Player Ratings: New England Revolution at Philadelphia Union
- By Ryan Lanigan
- Updated: October 6, 2012
After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of the New England Revolution players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5 average, 10 perfection). This week Ryan Lanigan and Brian O’Connell contributed ratings for the New England Revolution’s 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union.
Bobby Shuttleworth – Average rating: 4.5 (Ryan 4, Brian 5)
Misjudged the goal and let it sail over him. He made decent positional saves but nothing too crazy (Ryan)…Had trouble on a couple of early shots before he regained his form in the second half. Good communication, save for a mild miscue with Soares in front of him in the second half. (Brian)
Kevin Alston – Average rating: 5.25 (Ryan 6, Brian 4.5)
Give Alston credit seeing as most of the game, he played with a rookie starting his first MLS game as his outside midfielder. Alston did well to recover when he was beat but still lacks a final third presence (Ryan)…Made some good runs forward, but allowed way too many acres for Michael Farfan to roam. High pressure forced Soares and Purdie to cover his spot on a few early instances (Brian).
Darrius Barnes – Average rating: 5.875 (Ryan 6.25, Brian 5.5)
Another very solid performance from Barnes. Since returning to the lineup, he’s only had one bad game and a very down moments here and there (Ryan)…Played a clean game and made a couple of nice runs into the area, one of which he nearly converted after Guy glanced a Rowe cross on frame. Solid in the air, and didn’t make many mistakes (Brian).
A.J. Soares – Average rating: 4.25 (Ryan 5, Brian 3.5)
Tough to see Soares come off with an injury. He put Alston in a tough predicament once instead of just clearing it safely (Ryan)…Communication with Shuttleworth seemed off, while he was shoved and pushed around inside the box, necessitating an early sub (Brian).
Ryan Guy – Average rating: 3.5 (Ryan 3.5, Brian 3.5)
Give Guy credit, he has switched from position to position. But it was Guy that was beat on the lone goal. The real question is why was Guy covering Jack McInerney? (Ryan)… Clearly out of position, he allowed Keon Daniel to slip through early before the rest of the D bailed him out. Admirable effort, but overall, there were very few things he did especially well other than play where Heaps wanted him to (Brian)
Alec Purdie – Average rating: 3.5 (Ryan 3, Brian 4)
In the midfield, he looked completely outmatched and lost. He did better when he shifted back to defense (Ryan)…Shook off some early nerves and played a good ball wide to Alston that just missed its connection. But just as the midfield struggled to hold the ball, so too did Purdie, who dropped back when Cardenas came on in the 61st minute (Brian).
Benny Feilhaber – Average rating: 3.5 (Ryan 4, Brian 3)
Benny has worked better when Juan Toja is on the pitch but his time with Toja didn’t last as Benny let his emotions get the best of him (Ryan)…Played a few nice passes, but anything he added to the attack was overshadowed by a pair of unnecessary cautions only minutes apart from each other, which effectively doomed any chance at a late equalizer (Brian).
Clyde Simms – Average rating: 4.875 (Ryan 4.75, Brian 5)
Another game for Simms and another “not bad” performance. Did his best to step up to the ref in the captains role (Ryan)…Gutsy performance had to give Heaps some peace of mind with a short bench. Allowed Feilhaber to go forward and sat behind to address any defensive breaches (Brian).
Kelyn Rowe – Average rating: 4 (Ryan 4, Brian 4)
Rowe will get better and better with time. Right now, some of his touches and passes are just a bit off (Ryan)…Looked a lot more active than last week’s rumored performance. Showed good vision on his passes, but didn’t give the Revs much width (Brian).
Diego Fagundez – Average rating: 3.5 (Ryan 3.5, Brian 3.5)
Nothing great from Diego in Philly. He never synced up with Jerry and didn’t create too many chances (Ryan)…Sent a perfect ball back to Bengtson before the Honduran banked it off the post, but aside from that, he was all too quiet on the night, and failed to register a single shot (Brian).
Jerry Bengtson – Average rating: 3.5 (Ryan 3.5, Brian 3.5)
It’s not critical to say that Bengtson should have scored a goal. He’s proved elsewhere that he can score goals, making his first opportunity one that should have been converted (Ryan)… How did he miss manage to bank it with an open net nearby? The struggles continue for the Honduran striker, who resorted to appealing for PKs on tough challenges inside the 18 (Brian).
Fernando Cardenas – Average rating: 4 (Ryan 4, Brian 4)
Cardenas should have done better with his one on one with MacMath and he probably knows that. He got caught trying too many things when simplicity was probably the best option (Ryan)…Added spark by firing a decent shot in the 67th minute, but he absolutely needed to pull the trigger on his 70th minute chance (Brian).
Juan Toja – Average rating: 4.5 (Ryan 4.5, Brian 4.5)
He makes the team better when he comes on the field and almost had the game-tying assist on a free kick (Ryan)…Made all the passes he needed to, but he failed to put his footprint in the midfield (Brian).
Dimitry Imbongo – Average rating: 4.25 (Ryan 4.5, Brian 4)
He brought some energy and he seems to genuinely want to help the team win. He earns plenty of fouls in the attacking third but needs more time to develop with the ball at his feet (Ryan)… Created a little havoc late, but the big man was forced off the ball far too easily (Brian).
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About Ryan Lanigan
Ryan Lanigan covers local sports, specifically on the high school level. He has covered the New England Revolution for over four years. He currently is the editor of HockomockSports.com. He can be reached via e-mail at Ryan.Lanigan@hotmail.com
Chris B
October 7, 2012 at 1:08 pm
What does it tell us when two defenders were the highest rated players and we still lose? Does it mean we are close to being a good team but we aren’t quite there yet?
I agree with Alston and Barnes’ ratings, but I find it interesting that the backline generally played okay and we still lost.
This is probably a big long debate, but what exactly do we need to get us over the hump so to speak?
Brian O'Connell
October 7, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Hey Chris,
One word: quality. Quality in the midfield, especially. I know possession is an overrated stat, but it does shine some light on where this team is struggling. It’s struggling to hold the ball long enough to create. They need some ballwinners, and they also need shore up their depth up top. With Sene gone, who can they rely on to score? Anyone? Maybe Nguyen, but maybes aren’t going to cut it. It’s one thing to talk about attacking, it’s another to bring in the right players to do it. In short, they need what they lack: speed, ideas, width and accuracy – the last being a very correctable issue.
Chris B
October 7, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Thanks. Looks like they have a lot of work to do in the offseason which is a shame because they already turned over so many players.
What happened to the Revs that could actually keep the ball and pass well earlier this season? I’ve seen quality in this team, so I know that it’s there I just don’t know where right now.
W Peter Jones
October 7, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Hi there, I thought Guy played very well out of position last night, the Revs seem to be OVER LOADED in midfield? As I have saying for some time they need another Goalkeeper Shuttleworth is very suspect to the high balls across the face of the goal maybe they should send him to the lower league for more playing time. Its a pity the Revs gave up Knighton a few years ago maybe he would have been the Revs number one Goalkeeper. I think the MLS should also increase the number of game that the reserve team play
Chris B
October 7, 2012 at 7:34 pm
I agree on Guy but he had some blame for giving up the goal. I’d also really like to see the reserve league expanded and I think it will in the future out of necessity. Right now I don’t think it’s giving bench players the consistency and quality of play they need.
Risapres
October 7, 2012 at 11:06 pm
most analysis of professional sports matches includes a rating of the coaching. It is about time that NESOCCER steps up and gives honest analysis of what is clearly a total mess on and off the pitch!
rick sewall
October 12, 2012 at 2:18 pm
I just received the player ratings and the 5 things we have learned only today, Friday. I was afraid NE soccer today had gone out of business. I agree with Risapres. We also need new and better players . Several are being consistently outclassed.
Brian O'Connell
October 12, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Better late than never, Rick. We’re still in business! In fact, we’ve got a new multi-part series in store for our readers next week. Stay tuned!