New England Soccer Today

Player Ratings: New England Revolution vs. FC Dallas

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 New England Revolution’s 2-0 victory over FC Dallas.

Matt Reis – Average Rating: 7 (Brian 7, Sean 7)
Stopped everything that came his way, and seemed in synch with his defenders all night. Only mistake was the backpass handling, which could’ve turned out disastrous. (Brian) … Can’t ask for anything more than a shutout and Reis made some strong saves to get it. (Sean)

Darrius Barnes – Average Rating: 5.75 (Brian 6, Sean 5.5)
Faced a tough challenge from Shea and passed; heady shot on goal in the 74th minute forced an acrobatic save from Hartman. (Brian) … Needed to close Loyd faster, but otherwise solid performance defensively and put an impressive shot from distance on target. (Sean)

Franco Coria – Average Rating: 4.75 (Brian 4.5, Sean 5)
Mistake-free for much of the night, but should have closed in on Santos more often. (Brian) … A few poor challenges and poor decisions, but otherwise a decent match. (Sean)

A.J. Soares – Average Rating: 5.5 (Brian 5.5, Sean 5.5)
Took a few knocks and while he had a better game than Wednesday night’s forgettable performance, he wasn’t in top form; snuffed out a would-be goal in the 52nd minute. (Brian) … Some brave defending helped the Revs keep the shutout. (Sean)

Kevin Alston – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6, Sean 6)
Made a few crucial tackles inside the box and stepped up on the flank; kept his cool with Villar continually in his face. (Brian) … Smartly stayed back more and kept Dallas mostly ineffective down his flank. (Sean)

Chris Tierney – Average Rating:  5.25 (Brian 5.5, Sean 5)
Somewhat of a quiet night for the left winger, but service was good and worked the ball particularly well with Joseph. (Brian) … Service was a bit inconsistent. (Sean)

Benny Feilhaber – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6, Sean 6)
Set pieces were lacking, but sent a perfect ball on the Lekic goal; workrate was strong all night. (Brian) … Good shot from distance and overall good involvement in the attack. (Sean)

Shalrie Joseph5.25 (Brian 5, Sean 5.5)
Aside from the goal, had a dismal first half; second half was a different story, as he started to win more battles in the midfield. (Brian) … Not his best game, but goal was impressive. (Sean)

Monsef Zerka – Average Rating: 5.25 (Brian 5, Sean 5.5)
Beautiful delivery on the Joseph goal, but didn’t have the same bite he had in Philly; still needs time to mesh with his ‘mates. (Brian) … Great cross and continues to show good off the ball movement, but passing was a bit off. (Sean)

Milton Caraglio – Average Rating: 4.25 (Brian 4, Sean 4.5)
Looked slow, and the finishing was missing all night; aside from the Joseph goal buildup, added little to the attack. (Brian) … Touch let him down on a few occasions and struggled to find space. Good back heel to Zerka. (Sean)

Rajko Lekic – Average: 7.25 (Brian 7.5, Sean 7)
Phenomenal all-around performance; right place at the right time often, and really enhanced the Revs attack from start to finish. (Brian) … Back to back fantastic performances from Lekic, who is thriving partnered with Caraglio. (Sean)

(sub) Ryan Cochrane – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6, Sean 6):
Sublime flick on the Lekic goal; actually became an asset in the waning minutes. (Brian) … Impressive assist on Lekic’s goal and few mistakes after entering for Coria. (Sean)

(sub) Kenny Mansally – Average Rating: 4.5 (Brian 4.5, Sean 4.5)
Carved out some curious runs; didn’t seem to be on the same page with Lekic or his supporting cast. (Brian) … Runs and effort were there. Results and passing weren’t. (Sean)

(sub) Ryan Guy – Average Rating: 5.75 (Brian 6, Sean 5.5)
Effort on both side of the pitch was tremendous; tracked down every ball within a 20-yard radius. (Brian) … Brought great energy in his short stint off the bench. (Sean)

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