Player Ratings: New England Revolution v. Los Angeles Galaxy

Fagundez stood out among a host of good performances. (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 contributed ratings for the New England Revolution’s 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Bobby Shuttleworth – Average Rating: 6.75 (Brian 6.5, Sean 7)
It might be easy to forget considering the scoreline, but Shuttleworth came up big in the first half. Made a number of important stops when the game was close, effective off his line and clean up the few mistakes the back four made. (Brian) … If not for Shuttleworth’s strong play in the first half when the Galaxy had the upper hand, the result could’ve been very different. Struggled a bit with the wind, but still made some difficult saves to get the clean sheet. (Sean)

Chris Tierney – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6, Sean 6)
Once again, the veteran defender made a number of runs in the attacking third, but stayed true to his defensive responsibilities for the most part. Short passes were good, the longer ones left a little to be desired. (Brian) … Solid showing defensively and put in some dangerous balls when he got forward. Still, not his best passing night percentage wise. (Sean)

Stephen McCarthy – Average Rating: 5.75 (Brian 6, Sean 5.5)
Strong inside the 18, although Shuttleworth had to bail him out with Zardes breathing down his back in the first half; linked with the midfielders well, but not as strong when playing it over the top. (Brian) … Recovered from some first half struggles to put together a strong second half. Came close to scoring early with a header off a set piece. (Sean)

Jose Goncalves –  Average Rating: 7 (Brian 7, Sean 7)
A standard Goncalves performance; muscled Galaxy attackers off the ball, made a number of timely recoveries, directed his defenders well and essentially did everything that was asked of him. (Brian) … Perhaps pushed his luck at times with some physical defending in and around the box, but overall Goncalves put in a fantastic showing. Distribution did leave a bit to be desired at times. (Sean)

Andrew Farrell – Average Rating: 5 (Brian 5, Sean 5)
Unafraid to rip the ball away from Stephens and Juninho and played a strong brand of defensive football, but lost his form beyond the halfway line; distribution near the final third was suspect, at best. (Brian) … Inability to make a final pass really limits his usefulness in the attack. Caught forward on a few occasions leaving McCarthy exposed and forcing him to foul on a couple of instances. Still made some impressive recoveries. (Sean)

Scott Caldwell – Average Rating: 4.75 (Brian 4.5, Sean 5)
His early struggles allowed the Galaxy to run rampant in the first half; tried as he may, he was no match for Sarvas and Juninho, although he picked up his game in the later stages. (Brian) … Had a tough task with Juninho and Sarvas on the other side, but struggled to slow the pair down in the first half. (Sean)

Diego Fagundez – Average Rating: 8.25 (Brian 8, Sean 8.5)
Is there anything the teen sensation couldn’t do on Sunday? Amazing touch on Sene’s goal, great awareness on the quick restart that led to Nguyen’s call, sensational run into area for the goal and simply put, just amazing on the ball. (Brian) … Nearly a perfect performance. Showed awareness beyond his years in setting up the first two goals and then scored a fantastic goal off his own. Can perhaps be faulted for holding the ball a bit too long on a couple of occasions, but otherwise a fantastic outing. (Sean)

Juan Toja – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6, Sean 6)
Dropping back as the defensive mid, Toja’s desire to win the ball at any cost was evident often; wasn’t the prettiest performance, but his presence in the space between the midfielders and defenders did well to frustrate the Galaxy. (Brian) … Has been faulted in the past for not always being on the same page of his teammates, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday. Though he wasn’t at the forefront of the offense Toja did well helping the team maintain possession and smartly dropped back on a couple of occasions when Tierney venture forward. Effort to help defensively was apparent. Completed 90% of his passes. (Sean)

Lee Nguyen – Average Rating: 5.75 (Brian 5.5, Sean 6)
Quietly effective, although seemed to drop back way too often in the early going; once the attack got going, he followed suit, and did well to avoid the woodwork this week. (Brian) … Great goal and created a couple of dangerous chances for his teammates, but turned the ball over more than usual. (Sean)

Juan Agudelo – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6, Sean 6)
Linked well with Fagundez and his fellow midfielders, and essentially kept the attack firing on all cylinders in the second half. He may not have scored, but the Revolution attack doesn’t come alive without his behind-the-scenes efforts. (Brian) … A quality outing with some good hold-up work and did his part to help the Revolution maintain possession. (Sean)

Saer Sene – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 5.5, Sean 5.5)
Great finish on the goal, and seemed to get in rhythm with Fagundez. Defensive effort wasn’t sensational, but admirable nonetheless. (Brian) … At times he looked ineffective on the wings, at others there’d be a moment of brilliance like his goal that served as a reminder of why he was out there. One of the least involved of the starters, partially due to the Revolution’s offensive explosion not occurring till after he was subbed out. Needlessly caught offside on a few occasions.  (Sean)

(sub) Jerry Bengtson – Average Rating: 4 (Brian 4, Sean 4)
Positioning better of the bench, but teammates seemed to shy away from using him as an option late; lost possession too often and never got on the same frequency with his teammates. (Brian) … Struggled to win any of the Revolution’s long balls and didn’t help keep possession. (Sean)

(sub) Kelyn Rowe – Average Rating: 7 (Brian 6.5, Sean 7.5)
Wasted no time fitting right into the attack off the bench; connected with Fagundez and Agudelo, and his late score was simply the icing on the cake. (Brian) … A great goal and two assists off the bench in a great showing. Only blemish was the yellow card he picked up. (Sean)

(sub) Chad Barrett – Average Rating: 6.75 (Brian 6.5, Sean 7)
Kept possession, which is all you can ask for from a striker off the bench. The goal, of course, only made it sweeter for the ex-Galaxy forward. (Brian) … Goal, assist, 5 for 5 passing all after coming on in the 88^th minute? Hard to top that in such limited minutes. (Sean)

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