Player Ratings: Nashville SC vs. Toronto FC

Nashville SC grabbed a late stoppage-time winner to win 3-2 against Toronto FC Wednesday night. 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 – 7: Only two saves for Willis, who was not at fault for the two goals he conceded.

Daniel Lovitz – 7.8: Missed the tackle that sprung Toronto on the opening goal, but did provide Haakenson with the assist for the match-winner.

Dave Romney – 6.8: Solid, but probably should have covered the near post on his marking a bit better on Toronto’s second goal.

Jack Maher – 7.8: Really grew into the match after being recalled from his loan spell. Also had a clever finish on the corner for Nashville’s first goal.

Alistar Johnston – 7.8:  Johnston was a constant threat down the right with his crossing that led to some great chances. Needed to man-mark a bit better on Toronto’s first goal.

Dax McCarty – 7.3: Had the highest passing accuracy (94%) and was a pitbull winning the ball.

Anibal Godoy – 7.3: Saw the most amount of touches (98) and passes (87), highlighting his importance in this lineup.

Alex Muyl – 6.3: Quiet showing for Muyl, who got a yellow for a pretty reckless challenge. Still had a 93.3% pass accuracy on his limited passes, so he was efficient.

Hany Mukhtar –7 : Mukhtar looked disconnected with his one-touch passes, and had two quality chances. One was a point-blank header that was a fantastic save, but the other was on a break with all the time in the world begging to be buried. Still, he delivered a superb corner for Nashville’s first goal.

Randall Leal – 7.3: Continues to be Nashville’s most dangerous threat in terms of shots on goal.

CJ Sapong – 6.8: Did a decent job leading the line, but it’s clear that his role is better suited as an option off the bench instead of an every-game starter.

SUBS

Luke Haakenson – 9: The moment wasn’t too big for super-sub Haakenson, who cooly took both of his chances for the equalizer and game-winner which proved to be the difference. 

Rodrigo Piñeiro – 6.5: Loly looked excellent in his runs and dribbling, not shying away from defenders at all. Is he poised for his breakout in the second half of the year?

MANAGER

Gary Smith – 7.8: Limited in his attacked options off the bench and facing a deficit, Smith had to pull out all the stops in what was a pretty subpar performance from his side all things considered. Of course, the absence of Zimmerman and having only a couple of healthy strikers did hinder his selection a bit. Regardless, Smith has to be commended for trusting in Haakenson as a substitute and starting Maher after he returned from his loan, which ultimately made the difference in this 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!

Author: Andy Simmonsjoined Speedway Soccer after stints with Golden Goal and 615 Formation. A former journalist now in web development, Simmons also previously worked for Main Street Media and Gannett. A student of the game, Simmons has been playing soccer his entire life and participates in several adult soccer leagues around town. When he is not playing soccer, you can find him at brunch, rewatching Rick and Morty or The Office, doing a mock draft for fantasy football, or complaining about Arsenal.