A big 2nd half propelled Nashville SC to the MLS Cup Eastern Conference Semifinals after it defeated Orlando City SC 3-1 Tuesday.
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 – 5.3: Only one save on the night for Willis, who faced two shots on target.
Eric Miller – 6.5: Miller played on the right wing, with Johnston sliding into the RCB slot. His passing wasn’t the most on point, but he did win half of his duels.
Dan Lovitz – 7.3:  Probably should not have been marking Darryl Dike on the Orlando goal, but made up for it with the long ball over the top to Jhonder Cadiz that led to the third goal.
Walker Zimmerman – 8.8: Zimmerman continues his excellent defensive form for club and country, registering the most tackles and had 10 clearances.
Jack Maher – 7.8: Maher played very well in his not normal left side, but he will need to work on his aerial abilities since he lost more duels in the air than he won.
Alistar Johnston – 7.5:  Johnston completed the most passes (48) out of all Nashville SC players from the RCB spot, a position he’s familiar with during his international duty with Canada.
Anibal Godoy – 8.3: Provided the assist to Mukhtar on the equalizer and completed every long ball he attempted.
Dax McCarty – 6.5:  A rather uncharacteristic game for McCarty, who still completed 88% of his passes, but won two duels and lost eight.
Hany Mukhtar – 9.5: A brace from Mukhtar helped the side advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Although the first was a result of a deflection, his ability to create those chances on the dribble was on full display. Defenders will be wary of giving the MLS MVP candidate any type of space with the ball moving forward.
Randall Leal – 6.8: Not a lot of action from Leal, with only one shot on target on the night, but did complete 89% of his passes.
CJ Sapong – 7.8: Sapong might have had his best performance as far as hold up play goes, allowing those around him to find space to exploit while he was on the ball, such as the assist he provided Mukhtar.
SUBS
Jalil Anibaba – 6: Anibaba hasn’t seen the field since the summer, but came on after Nashville SC went up 2-1 and had two clearances.
Jhonder Cadiz – 7:  Gathered up Dan Lovitz’s long ball in the dying seconds of the match, shrugging off a defender and finishing his chance well to seal the Nashville SC victory.
Alex Muyl – 6: Brought on for defensive purposes to see out the Nashville victory.
Brian Anunga – 6:  Also brought on late to bring some steel to the middle and to help preserve the win.
MANAGER
Gary Smith – 8.5: Barring Dave Romney’s absence, this was Smith’s strongest side and formation he could throw out against Orlando City. Normally criticized for trying to preserve the draw, Smith made it clear he wanted to exploit Orlando with the way his side attacked in the second half, while also keeping his defensive prowess. If the side is able to replicate that same type of play from the second half, it will be a force to be reckoned with and considered a serious threat to lifting the MLS Cup.
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.
