Player Ratings: New England Revolution v. San Jose Earthquakes
- Updated: July 7, 2013
Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen put together a solid performance in Saturday’s 2-0 win over the Earthquakes. (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 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.
Bobby Shuttleworth – Average Rating: 6.67 (Brian 6.5, Sean 6.5, Ryan 7)
Won’t go down as his most active night, but the man between the sticks was quick off his line and distributed well with his defenders. Shaky on a 68th minute rip from Sam Cronin, but a solid performance otherwise. (Brian) … Probably one of the easiest nights of his career. Did what he needed to when called upon. (Sean) … Shuttleworth stopped both shots he faced but he should be given some credit to how organized the defense has played. (Ryan)
Chris Tierney – Average Rating: 6.33 (Brian 6, Sean 6.5, Ryan 6.5)
Heavily involved in many facets, and combined with Lee Nguyen often, a throwback to yesteryear in a sense. Passing was sound, and helped the attack build out of the back. (Brian) … Struggled to find teammates with his crosses, but otherwise worked well with Nguyen and played a strong game on both sides of the field. (Sean) … A lot of good play from the left back, including having to deal with Adam Jahn. He almost picked up an assist on a good service to Rowe, but his shot was wide. (Ryan)
Stephen McCarthy – Average Rating: 7 (Brian 7, Sean 7, Ryan 7)
Strong in the air, especially with the Quakes whipping a number of crosses in front of and into the area. Good vision, strong passes and a generally complete performance from the third-year pro. (Brian) … Great ball to spring Sene in on goal early. Did well handling long balls and cross from San Jose and played smart passes out of the back. (Sean) … McCarthy is gelling incredibly well with Goncalves and their size has been very helpful. You can see he’s becoming a focal point on corner kicks as well. (Ryan)
Jose Goncalves – Average Rating: 7 (Brian 7, Sean 7, Ryan 7)
You can pretty much cut and paste McCarthy’s assessment here. Helped combat a number of San Jose chances, and used his veteran guile to deflect some early pressure. (Brian) … Strong in the air like McCarthy and in general cerebral defending. (Sean) … Another strong performance from arguably the best player on the team. He’s been a very solid anchor for the defense. (Ryan)
Andrew Farrell – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 5.5, Sean 6, Ryan 6.5)
Not a terrible outing from the freshman fullback. Good ideas going forward, but was faked out of his boots on a couple of occasions. Otherwise, it was a performance to build on. (Brian) … Nearly had his first MLS goal, but for a lucky save from Busch. Did have some issues on the defensive end, but for the most part used his pace effectively. (Sean) … He did well to get forward and came inches away from his first MLS career goal. Shows a little vulnerability at times but does well to recover. (Ryan)
Lee Nguyen – Average Rating: 7.17 (Brian 7.5, Sean7.5, Ryan 6.5)
Helped orchestrate both goals, and linked well with Tierney. Against a defensively depleted unit, found space to roam and reminded us of how dangerous he can be when opportunities present themselves. (Brian) … Very active in the attack. Assisted both goals and had some dangerous shots of his own. After some shaky passes in the first 10 minutes, he looked like the Lee Nguyen of last year. (Sean) … Not exactly his best performance, but any day you walk away with both assists is a good result. He benefited from Sene’s blast on the first goal but worked hard to get the second, with a nice run into the area. (Ryan)
Scott Caldwell – Average Rating: 6.33 (Brian 5.5, Sean 6.5, Ryan 7)
Passing success rate was tremendous (87.5 percent), but he seemed to play too quick at times. Helped fortify the defense and generally worked the middle of the pitch well. (Brian) … More aggressive in the attack at times on top of his usual smart, relatively simple play. Good showing, but still could be more involved in the transition to offense. (Sean) … A real unsung hero, competing 21 of his 24 passes and really holding strong in the defensive mid role. His simple style is refreshing and continues to stretch the ball wide. (Ryan)
Kelyn Rowe – Average Rating: 6.17 (Bryan 6, Sean 6, Ryan 6.5)
Cast himself into the attacking efforts early, then disappeared midway through before reappearing on the scoring sequence in the 78th minute. Seemed to let others take the playmaking torch. (Brian) … At times it was possible to forget he was on the field. Other times he’d play a key role in dangerous Revolution attacks with some slick service. (Sean) … Rowe held the ball up nicely before laying it off to Nguyen who set up the second goal. He almost added his own assist later sending a floating ball to the back post that was saved. He’ll want to do better with his five shots, including his chance in the first half in the area where he could have pulled the trigger a touch earlier. (Ryan)
Diego Fagundez – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 6, Sean 5.5 Ryan 5)
Created a host of early opportunities, including Sene’s initial go second before the 13th minute goal. Passing failed him somewhat, but didn’t stop him from dragging away defenders and opening up space for the likes of Rowe and Farrell. (Brian) … Like Rowe, he drifted in and out of the game. Played some key passes, but also turned the ball over a few too many times. (Sean)
Saer Sene – Average Rating: 6.67 (Brian 7, Sean 6.5, Ryan 6.5)
An early threat, scored in the 13th minute, but also found two golden opportunities prior to his wunderstrike. Didn’t always make the smartest passes, but he was pretty effective nonetheless. (Brian) … Fantastic opening strike, though he had other chances he’ll want back and faded as the game got late. (Sean) … Sene had an absolute blast on the opening goal and made it look easy. The important part is that it’s his second game in a row going 90 minutes and he said he still isn’t 100%. (Ryan)
Chad Barrett – Average Rating: 6.17 (Brian 6, Sean 6, Ryan 6.5)
Seemed to do everything but score; savvy runs and smooth combination play with Caldwell and Rowe early put San Jose on its heels. (Brian) … Great runs and effort, but wasted a fantastic chance with a poorly weighted pass attempt and also failed to finish another good chance. (Sean) … Barrett did well in his first start in a long time but was missing his finishing touch. He had a couple of opportunities that he will want back, but there shouldn’t be any second-guessing his scoring ability. (Ryan)
(sub) Dimitry Imbongo – Average Rating: 6.83 (Brian 6.5, Sean 6.5, Ryan 7.5)
What more can you ask from an attacking sub? It wasn’t always pretty, but Sene’s tag team partner found the scoresheet in the 78th minute and could’ve had another goal in the 80th minute. (Brian) … Came off the bench, got in good positions, and finished a chance when it came his way. Could’ve had a second if not for a great save from Busch. (Sean) … He was very active, pestering the defense and worked hard to find the back of the net for a much needed second goal. He came very close to adding a second when he headed a Rowe cross towards net, but Jon Busch made a key save. (Ryan)
(sub) Juan Toja – Average Rating: N/A
Not enough time to make an impact
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