Nashville SC gave up a late penalty to LA Galaxy that saw the ‘Yotes draw 1-1 Saturday at Geodis Park.
Below are our player ratings.
Each member of the Speedway Soccer crew gives each player that saw the pitch a rating based on their match performance. Below is a quick guideline for our evaluation process.
- A rating of 6 denotes an average performance. Each player starts out with a 6 and their performance either adds or subtracts from that rating.
- Scores are determined after re-watching the match and looking at the stats, and are the averaged total of each Speedway member’s ratings.
Joe Willis – 8.5: Willis was a beast between the posts, logging seven saves on the day. One of the saves included a penalty save against Chicarito. Unfortunately, though, he could not make it two-for-two on his penalty saves, as Riqui Puig converted the late penalty that sealed the draw.
Daniel Lovitz – 6.5: Only completed 20% of his long balls and lost both of his ground duels, so it wasn’t Lovitz’s most memorable day, but he’ll more than likely bounce back.
Shaq Moore – 7: Caused the foul on a shoulder bump in the box that led to the Galaxy’s first penalty opportunity, which Willis saved.
Dave Romney – 7.5: Had three clearances and made seven recoveries, as well as won 67% of his aerial duels.
Walker Zimmerman – 5.5:  Called for a handball in the box late into the match that led to the equalizer and a second yellow card that led to a red, which will force Zimmerman to miss the pivotal away fixture against Austin FC.
Anibal Godoy – 6.8: Godoy completed all 25 of his passes before being subbed off early in the second half. Also had one blocked shot and one tackle.
Sean Davis – 7: Davis was once again not that involved in the midfield on the ball, as he only had 25 touches. He did have two tackles though, and won half of his duels.
Jacob Shaffelburg – 6.3: Even with one of his least effective games since coming to Nashville, Shaffelburg’s ability to run at defenders with the ball continues to be a bright spot for the ‘Yotes, as he helped create two chances.
Randall Leal – 6.3: Leal was successful on one of his three attempts at dribbling past opposition, and did have one attempt outside the box.
CJ Sapong – 6: Sapong’s goal drought continues on, and it’s more concerning that he didn’t even attempt a shot on the day. For a team looking to continue it’s playoff push, a good run of form for Sapong would be quite helpful in Nashville’s efforts.
Hany Mukhtar – 7.8: Answered the call to convert the penalty that was awarded to Nashville SC for a handball on his free kick fand delivered the goods like Mukhtar always does. Also created the most chances for Nashville with three.
SUBS
Dax McCarty (on 58’) – 6: Completed 80% of his passes and won half of his ground duels upon his introduction to the match.
Teal Bunbury (on 58′) – 5.5: Only had one shot that was a bit optimistic from his end. Held on to the ball a bit too long at times as well.
Luke Haakenson (on 71′) – 6: Only touched the ball four times, but did win 67% of his duels.
Alex Muyl (on 71′) – 5.5: Completed both passes and had two clearances during his defensive shift.
Jack Maher (on 81′) – 5.5: Had one clearance as he was brought on to finish up
MANAGER
Gary Smith – 7: Despite the last-second equalizer, Smith’s side are still on a five-match unbeaten run. Yes, the three points would have been nice, but the draw won’t break this side who still played exceptionally despite being outpossessed (68-32) and Galaxy having a higher xG (2.77 compared to Nashville’s 1.5). Part of Nashville’s success can definitely be attributed to how good Joe Willis was though as well. Nashville now gets a shot of doing a double against Austin FC, which would certainly bolster its chances of hosting a home playoff match.
What say you? Do you agree or disagree with our match ratings? Feel free to reach out to us on Twitter and let us know your thoughts.
