New England Soccer Today

Player Ratings: New England Revolution vs. Columbus Crew

After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of the Revolution players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5 average, 10 perfection). This week Brian O’Connell and Sean Donahue contributed ratings for the Revs’ 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew.

Matt Reis – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6, Sean 6)
Snuffed out the majority of the fires in front of him, but the miscommunication between him and Gibbs on the Lenhart goal was costly. (Brian) … Reis made a couple of big saves, including denying Phelan’s potential own goal, but was again left helpless on the Crew’s two goals thanks to sloppy defending. (Sean)

Seth Sinovic – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 5, Sean 6)
Had a good game; solid at left back, but added little to the attack. (Brian) … Sinovic did a solid job on short notice shutting down the right flank. Both of the Crew’s goals came from plays that developed on the left. (Sean)

Cory Gibbs – Average Rating: 3.5 (Brian 3, Sean 4)
Played scared; tentative on incoming crosses, far too indecisive for an experienced player. (Brian) … Some more sloppy play from the defender. Allowed Lenhart to slip by him for the Crew’s first goal and generally looked uncertain. (Sean)

Darrius Barnes – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 5, Sean 6)
The best in the back; marked well, allowed few opportunities. (Brian) … Put under a lot of pressure by inability of midfield to hold possession, but held up well. (Sean)

Kevin Alston – Average Rating: 4.5 (Brian 4, Sean 5)
Was slow to track back; looked injured well before he came up lame in the 33rd. (Brian) …Limited minutes due to injury. Was active getting forward early, but slow to get back and defend. (Sean)

Kenny Mansally – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6, Sean 6)
Energized the attack; also did well to defend (Brian) … Looked good again getting forward on the left flank. Helped in the build-up to the penalty and earned some dangerous free kicks. Made a few key plays defensively and is looking solid tracking back. (Sean 6)

Pat Phelan – Average Rating: 5.25 (Brian 5, Sean 5.5)
Another goal for the gritty center half, but struggled to contain Schelotto (Brian) … Scored a great goal, but nearly canceled it out with an own goal. Improved performance over Wednesday, but still needs to do better at helping the midfield maintain possession. (Sean)

Shalrie Joseph – Average Rating: 5.25 (Brian 5, Sean 5.5)
The handball in the 79th was purely bad luck; pushed forward more than usual, but failed to settle the midfield. (Brian) … Perfect finish on the penalty. Unlucky on the handball, but had done a great job before that to deny the shot. Could’ve done better in helping the midfield maintain possession. Lost possession in the Revs’ box early, but was bailed out by a sliding Osei. (Sean)

Sainey Nyassi – Average Rating: 5 (Brian 5, Sean 5)
Defended well, but crosses were lacking. Could’ve done better to create. (Brian) … Shutdown for most of the match, rarely involved in the attack. (Sean)

Marko Perovic – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 5, Sean 6)
Service was good; got too cute on the buildup before the 56th minute penalty (Brian) … Led the attack once again. Great set pieces and combined well with Stolica and Mansally. (Sean)

Ilija Stolica was our man of the match against the Crew. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

Ilija Stolica – Average Rating: 6.25 (Brian 6, Sean 6.5)
Created chances, good off the ball movement (Brian) … Great job earning the penalty and did an excellent job helping the Revs keep possession when he got the ball. (Sean)

(Sub) Emmanuel Osei – Average Rating: 5 (Brian 5, Sean 5)
Quiet game for the centerback – which is usually a good thing. (Brian) … Thrown into a tough situation when Alston went down injured. Crew’s most dangerous attacks came down his side, though he made a couple of good last ditch tackles. (Sean)

(Sub) Khano Smith – Average Rating: 2.25 (Brian 2, Sean 2.5)
Hurt the attack with bad crosses and a lethargic effort. (Brian) … Again came on to defend a lead and didn’t help. Was completely useless when the Revs were trying to get back in the lead. (Sean)

(Sub) Zack SchilawskiNR
Once again, not given the time to register an impact. (Brian)

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