Indy Eleven has signed midfielder James Murphy, who joins the club having previously made 133 appearances in the USL Championship in his career. | Photo courtesy Kiera Winslow / Monterey Bay FC
INDIANAPOLIS – Indy Eleven announced on Wednesday it had signed midfielder James Murphy ahead of the 2025 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval and per club policy, terms of the deal will not be disclosed.
Murphy joins the Boys in Blue having made a career-high 33 appearances for Detroit City FC during the 2024 season. The 27-year-old recorded two assists and 26 chances created for Le Rouge as the side finished in the top three in the Eastern Conference while also recording 33 interceptions, 136 recoveries and winning 40 tackles at a success rate of 61.5 percent.
Cumulatively, Murphy has made 133 appearances in the USL Championship for his career, logging one goal and 16 assists alongside 159 chances created, most notably with Rio Grande Valley FC and Monterey Bay FC.
A native of Scotch Plains, N.J., Murphy began his professional career with Sheffield Wednesday in the English Football League from 2016-18, debuting for the Owls against Cambridge United in the EFL Cup.
In 2018, Murphy he joined LAFC of Major League Soccer, making his debut in a friendly against Borussia Dortmund, and was subsequently sent on loan to Las Vegas Lights FC in the USL Championship where he made seven appearances and recorded one assist in his short stint at the club.
After playing for Scottish club Arbroath in 2019-20, he returned to the Championship with Rio Grande Valley in 2020 and 2021, seeing action in 35 matches with 22 starts over the two seasons. In 2021, Murphy recorded five assists in 25 matches and 1,434 minutes of action for the Toros.
In 2022 he joined Monterey Bay and led the side in tackles won (32) and passes (1,376) while also matching his career best with five assists in 31 games and 2,500 minutes.