Nashville SC picked up its first-ever victory against rival FC Cincinnati Saturday in a 3-0 route.
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 – 6.5: Wasn’t too particularly busy since Cincinnati had zero shots on target, but I’m sure he won’t complain, as it still goes down as another clean sheet, his league-leading seven of the season.
Dave Romney – 7.3: Want to know what was more impressive than Romney’s defense? He completed 90% of his passes out of the backline.
Jalil Anibaba – 7.8: Anibaba won an astonishing 75% of his duels on the night and registered two tackles to his name.
Eric Miller – 7.8: Miller was exceptional in shifting over as the right center back, and really made life difficult for Brenner.
Taylor Washington – 7.8: Washington might’ve had the moment of the match with his chase down and dispossession on a Cincinnati break-away to preserve the shut out.
Dax McCarty – 7: McCarty shifted back more to the middle after playing a deep-lying 6 against Columbus and helped keep Cincinnati at bay with its possession.
Brian Anunga – 8: Anunga had two tackles and won 63% of his duels. He’s really coming along as Nashville’s central midfielder in Godoy’s absence.
Dylan Nealis – 6.7: Not Nealis’ best performance on the wing, but still put in a good shift and made some good defensive plays until he was subbed out at halftime in favor of Matt LaGrassa.
Hany Mukhtar – 9: Two assists for Nashville’s number 10 on the night, including a whipped-in free-kick from the right that found the head of CJ Sapong. It might be time to start considering Mukhtar as a darkhorse in the MVP race.
Randall Leal – 8.5: Leal got on the scoresheet for the first time since Nashville’s May 23 clash with Austin FC on a well-timed run in the box.
CJ Sapong – 9.8: Two goals and an assist for Nashville’s main talisman capped off a great performance. He’s firmly locked in as Nashville’s center striker until otherwise.
SUBS
Matt LaGrassa – 6.7: LaGrassa was brought in at halftime to sure up the middle of the park a bit. He completed 50% of his duels, registered a tackle, and completed 87% of his passes. A good bounce-back performance from his outing at Columbus.
Alex Muyl – 6: Muyl came in and put in a good shift, completing all of his passes.
Ake Loba – 6.5: No shots for Loba this match, but it’s clear he’s going to make an impact for this side sooner rather than later.
Luke Haakenson – 6: Came in during the final few minutes in relief of McCarty.
Abu Danladi – 6: Also came in as a closer and to get some minutes.
MANAGER
Gary Smith – 9.8: Smith’s side was in complete control the entire match even though they were not on the ball as much as Cincinnati. Even with limited personnel, the defensive system he’s implemented is stifling the opposition. He seems to have found the right formula up top with Leal, Mukhtar, and Spaong, with the trio combining for 25 G/A’s so far. The Boys in Gold are firmly secured in the top 4 of the Eastern Conference, and can only finish as low as 4th depending on Sunday’s match results. The next three matches, including an away date with first-place New England, will tell us more about this side can maintain its good form.
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!
