Player Ratings: New England Revolution at Sporting Kansas City

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 Sean Donahue and Brian O’Connell contributed ratings for the Revs 1-1 draw with Kansas City.

Matt Reis – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 6, Sean 5)
Nice bounce on the pass to Lekic for the goal, and made a nice save on Kei Kamara’s shot in the 66th. A couple of hiccups, but a solid performance. (Brian) … Huge save on Kamara, but was lucky not to be punished for some of his earlier miscues. (Sean)

Kevin Alston was our Man of the Match on Saturday. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

Darrius Barnes – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 6, Sean 5)
Played confident in the rear, and limited K.C. on the right flank. Sound play from start to finish. (Brian) … Decent outing out of position at left back, but it was his mishit header that led to Soares red card. (Sean)

A.J. Soares – Average Rating: 5.75 (Brian 6, Sean 5.5)
Red card was harsh as replays showed he made a clean tackle on C.J. Sapong. Despite the ejection, he canceled Kamara out for much of the match. (Brian) … Can’t fault him on the red card, but communication between the center backs was a bit lacking.

Franco Coria – Average Rating: 5 (Brian 6, Sean 4)
Had a shaky beginning, but recovered well by sealing up the back with good positioning. (Brian) … Let Sapong run right by him, forcing Soares into the tackle leading to his red. Slow to react to Bravo’s run on the equalizing goal. Too much space giving up in the center of the defense all night. (Sean)

Kevin Alston – Average Rating: 8 (Brian 8, Sean 8 )
Gutsy performance all around for the injured right back; single-handedly shut down K.C.’s left corridor; played his best match of the season. (Brian)… Fantastic performance from Alston, possibly the best of his career. Not only shut down his flank, but on several occasions bailed out the rest of the defense with last ditch tackles. Did all this despite carrying an obvious knock. (Sean)

Stephen McCarthy – Average Rating: 6.5 (Brian 7, Sean 6)
Distribution was sharp, touches good, and looked like he was on his way to another fine game until he came out with an injury in the 35th. (Brian) … Looked sharp until forced to leave injured. Seems to be gaining in confidence. (Sean)

Shalrie Joseph – Average Rating: 7.25 (Brian 7, Sean 7.5)
One-man wrecking crew; pushed up, dropped back, and commanded the midfield well. (Brian) … Faulted recently for not having the impact we’re used to seeing, but Joseph was back to his dominant self on Saturday, breaking up plays defensively and playing a huge role in the offense. (Sean)

Pat Phelan – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 5.5, Sean 5.5)
Tracked back well, but seemed hesitant about pushing up. (Brian)  … Active in front of the defense, but rarely involved in the attack. (Sean)

Benny Feilhaber – Average Rating: 6.5 (Brian 6, Sean 7)
Passes were sharp, corners were good, and helped the Revs assert themselves. (Brian) … Great effort from Feilhaber who was active in the offense and made some big plays defensively. Some of his set pieces, particularly his corner kicks, were lacking a bit. (Sean)

Zack Schilawski – Average Rating: 4.75 (Brian 5, Sean 5):
Minimal contributions to the attack – almost forgot he was on the pitch until he came off late. (Brian) … Worked hard tracking back, but didn’t add much to the offense. (Sean)

Rajko Lekic – Average Rating: 6.25 (Brian 6.5, Sean 6)
Finished well on the goal, but once again, his positioning remains an ongoing issue. (Brian) … Good goal, but touch still was lacking at times. (Sean)

(sub) Kenny Mansally – Average Rating: 4.75 (Brian 5, Sean 4.5)
Disappointing appearance, and soft defending led to Bunbury’s equalizer. (Brian) … Looked a bit lost on the equalizer and was a bit selfish at times in the attack. (Sean)

(sub) Sainey Nyassi – Average Rating: 5.25 (Brian 5.5, Sean 5)
Looked dangerous in space, but with the Revs sitting back late, his chances were few and far in between. (Brian) … Used his pace to good effect at times, but looked to shoot rather than pass in a few instances where he had better options. (Sean)

(sub) Ryan Guy – Average Rating: 5 (Brian 5, Sean 5)
Bit on the dummy during the Bunbury goal sequence, but otherwise, had a decent showing with K.C. pushing late. (Brian) … Worked valiantly out of position, but at least partly at fault for Bunbury’s goal. (Sean)

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