Player Ratings: New England Revolution vs. Portland Timbers

Lee Nguyen was our choice for Man of the Match vs. Portland on Saturday. (Photo: Chris Aduama/aduama.com).

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 Brian O’Connell, Sean Donahue and Ryan Lanigan contributed ratings for the New England Revolution’s 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers.

Matt Reis – Average Rating: 7 (Brian 7, Sean 7, Ryan 7)
The Revs needed a solid performance from their veteran keeper, and that’s just what they got. Stopped three Portland shots – including a rip from Franck Sango’o – and his communication with the back four was evident. (Brian) … Made some big saves on his way to preserving the shutout and reaching 1,000 career saves. (Sean) … Reis saved three shots but also came out at the right times. Kudos for 1000 saves. (Ryan)

Chris Tierney – Average Rating: 6.17 (Brian 6, Sean 6.5, Ryan 6)
Sensational cross set up the game winner, and was active on the attack for much of the night. Also played solid defense. (Brian) … Great cross to set up Sene’s goal and decent defending and set piece delivery. (Sean) …  He looked decent when tested but was mostly impressive when he went forward. (Ryan)

AJ Soares – Average Rating: 6.17 (Brian 6, Sean 6.5, Ryan 6)
Strong in the air and sound on the ground, the center back meshed well with Joseph inside the defense. (Brian) … Perhaps should’ve done better with the rebound off Tierney’s free kick, but was solid all night defensively. (Sean) … Solid in the back, had a few lapses, but made up for it. (Ryan)

Shalrie Joseph – Average Rating: 7 (Brian 6, Sean 7, Ryan 8 )
A performance to remember for the central midfielder. Brought a physical presence to the rear, cleared a dangerous ball early in the second frame. (Brian) … Boyd got free a couple of times, but Joseph made some key plays filling in at center back. (Sean) … He did a splendid job filling in at the center back job, but he shouldn’t get comfortable. (Ryan)

Kevin Alston – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 5.5, Sean 5.5, Ryan 5.5)
Connected with his midfielders and kept the expeditions on the right safe. Unfortunately, the Sango’o boot to the face ended his night prematurely. (Brian) … Caught out of position a few times before leaving after being kicked in the face. Made some nice runs, but final pass was lacking. (Sean) … Glimpses of brilliance, but glimpses of last season as well. (Ryan)

Lee Nguyen – Average Rating: 7.25 (Brian 6.75, Sean 7, Ryan 8 )
he most dynamic player on the pitch. Great vision, keen passing and upholding his defensive responsibilities made him a key player in the 1-0 win. (Brian) … Great close control dribbling. Creativity sparked many attacks, though he may have been a bit selfish in the box. (Sean) … Arguably the best player on the pitch for the Revs tonight. (Ryan)

Clyde Simms – Average Rating: 6.17 (Brian 5.5, Sean 6, Ryan 7)
Quiet night for the holding midfielder, who may have gotten a couple of questionable ideas to go forward. Otherwise, it was a productive night. (Brian) … Solid performance by Simms. Stayed back to fill gaps when defenders ventured forward. (Sean) …Again, very very solid. (Ryan)

Kelyn Rowe – Average Rating: 4.83 (Brian 4.5, Sean 5, Ryan 5)
Far too casual on his breakaway late in the first half. Still needs to adjust to the speed of the pro game. (Brian) … A few nice moves, but should’ve done better with his run into the box and held onto the ball too long at times. (Sean) … He hasn’t been the same guy we saw in preseason but it could be a matter of teams being more prepared for him. (Ryan)

Ryan Guy – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 5.5, Sean 6, Ryan 6.5)
Added life to the attack and played some accurate passes to his teammates, but defensively, he wasn’t at his best. (Bruan) … Had a few struggles after switching to right back, but made a key tackle and did well keeping the defense honest while playing right midfield.  (Sean) … Guy didn’t do anything spectacular but was very key when he slid back into the right back spot. (Ryan)

Blake Brettschneider – Average Rating: 4.17 (Brian 4.5, Sean 4.5, Ryan 3.5)
Had a couple of decent touches, held the ball up at a decent rate, but his shots were well off their mark. (Brian) … Struggled to find space and make an impact. (Sean) …  In his second start, again was unable to muster much up. (Ryan)

Saer Sene – Average Rating: 6.17 (Brian 5.5, Sean 6.5, Ryan 6.5)
Remarkable finish to deliver to the win, and made some nice runs in the first half. Second half, however, was a different story as he virtually disappeared before getting subbed. (Brian) … Great opening strike and through ball to set up Rowe. Doesn’t appear to be quite 90 minutes fit yet. (Sean) … Great finish and at times, held the ball very well. Was impressive with the ball at his feet (Ryan)

(sub) Fernando Cardenas – Average Rating: 4.17 (Brian 4, Sean 4.5, Ryan 4)
Didn’t add much to the attack; made a few nice moves but could’ve done better to find open teammates. (Brian) … A couple of nice moves in the box, but didn’t make a big impact off the bench. (Sean) … Not much from him, but nothing negative. (Ryan)

(sub) Alec Purdie – Average Rating: 4.83 (Brian 5, Sean 5.5, Ryan 4)
It wasn’t the most memorable debut, but he did what he needed to do: track back on defense and find open teammates. (Brian) … No shortage of effort and hard work from the rookie. (Sean) … First real minutes for the Revs and looked somewhat out of sync. (Ryan)