boys in Blue.
A stunning loss during the final seconds of the USL Eastern Conference Semifinals last season appears to finally be behind Head Coach Martin Rennie’s club.
What lies ahead? Living room soccer training.
“Me and my wife have kicked the ball around a ton in our apartment and that has been super fun,” goalkeeper Jordan Farr said. “But, there is not a lot of space. We are working on close touches.”
A promising keeper, Farr is leading the team’s work away from the game amid the coronavirus pandemic. His mission? Defeat every USL competitor with a video game controller in The Rocket League‘s e-Cup.
“It is basically indoor soccer with cars,” Farr said. “You have a bunch of boosts that can make your car go faster and it is one-on-one (competition). You are in little rocket cars and the goal is to score more goals than the other team.”
The victor of this World Cup style tournament earns prize money to pass to their club’s sponsored charity. Farr and the Eleven are battling for Agape International Missions, a group dedicated to ending sex trafficking.
“It (Rocket League) is fun, it is a fun way to pass the time,” Farr said. “It has been a fun couple weeks of training and I feel like we are going to do well in the tournament.”
The timing of the USL’s stoppage on the pitch is especially tough for Farr, a former collegiate keeper for tiny Corban University (NAIA) in Oregon. Farr’s professional rise was highlighted by a successful late season stint in 2019, filling in for the injured Evan Newton. In relief, Farr made 10 starts, posting five clean sheets — including two playoff shutout victories.
Despite the timing of the hiatus, Farr is keeping everything in perspective during these uncertain times around the world.
“As a team we are gutted because we felt like we started really well against Memphis in the 2020 season opener,” Farr said. “But, it is soccer. We are most concerned with the health and lives of the people of Indianapolis. If that means missing out on some soccer games, that means missing out on some soccer games.”
Take it from Jordan Farr: The sidelines aren’t so bad if you are willing to lend a hand.