Player Ratings: #NEvHOU
- Updated: August 16, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
No doubt it was an eventful start to the game with Mother Nature dominating early, then again at halftime, by lighting up the sky above Gillette Stadium before the Revolution scored twice late to claim a 2-0 win over the Dynamo. The game was delayed twice for a total of 170 minutes.
The delays didn’t seem to help the visitors as they came out flat during the second half. The home side took advantage to take all three points in a must-win match to stay in the thick of a crowded playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
Bobby Shuttleworth – 6: Rarely tested as the visitors had a difficult time dealing with the conditions. Dynamo had total of 7 shots with just one shot on target. His biggest save may have been the errant clearance from Andrew Farrell to prevent an own goal in the 84th minute.
Jeremy Hall – 6.5: Another strong performance from the Revolution right back. Active going forward and getting involved in the attack. His 85 percent passing accuracy was excellent on the night considering the conditions. Did his job on defense shutting down the Dynamo on his right side.
Andrew Farrell – 6.5: Strong on the ball all night. His only mistake was the errant clearance that forced Bobby Shuttleworth into a save to prevent an own goal. Credited with nine clearances, two interceptions and six recoveries. Kept Will Bruin and “Cubo” Torres in check all night as neither was able to fire a single shot before the final whistle.
Jose Goncalves – 7.5: Back-to-back great performances from the Portuguese. His passing out from back field was effective, helping setting up the attack. Scored a great volley with his left foot. Looking more like the 2013 MLS Defensive Player of the Year, which is welcome news for the Revolution as they make their playoff push.
Chris Tierney – 6: Not as involved in the offense as usual, but he did set up Lee Nguyen on a point blank shot in the box that was saved by the Tyler Deric. Did his job on defense, credited with two tackles, three recoveries and an interception.
Jermaine Jones – 6: Decent showing for his first start since suffering a second groin injury back on May 31. Active for his 45 minutes on the pitch. The conditions definitely affected his passing accuracy as he was limited to 63 percent.
Scott Caldwell – 6: Worked hard all night, and effective connecting with his teammates. Helped out on defense with one tackle, two interceptions and five recoveries.
Kelyn Rowe – 6.5: Lively all night on both sides of the ball before he was subbed off due to an injury. Had a great attempt on goal from 25 yards out that forced a Save of the Week-caliber stop from Deric.
Diego Fagundez – 6.5: Strong performance. Had couple good attempts on goal, and worked some nice little combination plays which is his strength. Worked hard tracking back to help out the defense.
Lee Nguyen – 7.5: It was obvious that Houston’s game plan was to take away Nguyen by not giving him space in the middle and it worked for the most part in the first half as he did not see much of the ball. Despite that, he was all over the field in the second half, and looking more like the MVP Finalist we saw last year. He’s been on a tear the last five games with at least a goal or an assist in each. Making a strong case for a September call-up with friendlies against Peru and Brazil, the latter of which will take place at Gillette Stadium.
Charlie Davies – 6: Worked hard all night until he was subbed off. Did not see much of the ball with only four touches in the first half.
Subs:
Daigo Kobayashi – 6.5: Typical game from the Japanese. Strong work rate on both sides of the ball and was effective distributing the balls around the pitch for his 45 mins. It’s not a coincidence that the Revolution enjoyed much better possession game in the second half. Local supporters would love nothing more than to see him score his first goal in Revolution uniform.
Juan Agudelo – 7: Great hold up play for his 30 minutes on the pitch. Scored his fifth goal of the season which put the game out of reach and secured full three points for the Revolution late. Could this be the confidence boost he needed to get back in the starting 11?
Teal Bunbury – 5.5: Largely unnoticed during his 13 minutes on the pitch coming on for Rowe. As always, worked hard tracking back to help defense. Did not have enough time to make a real impact on offense.
Coach:
Jay Heaps – 6.5: Did a great job keeping his team focus mentally. The conditions were not ideal but his players rose to the challenge and delivered a big win for the home side.
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