Sporting KC scored twice in a comeback effort against 10-man Nashville to secure a 2-1 victory. 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 of our evaluation process.
- A rating of 6 denotes and 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 – 6.3:  Despite the two goals given up, Willis had a decent outing between the pipes. The defense should not have allowed the first to go through, and there are not many keepers in the world, if any, who are stopping this.
Daniel Lovitz – 6: Got caught flat-footed on the first goal when his man beat him. A rare dud for someone who has been consistently solid this entire year.
Dave Romney – 6.3:  Also should have marked Gerso better on the first goal and cut off the pass to him. Had a few key blocks, but the defensive lapse really cost his side.
Walker Zimmerman – 7.8: Textbook header from Zimmerman on the goal for Nashville, but we all know how good he was in the air. Subbed out in the 64th minute, however, for a potential knock.
Alistar Johnston – 5: Really tough outing for Johnston, who’s night ended prematurely after a needless challenge from behind that resulted in his second yellow.
Dax McCarty – 7: Solid as ever in the middle, and played some great switches across field. SKC seemed to overrun the middle once Nashville was reduced to 10-men though.
Brian Anunga – 5.8: Anunga just looked out of place tonight. He worked really hard to win some balls, but it was evident that he doesn’t bring the same type of physicality that Anibal Godoy.
Alex Muyl – 7.5: Was really good not only with the ball at his feet, but also tracking back and helping out in defense.
Derrick Jones – 7: His holdup play was much better than it has been in previous matches. I’d like to see him be more aggressive on set pieces going forward with his big frame.
Randall Leal – 8: Leal was really on his A-game, looking to go at the SKC defense with the ball at his feet and have looks at goal, including an early shot that rattled the bar. Also served up a great ball to Zimmerman on the corner for the goal.
Abu Danladi – 7.3: Pretty good showing from Danladi on his runs behind the defense. I imagine he’ll be back as the focal point of the attack Wednesday as well.
Subs
Eric Miller – 6: Miller’s first apperance in ages came due to Johnston’s red card as a defensive reinforcement. Like his previous showings, however, it was forgettable.
Taylor Washington – 6: Washington lined up on the right side of the field in relief of Muyl. He also was a defensive shift for Smith after the red card.
Jalil Anibaba –6: Had to step in for Zimmerman after his knock, and commanded the defense as well as he could.
Jack Maher – 6.5: Nashville’s first Super Draft pick came on as Smith was shifting to five at the back to preserve the scoreline. He had some good moments, and you could see why Nashville is so high on him.
Matt LaGrassa – 6.3: A late sub that was more done to probably give Derrick Jones some relief on a short few days.
Manager
Gary Smith – 7: Unfortunately for Smith, he had to make quite the shifts in his lineup and tactics once Johnston was sent off, pivoting to a five at the back system. He also had to withdraw his top defender, which didn’t help the cause in trying to preserve the draw. The attacking portion of the squad did look much more formidable than it has in the past few weeks, which is encouraging.
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!
