The New England Revolution continued its losing ways last night, when a short-handed squad fell to Eastern Conference favorites Sporting Kansas City, 3-0. Below are player ratings for the fourteen players who made appearances.Player Ratings
(1=atrocious, 3=poor, 5=average, 7=good, 10=excellent)
(1) Matt Reis: 5
Despite conceding three goals, Reis didn't play all that poorly. He could've been more aggressive off his line on Kamara's cross that led to Kansas City's first goal in the 28th minute, but he was temporarily heroic on Sporting's second goal, and left out to dry on their third. Reis's distribution wasn't nearly as possession-minded as it had been against San Jose last week, but that was mostly due to Sporting's high-pressure approach and the fact that the Revs were forced to play a man down a mere 15 minutes into the game. Reis's most reckless play--an adventurous foray into the outfield that culminated with a Roger Espinoza chip off the post--didn't result in a goal for Kansas City.
(5) A.J. Soares: 5
Looking much more comfortable at center back than he did at left back against San Jose last week, Soares was reliable in his distribution (he completed 72% of his 43 passes) and strong in the air (he had seven headers). He was too soft on the Kamara cross that led to Graham Susi's initial shot in the 28th minute and a little too slow on the deflection that Susi punched past Reis for Sporting's first goal. The real weakness of the Revolution's defense was its exterior play, and the interior suffered for it.
(8) Chris Tierney: 4
Back from a one-game suspension, Tierney's play with the ball at his feet wasn't good enough (he completed just over 50% of his 56 passes and he turned the ball over 21 times) to justify the trade-off you get with his shaky defending. Beginning in the 2nd minute when Kei Kamara streaked past him to get off a cross, Tierney was consistently too permissive on the flank and gave up too many uncontested crosses, including the leisurely cross Kamara was able to make in the 28th minute that led to Susi's goal. On the plus side, Tierney's free kicks were mostly well-placed, and his run and cross in the 5th minute very nearly led to a goal by Benny Feilhaber.
(11) Kelyn Rowe: 4
Still adjusting to the speed of a regular season MLS game, Rowe was more comfortable on the ball this game than he was against San Jose last week. He solidly plucked passes out the air, completed 90% of his ten passes, and turned the ball over only twice. His inconsistent defensive play on the flank, though, was exploited by a Sporting Kansas City side that loves to weave its fullbacks into the attack. And for every time Rowe recognized his need to track defensively (e.g., the 34th minute, when Rowe pre-empted a Kansas City counter-attack by covering for an attacking Kevin Alston), there was a defensive head-slapper like in the 39th minute when he was burned by a one-two combination between Bobby Convey and Seth Sinovic that led to Kansas City's second goal.
(19) Clyde Simms: 6
Simms was once again stellar on the ball (he completed 93% of his 30 passes), and he had a remarkable 70-second stretch in the 36th and 37th minutes where he first recovered defensively to pressure Roger Espinoza into a miss on a breakaway opportunity on one end of the field only to then have a good scoring opportunity for himself on the offensive end. My one complaint is that Simms is not prominent enough in his role as the holding midfielder that connects the back line to the attackers. Real Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman is the model of that role in the MLS, and Simms is anonymous compared to Beckerman's ability to visibly check back and serve as that pivot.
(21) Shalrie Joseph: 5
Joseph started the game as a central midfielder, but was shifted back to central defense in the 15th minute to compensate for the loss of Stephen McCarthy due to a red card. Fortunately for Revs fans, Joseph was much better in this game than he was against San Jose. Even before he took over in central defense, Joseph was more commanding on the ball and went on to complete about 75% of his 45 passes. You can't mark a scoring player much better than Joseph marked Susi on Kansas City's first goal in the 28th minute, but his lackadaisacal coverage to compensate for a toasted Rowe in the 39th minute gave Sinovic too much time on the end line to make a deadly cross. His horrendous turnover in the 32nd minute gave C.J. Sapong a good scoring opportunity that was parried away by a well-positioned Reis. Between this turnover and last week's consequential turnover, let's hope this is not a trend that continues.
(22) Benny Feilhaber: 5
Like Rowe and Joseph, Feilhaber acquitted himself much better in the possession game against Kansas City than he did against San Jose by completing 78% of his 27 passes. His shot in the 5th was destined to beat Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielson, only to be deflected to the side. His generous defending on Susi in the 47th minute sparked a domino affect that resulted in Ryan Guy shedding Sinovic to cover Susi, A.J. Soares shedding C.J. Sapong to track Sinovic, and no one left to cover the goal-scoring Sapong.
(24) Lee Nguyen: 6
For the second game in a row, Nguyen provided offensive spark for the Revs. His strong tackle and clever pass to Simms in the 37th minute set up a good scoring opportunity, but it was his strong presence on the ball that gave the backline a reliable outlet target throughout the game that was probably the most valuable service he provided. Also, Kansas City fullback Chance Myers was neutralized throughout the game (unlike Sinovic on the left side), so Nguyen deserves credit for quietly limiting the attack from Sporting's right fullback.
(26) Stephen McCarthy: 3
McCarthy's red card in the 15th minute was harsh, but it nevertheless stymied a promising start for the Revs. Before his early exit, McCarthy gave another encouraging glimpse at his performance as a center back and completed 5 of his 6 passes.
(30) Kevin Alston: 4
Though Alston doesn't deserve most of the blame for Sinovic wreaking havoc on the right side of the Revolution defense (midfielders Rowe and Ryan Guy were most at fault), Alston was nevertheless part of the defensive tandem that softly patrolled the flank that contributed to each of Kansas City's three goals. Alston was once again pretty good on the ball (he completed 70% of his 37 passes), but his offensive forays lack any punch. Coach Jay Heaps is giving Alston the green light to push into the attack (Alston's heat map shows a lot of activity at midfield), but he just isn't able to translate his speed and improved ball work into creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.
(39) Saer Senne: 5
Senne made his Revs debut with his left knee heavily bandaged, and the French striker was noticeably ginger from the game's onset. Despite being hampered by his knee, though, Senne still showed an ability to distribute the ball to his teammates (he missed the mark on only one of his 19 passes). Within the context of last week's target striker, Blake Brettschneider, Senne played a good game. Within the context of your average MLS striker, Senne was, well, average and will hopefully become more effective when (if?) his knee heals.
(13) Ryan Guy: 4
Though Guy did have two headers on frame after he came on as a sub for Kelyn Rowe at halftime, his play was reminiscent of Rowe's play in the first half. Thanks to Feilhaber's uninspired defending in the 47th minute, Guy was forced to let Sinovic burn the right flank of the Revs yet again. Guy wasn't as effective as Rowe in possession, however, completing only about 50% of his passes.
(14) Diego Fagundez: 5
Fagundez replaced Senne in the 57th minute, and his unremarkable play was more a function of the game situation than anything Fagundez did or didn't do. Sporting Kansas City was content with preserving the three-goal lead by possessing the ball, and the Revolution appeared content with preserving its three-goal loss by maintaining its low pressure. Fegundez as the lone striker therefore spent most of his time on the field running around playing defense in harsh 1 v. 3 or 1 v. 4 settings.
(15) Jeremiah White: 4
White took off Feilhaber in the 61st minute and his below-average debut for the Revolution can hopefully be chalked up to a lack of familiarity with his teammates. Lee Nguyen was visibly frustrated by White's inability to successfully receive the former's numerous passes on the right wing. He showed some encouraging speed at times, but he was off-key throughout.
- John C.L. Morgan
No comments:
Post a Comment