New England Soccer Today

Player Ratings: New England Revolution vs. Colorado Rapids

Fernando Cardenas and Saer Sene both put in strong performances for the Revs on Wednesday. (Photo: Tony Biscaia/RevsNet)

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 Julian Cardillo  contributed ratings for the New England Revolution’s 2-1 win over Colorado.

Matt Reis – Average Rating: 6.67 (Brian 6.5, Sean 6.5, Julian 7)
Wasn’t tested often, but delivered when called upon. Big saves on Cummings and Castrillon helped him earn his well-deserved 100th win. (Brian) … Relatively easy night with most of his six saves fairly easy, but did make a pair of important saves to preserve the Revs slim lead and grab his 100th victory. (Sean) …  Reis finally got his 100th win, despite it not being a shutout. six good saves and good command of his box. (Julian)

Chris Tierney – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 6, Sean 5, Julian 5.5)
Stayed back more than usual to keep tabs on Cascio, yet provided good service when he pushed up. Quality start overall. (Brian) … Service and passing was inconsistent and struggled with Cummings early, but got better as the game went on. (Sean)  … Had a quiet game. Good moves in the attack, not so much defending against speedy attackers. (Julian)

A.J. Soares – Average Rating: 6.17 (Brian 6.5, Sean 6, Julian 6)
Another strong performance; kept Rivero quiet and helped McCarthy neutralize Cummings. (Brian) … Solid night, though a few more misplayed passes than usual from him. (Sean) … Looked comfortable but you have to wonder where he was on the corner. (Julian)

Stephen McCarthy – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 5.5, Sean 5.5, Julian 5.5)
Had his hands full with Cummings and largely limited him; outmuscled Tyrone Marshall to set up Sene’s goal. (Brian) …  A miscommunication or two with Barnes and struggled a bit on a couple occasions, but  overall held his own and did well to get his head to the ball and assist Sene’s goal. (Sean) … Gave the ball away a few times and definitely should have prevented Castrillon from scoring Colorado’s goal. (Julian)

Kevin Alston – Average Rating: 6.33 (Brian 6.5, Sean 6.5, Julian 6)
Added some much needed pace to the attack, and stayed true to his defensive duties; unfortunate to have his night end early due to illness. (Brian) … Looked to be having his best game of the season before sickness cut it short. (Sean) … Was in the game for just a half hour but did well to integrate into the attack. (Julian)

Benny Feilhaber – Average Rating: 5 (Brian 5, Sean 4.5, Julian 5.5)
Generally inconsistent – pushed forward, got involved in the attack, but execution was off. Completed only 64% of his passes (32 of 50). (Brian) … Set pieces were poor, passing accuracy was below his standards and overall Feilhaber just looked rusty and not yet 100% fit. (Sean) … Dispossessed way to easily at times and his set pieces were lacking. (Julian)

Shalrie Joseph – Average Rating: 5.83 (Brian 5.5, Sean 6, Julian 6)
Played a quiet, yet sound game in the center; pushed up when Moreno seemed to lose his legs. (Brian) … Solid, if unspectacular, performance from Joseph. Provided a needed calming presence on the ball and did well aiding the team in the transition from defense to attack. (Sean) …  Didn’t get as involved as he could in the attack, but was the usual general in the midfield. (Julian)

Clyde Simms – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6, Sean 6, Julian 6.5)
Plugged the holes in the rear, distribution excellent; only blemish was his indecision on the Castrillon goal. (Brian) … Good cross to set up Sene’s goal and put in his usual strong performance with solid defensive work and smart passing, but what was he doing running away from the ball on the Rapid’s goal? (Sean) … Cleaned up the midfield nicely and really aided during transitions. Good vision to pick out McCarthy on the first goal. (Julian)

Fernando Cardenas – Average Rating: 6.5 (Brian 6.5, Sean 6.5, Julian 6.5)
Looked dangerous from the start and displayed good vision on his passes; skillful chip on the goal. (Brian) … A bit lucky to catch Pickens off guard with the chip, but a great goal nonetheless. We knew he could dribble, but end product clearly showed improvement on Wednesday, despite a few misplayed passes in the final third. (Sean) … Definitely a catalyst tonight. Got involved and scored a fanstastic goal. (Julian)

Saer Sene – Average Rating: 6.83 (Brian 7, Sean 7, Julian 6.5)
Wild miss on first bid gives way to superb volley on goal, and nice ball to set up Cardenas. Defensive effort there, as well. (Brian) … Still questions on his shooting accuracy with some poor shots, but took his best chance well to score the equalizer and did well to set up Cardenas. (Sean) … Led the attack with a goal and an assist. Great movement and vision all night. (Julian)

Jose Moreno – Average Rating: 4.5 (Brian 4, Sean 4, Julian 5.5)
Invisible for much of the match; added a few short passes in the attacking third but was a non-factor. (Brian) … I know Moreno wasn’t brought in to defend, but his marking on set pieces is a liability. For the second week in a row he lost his man on a corner. Last week he was bailed out by Dax McCarty hitting the post, this week Castrillon scored. Other than that, Moreno struggled to make an impact in the attack. (Sean) … Still getting acclimated to his new teammates, but combined well a few times with Sene and Cardenas. (Julian)

(sub) Darrius Barnes – Average Rating: 5.17 (Brian 4.5, Sean 5, Julian 6):
Shaky performance in first minutes of season, though seemed to improve as the game progressed. (Brian) … Early on he looked like someone that hadn’t played a lot of minutes this season. Misread a bounce on the turf to give the Rapids a chance and a few issues of miscommunication, but held his own as the match went on. (Sean) … Played well at right back off the bench, some glimpses of flair when he came all the way forward to attack. (Julian)

(sub) Lee Nguyen – Average Rating: 5.83 (Brian 6, Sean 5.5, Julian 6)
Good work off the bench; compass pointed to Rapids’ backline and also chipped in on defense. (Brian) … Lively off the bench, but completed under 50% of his passes. (Sean) … Added a hard working ethic to the attack that could have been there had he started. (Julian)

(sub) Bjorn Runstrom – Average Rating: 4.5 (Brian 4.5, Sean 4.5, Julian 4.5)
Unremarkable cameo. (Brian) … Once again came into a match with the Revs struggling to hold possession and create chances. Didn’t make an impact, but didn’t get much of a chance to. (Sean) … Still not finding himself with the team. (Julian)

One Comment

Leave a Reply to KidKalikCancel reply