Envious of other countries that have Sunday (even Saturday evening) papers filled with player ratings to let you know how everyone performed at a glance, even subjectively? Nostalgic for the days that USA TODAY had ratings for MLS? Tired of poring through 15 different game reports on 15 different sites and blogs that don’t tell you whether your fantasy left back performed semi-capably?
In this day of DIY media, why can’t we do this ourselves?
Here’s the plan: Each week, we need one or two people to volunteer to rate a game. I’m reserving the right to turn people down if I don’t think they’re going to be objective about it, and anyone who comes in and rates every home team player a 10 won’t be considered for ratings down the road. We’re not looking for Fanzone here — we want actual information from people who watched the game in detail.
We also want a little bit more than a number. It could be something like “Donovan: 7 – missed one early chance but sprang Buddle for equalizer with deft touch.” Or “Dure: 2 – repeatedly beaten for pace, most attempted clearances intercepted, at fault on all six goals. Gets a 2 rather than a 1 just for sheer effort and avoidance of yellow card.”
The ratings also should help us track tactical changes each team is making. Lead off the report with any changes in the side since the last game and give us at least a solid guess at the formation. That usually means taking what you see on the broadcast and then giving it a reality check once the game is underway. (Also, this is easier if you’re in the stadium and can see the whole field, so anyone who’s at a game gets priority if we have several volunteers.)
I’ll try one tonight for Metapan-Seattle, though I may be at the mercy of the broadcast feed for CONCACAF games. Hopefully, I’ll at least give us a template to go by.
For now, send in your ratings as comments — I’ll set up a post to collect them. We might change that system down the road.
So, can I have volunteers for the following (times ET; updated with volunteers):
Thursday
8 p.m. – Philadelphia-Columbus (ESPN2) – John “The Soccerist” Greely
Saturday
4 p.m. – Toronto-Chivas USA (Telefutura)
7:30 p.m. – New England-D.C. United
8:30 p.m. – Kansas City-Salt Lake – Alexander Abnos
9 p.m. – Colorado-San Jose
Sunday
7 p.m. – Dallas-Philadelphia (FSC) – Michael Roadarmel
9 p.m. – Chicago-New York (ESPN2) – me
11 p.m. – Seattle-Houston- Alexander Abnos
Duresport.com 
Here’s how things should look:
Motagua (Honduras) 0, Toronto FC 0
CONCACAF Champions League
Aug. 3, 2010
Summary: FSC’s crew tells us Toronto’s charter pilot didn’t want to land at Tegucigalpa and instead landed in San Pedro Sula, forcing TFC to take a five-hour bus ride. That couldn’t have helped the Canadian side get in the right frame of mind for the game, and their 1-0 aggregate lead was wiped out early by the vengeful Amado Guevara. Against the run of play, Dwayne De Rosario and Maicon Santos combined on a moment of brilliance to restore the aggregate lead and notch a vital away goal. Guevara answered quickly, but Chad Barrett bundled the ball through the Motagua third to help the wayward MLS team advance.
Conditions: Weather was clear and didn’t seem to be a factor, but the pitch was dodgy and not conducive to playing on the ground.
Motagua: Star striker Georgie Welcome was away on trial at Rangers, so Brazilian Marcelo dos Santos got the call up front. That was the only change. Overlapping runs were frequent.
4 Donaldo Morales (GK): A spectator in the first half. First action was to punch away De Rosario free kick and follow-up, and he did so uneasily. Neither goal was a blunder.
6 Sergio Mendoza (RB): All over the field, bringing calm to defense and energy to attack.
6 Guillermo Diaz (CB): Uruguayan had timely interventions throughout. Left in 84th.
4 Johnny Leveron (CB): Young national team prospect nearly had a catastrophe on one clearance with an onrushing TFC forward and could’ve done more to prevent Barrett goal.
5 Ivan Guerrero (LB): Lots of overlapping runs and solid defense.
6 Mauricio Weber (RM): Uruguayan set up Guevara for first goal and covered a lot of space on the right. Departed in 65th.
7 Emilio Izaguirre (LM): Consistently dangerous on the flank.
6 Jorge Claros (DM): Several strong passes as a second playmaker of sorts as Guevara more often ran forward.
8 Amado Guevara (AM): Stuck it to his former club with two goals and several near-misses.
3 Charles Cordoba (F): Colombian made a few shifty moves but could’ve done better with opportunities, especially after Claros put him one-on-one with Frei.
5 Marcelo dos Santos (F): Brazilian had a quiet game.
Subs:
3 Shannon Welcome (F): Replaced misfiring Cordoba in 62nd minute. Missed two good chances a few minutes later.
5 Javier Portillo (RM): Replaced Weber in 65th. No impact.
NR Milton Reyes (D/M): MLS vet replaced Diaz in 84th to bring some attack from the back.
Toronto FC: O’Brian White and Jacob Peterson moved to the bench, with Nick LaBrocca coming in along with Doneil Henry, an Academy player who isn’t on the senior roster. The formation was fluid, as if a couple of the five defenders would take turns masquerading as a midfielder. That idea did not produce, to mix the words of Ruud Gullit and Marge Simpson, sexy results.
7 Stefan Frei (GK): Not at fault on first goal. Had to be alert several times on dangerous crosses and made vital save in 76th minute.
5 Doneil Henry (RB): Academy call-up didn’t play badly but was yanked out of match in first half as Preki opted for more offense.
4 Dan Gargan (DM/LB/RB): Nonchalant in challenging Weber on opening goal. Shifted to right back with Henry’s departure.
4 Adrian Cann (CB): Out at sea on the goals and some other chances.
4 Nana Attakora (CB): Left to exclaim at how wide-open Guevara was on opening goal. And nearly a third. He had a point — he had little help.
4 Nick Garcia (DM/LB): Late getting in position. Often.
4 Joseph Nane (CM): Did nothing to disrupt Motagua attack and didn’t contribute in the other direction.
5 Julian de Guzman (CM): Had a few good moments going forward, but if he had defensive responsibilities, he forgot them.
5 Nick LaBrocca (RM): No serious errors defensively but didn’t contribute much to offensive possession.
8 Dwayne De Rosario (AM/LM): Won the ball, made a run onto Maicon’s terrific pass, then scored the goal that put Toronto up 2-1 on aggregate and 1-0 on away goals. Brilliant. Also active and effective the rest of the game.
7 Chad Barrett (F): Beat defenders often but then couldn’t find teammates with passes. Scored TFC’s second goal, a just reward for his effort.
Subs
7 Maicon Santos (F): Entered in 32nd minute for Henry. Looked effective and then had beautiful through ball to set up De Ro’s goal.
6 Jacob Peterson (RM): Entered in 72nd minute for LaBrocca. Ran hard and disrupted Motagua attack but took foolish yellow for dissent.
NR Mista (F): Replaced Barrett late to add some possession, but ball barely reached him.
Philadelphia Union 1 – 2 Columbus Crew
MLS League Play
Aug. 5, 2010
Summary: Philadelphia controlled the tempo of the first half, but Columbus struck first on a beautiful diving header by the early-sub Steven Lenhart. The Union didn’t wilt, finding an equalizer late in stoppage before the break, but they did require some good fortune. A solid free kick by rookie Kyle Nakazawa found Sebastien Le Toux on the ball in the box, and Frankie Hejduk made an ill-advised slide to dispossess him. Hejduk made enough contact to draw a card and a penalty, and Le Toux equalized. In the second half, Columbus’s quality shone through. The Crew’s game-winner came on another brilliant diving header from Lenhart, and Philadelphia had no answer the rest of the game.
Conditions: Clear, cool weather with a well-maintained pitch. No adverse conditions to speak of.
Philadelphia
Starters
Chris Seitz (GK)— 6.5
No chance on either of the goals, fairly solid through the rest of the contest
Jordan Harvey (D) — 3.5
Made a lot of sloppy tackles and was beaten several times
Michael Orozco Fiscal (D) — 5
Better early on, made a few mistakes late
Danny Califf (D) — 4.5
Didn’t see a lot of action his way, and didn’t do anything particularly impressive
Cristian Arrieta (D) — 7
The only part of the Union backline who was never outmatched by the Crew
Eduardo Coudet (M) — 6.5
Made some very good plays early but seemed to tire toward the end
Stefani Miglioranzi (M) (40’) — 7
Perhaps the best player of the first half, only subbed off due to injury
Fred (77’) (M) — 6.5
Made more plays than any other Philly player, but also hurt his team at times with selfish play
Justin Mapp (M) (83’) — 9
Player of the game for Philadelphia… was all over the place and created several chances
Sebastien Le Toux (F) — 8.5
Scored the goal and gave the Columbus defense fits
Alejandro Moreno (F) — 5.5
Very quiet… some good touches and passes but also a few mistakes
Subs
Kyle Nakazawa (40’) (M) — 7
Made several great free-kicks, but was mostly unseen during the flow of play
Andrew Jacobsen (77’) (M) — 5
Limited minutes, limited impact
Jack McInerney (83’) (M) — 4
Limited minutes, featuring some poor decision making
Columbus
Starters
William Hesmer (GK) — 8
Very good in goal, controlling the air and even guessing right on the penalty
Danny O’Rourke (D) — 5.5
On and off game, with a few mishaps to go with some good tackles
Chad Marshall (D) — 7.5
Part of a solid center for the Columbus backline, in control throughout
Andy Iro (D) — 7
Very good in the air, and worked well with Marshall… a couple poor passes weighed him down
Frankie Hejduk (D) — 4.5
Uneventful game expect for the penalty-conceding slide, which he should have known better than to attempt in the first place
Emmanuel Ekpo (M) (84’) — 6
Had flashes of brilliance, which he often squandered by holding onto the ball
Shaun Francis (M) — 4
Was beaten badly frequently, particularly late in the game
Brian Carroll (M) — 4.5
Had almost no impact in the flow of play
Emilio Renteria (M) (74’) — 8.5
Excellent work on the wings, crossing well and using fantastic vision
Jason Garey (F) (27’) — 4
No influence in short time before injury, and then refused to be subbed out for several minutes
Guillermo Barros Schelotto (F) — 8
Brilliant on the ball, with some perfect maneuvers to create chances
Subs
Steven Lenhart (F) (27’) — 10
Played almost the whole game as a sub, and thrived… Philadelphia had no answer
Duncan Oughton (74’) —5
Few minutes, no impact
Leandre Griffit (84’) — 5
Fewer minutes, still no impact
Man of the Match
Steven Lenhart. The super-sub may have cemented a starting role with two fantastic, unstoppable goals.
From Alexander Abnos:
Player ratings – KC 1-1 RSL
Goals (Assists) :
23′ – Kei Kamara (Ryan Smith)
33′ – Robbie Findley (Robbie Russell)
Real Salt Lake:
GK | Nick Rimando – 6 – Showed good control of his area and organized defense well
against a wave of KC attacks. Beaten for the goal, but not a whole lot he could do about
it.
RB | Robbie Russell – 7 – Moved up and down the right flank well. Showed great vision
on the free kick that led to Findley’s goal, placing the ball perfectly into space at the far
post while also timing the delivery with Findley’s run.
CB | Jamison Olave – 5 – Defended with authority and physicality as is his MO. However,
his weak marking on Kamara allowed the striker to bag the opening goal.
CB | Nat Borchers – 7 – A rock. Excelled at denying service to Wizards striker Teal
Bunbury, a key to the Wizards’ recent run of good results.
LB | Chris Wingert – 6 – Nothing flashy, just good, solid wing defending. Gets extra
points for being the only RSL defender able to contain Ryan Smith in the corner.
RM | Ned Grabavoy – 4 – Played decent positional defense, but was clumsy in the
tackle more than once and struggled to generate any offense from the right wing.
CM | Kyle Beckerman – 6 – Chased down loose balls with reckless abandon, but struggled
to generate anything interesting going forward.
CM | Javier Morales – 8 – Constantly found space to operate and made good decisions
once the ball came to him. Initiated many quick combination plays in midfield to open
the Wizards defense. RSL’s most dangerous attacking threat all night.
LM | Will Johnson – 6 – Nearly had a spectacular goal from long distance but for a save
from Jimmy Nielsen. Relatively quiet, otherwise.
FW | Alvaro Saborio – 6 – Worked hard to pressure the Wizards back line into mistakes,
but faded into invisibility once RSL had possession.
FW | Robbie Findley – 6 – Smart, elusive run behind the defense for the goal. However,
that was as dangerous as he was all night.
Subs:
Andy Williams – 5 – Invisible after coming on, much like his predecessor Ned Grabavoy.
Fabian Espindola – 7 – Gave the Wizards defense trouble with his bustling runs. Might
have scored given more time on the field.
Pablo Campos – NR – 89th minute entry limited his touches.
=====
Kansas City Wizards:
GK | Jimmy Nielsen – 8 – Made three great saves, including one on a chance by Morales
that looked sure to put RSL in the lead.
RB | Michael Harrington – 6 – An industrious performance from the right back, who had
his hands full with Will Johnson all night.
CB | Jimmy Conrad – 4 – Inexplicably lost track of Morales on the RSL goal and seemed
to struggle communicating with Shavar Thomas in the heart of the Kansas City defense.
CB | Shavar Thomas – 5 – Provided a valuable calming influence to the Wizards’ back
line, but didn’t make any outstanding defensive plays.
LB | Roger Espinoza – 7 – Pushed up intelligently when needed, and made sharp,
incisive passes once he got there. Also played lock-down defense on Grabavoy and his
replacement, Andy Williams.
CM | Stéphane Auvray – 5 – A mixed performance. Distributed the ball well at times, but
also lost possession in dangerous areas.
CM | Craig Rocastle – 6 – Sometimes played a little slower than the situation dictated, but
excellent at finding fullbacks Harrington and Espinoza on overlapping runs.
CAM | Davy Arnaud – 5 – Got into good defensive positions and worked hard as always,
but has to do more to unlock the opposition.
RF | Kei Kamara – 7 – Fantastic performance in the first half, including an inch-perfect
header for his goal. Fell off quite a bit in the second stanza, however, dropping too deep
to receive the ball and failing to do anything with it in possession.
CF | Teal Bunbury – 4 – Continually out-muscled by either Borchers or Olave. Slow to
make decisions in the final third.
LF | Ryan Smith – 9 – The slick juke and beautiful cross to set up Kamara’s goal were
just two of an array of tricks Smith pulled out of the bag on the night. Looked dangerous
every time he touched the ball.
Subs:
Graham Zusi – 6 – Provided a bit more of a cerebral presence to the Wizards attack, which
was sorely needed as it had gone stale when he entered. Nearly set up the winning goal
but for an offside call.
Jack Jewsbury – NR – 90th minute sub, no touches.
This seems like a really unique idea, unfortunately I wasn’t able to catch any MLS action tonight.
Toronto FC Chivas USA
MLS League Play
August 7, 2010
Summary: After a cagey opening 20 minutes, TFC opened the scoring with an utterly simple goal. Gargan’s long throw was met by Attakora, who despite being the most powerful Reds player in the air went totally unmarked and headed in with authority. Following the goal, the Reds seized control of the match. Barrett’s goal required a scuffed shot and a hopeful deflection to both work perfectly for him, but Toronto deserved a 2nd goal before halftime from somewhere.
Chivas improved after halftime simply by deciding to go forward; one wonders how the game would have been different if they had started with that mindset. After dodging a couple bullets, the Goats won a penalty through the efforts of Braun. Maldonado converted the spot kick, and Chivas forced 3 big saves out of Frei, but in the end Toronto were the deserved winners.
Conditions: Partly cloudy, 70 degrees. Very pleasant summer soccer weather. The pitch looked to be in good shape as well, while the ever-present waterfront breeze at BMO Field was not strong enough to be a factor.
Toronto: Preki’s odd experiment with position-swapping defenders at Motagua was not repeated, as Toronto returned to the 4132 of previous games. In this set-up, De Guzman nominally plays right midfield but is pinched inside, whereas Peterson plays the wide role in a traditional fashion on the left. De Guzman’s positioning allowed this to occasionally turn into a 3412, with Gargan moving to right midfield and De Guzman going further inside.
After the opening goal, De Guzman and Peterson swapped flanks, which got more out of the former Colorado Rapids winger. Once Ibrahim came in late, Preki changed to a 4411, moving De Guzman into a deep role alongside Nane. Ibrahim took up a spot on the left wing, while De Rosario and Mista exchanged the attacking midfield and forward roles fluidly.
6.5 Stefan Frei (GK): Virtually a spectator over the first hour, then came up with a couple big saves on Braun and Zemanski. Finally, with the game in the balance, stuffed Maldonado on a breakaway in the 88th minute.
5.5 Dan Gargan (RB/RM): Long throw-in assisted opening goal. Despite getting little help from De Guzman defensively, managed to defend his flank well enough.
6 Nana Attakora (CB): Scored opening goal by evading any marking and soaring over Jazic in a mismatch to head in Gargan’s heave.
5 Adrian Cann (CB): A bit unlucky to be called for a handball on the penalty, as many refs would judge it an example of ball-to-hand. Seemed a little slow to act once Chivas finally began coming forward in numbers.
6 Nick Garcia (LB): Big factor in Espinoza’s no-show. Seemed slightly less comfortable against Padilla, but still allowed little.
5.5 Joseph Nane (DM): Coped with Nagamura’s rare bursts forward, but wasn’t called upon to do too much thanks to a listless showing from the Goats.
5 Julian De Guzman (RCM/DM/LCM): His passing was a quiet factor in TFC’s first half dominance. On the other hand, whichever flank he occupied was the more vulnerable one defensively.
5.5 Dwayne De Rosario (AM/FW): Pursued constantly by Zemanski and Nagamura, DeRo was happy to just keep the ball moving rather than try to force something. Got more involved when Mista entered.
6 Jacob Peterson (LM/RM): Scuffed shot attempt took fortunate spin to Santos, who deflected it to Barrett for TFC’s 2nd goal. Helped shut down Espinoza during his shift on the left, while he became an attacking factor on the right.
6 Chad Barrett (FW): Took his goal well, even if it did just fall in his lap. Active, as per usual.
6.5 Maicon Santos (ST): Created danger for himself and others (including the assist on Barrett’s goal). The focal point of the TFC attack in the 1st half. Forced out with what looked like a tweaked knee.
Subs:
6 Mista (FW/AM): Replaced Santos after 56 minutes. Showed his class minutes after coming on to juke past a defender and send De Rosario through on goal. Connection with De Rosario is going to be dangerous.
5 Nick LaBrocca (RM): Came in for Peterson in the 67th minute. Chivas didn’t bother attacking his side of the field, so he wasn’t involved much.
5 Fuad Ibrahim (LM): Entered in the 78th minute for Barrett. Took up smart positions as Chivas focused entirely on his flank.
Chivas USA: Martin Vasquez retained the 442 framework from their 3-1 win over Columbus, but made 2 changes to the personnel. Carlos Borja was replaced by Mariano Trujillo at right back, while captain Jonathan Bornstein returned from a knee sprain to play left midfield (with Rodolfo Espinoza moving to the right side and Blair Gavin going to the bench). Ultimately, Chivas paid for both their biggest defensive mistakes and their overly cautious approach.
In the late stages after Romero’s entrance, Vasquez had his team in a 3142, with Romero on the right and Padilla inside with Nagamura.
5.5 Dan Kennedy (GK): Not culpable on either goal. Had a couple of shaky punches, but also came up with big saves on Barrett and De Rosario (though he might not have known much about the former).
5 Mariano Trujillo (RB): Neither winger attacked him much due to the focus on Espinoza, but he didn’t often take advantage of the attacking space that afforded him.
4.5 Dario Delgado (CB/RCB): Looked a little shaky in his headed clearances.
3 Michael Umana (CB): Posterized by Attakora on the first goal, then managed to both fail to close down Santos and keep Barrett onside on the second. Later, his terrible backpass lead to a Toronto attack that nearly made it 3-0. Thoroughly poor.
5 Ante Jazic (LB/LCB): More attack-minded than usual to start, but this faded as the Reds grew in stature.
4 Rodolfo Espinoza (RM): A total non-factor other than his cross to Braun in 1st half stoppage time.
6 Ben Zemanski (DM): Quietly effective in keeping De Rosario from making his usual impact. Blazed fine 25+ yard shot just wide, and had another similar effort saved by Frei.
4 Paulo Nagamura (CM/LCM): Failure of Chivas to get a foothold via possession was collective, but he’s supposed to be the engine. Unable to make a dent over the 90 minutes.
4 Jonathan Bornstein (LM): Looked sprightly when Jazic was bombing forward to help, but once that ended he vanished from the game.
5.5 Justin Braun (FW): Active, but seemed disconnected from his teammates. Missed good chance on diving header in 1st half stoppage time, then should have done better just before the hour mark but was stoned by Frei. Used his strength to win the penalty kick.
4.5 Giancarlo Maldonado (ST): Converted a penalty he had nothing to do with winning. Late on, he failed to equalize on a breakaway. Did little else.
Subs:
5 Jesus Padilla (RM/RCM): Came on for Espinoza in the 62nd minute. A definite improvement over Espinoza, but no end product.
NR Osael Romero (RM): 87th minute replacement for Trujillo. Not enough time to make an impact.
From Alexander Abnos:
Seattle:
Keller – 6 – Wasn’t really tested, but came out bravely and fought through a few knocks to preserve the shutout
Riley – 7 – Added a valuable dimension to the sounders attack with his service from deep. Solid defensively.
Patrick Ianni – 5 – Struggled to contain Ching at times.
Jeff Parke – 6 – Kept tabs on Ngwenya, allowing Houston very little through the middle.
Leo Gonzalez – 5 – Solid defensively, but didn’t push forward quite as much as needed.
Sanna Nyassi – 7 – A constant threat on the wing, used his speed to get behind the Dyanmo defense on multiple occasions.
Osvaldo Alonso – 8 – Dictated the flow of the game from start to finish. Worked incredibly hard and rarely missed a pass.
Nathan Sturgis – 5 – Mostly invisible outside of a few well-placed services from deep.
Steve Zakuani – 6 – Used speed like Nyassi, but wasn’t very consistent with his service from wide.
Fredy Montero – 9 – A goal and an assist in a 2-0 game. What else can you say?
Blaise Nkufo – 7 – Worked some nice plays with Montero, but struggled to get looks for himself.
Subs:
Alvaro Fernandez – 7 – Made a real difference when he came on – Houston hardly had a sniff of the ball afterwards.
Mike Seamon & Nate Jaqua – NR – Late subs.
Houston:
Tally Hall – 7 – Acquitted himself well – controlled his penalty area and made some good saves, including a huge one on Steve Zakuani in the first half.
Eddie Robinson – 3 – Getting abused by Montero on the Colombian’s goal was the most notable moment of a shaky performance.
Bobby Boswell – 5 – Did well to limit Nkufo’s looks at goal, but added little else.
Andrew Hainault – 6 – Active on both sides of the ball. Helped set the tone for the Dynamo defense in the first period with some tough play aginst Nyassi.
Mike Chabala – 5 – Did OK going forward but was beaten regularly by Steve Zakuani down the flank.
Corey Ashe – 5 – Mostly invisible in his 58 minutes.
Richard Mulrooney – 7 – Perhaps the best player the field for the Dynamo. Distributed the ball with precision and smarts from the center of the park and kept Sturgis in check.
Brad Davis – 5 – Like as he, not really involved much. Had a few nice runs, but little to show for it.
Danny Cruz – 6 – Put forth a valiant effort to get something going on the right flank, including a few nice crosses.
Brian Ching – 7 – Held up the ball effectively and got into good spots to shoot on goal, but couldn’t take advantage.
Joseph Ngwenya – 6 – A few nice runs, but a lot of lost possessions, too.
Subs:
Brian Mullan – 5 – Introduced early in the second half but did nothing to put Seattle under pressure.
Geoff Cameron – 5- See “Brian Mullan.”
Dominic Oduro – NR – Hardly got any touches in 14 minutes on the field.
Sorry for the tardiness…
1. FC Dallas 3, Philadelphia Union 1
MLS League Play
Aug. 8, 2010
Summary: Two teams facing completely different fortunes this season met on Sunday evening in a lopsided affair which could have easily been much worse for the first year expansion club from Philadelphia. FC Dallas has molded a fluid attack centered around the connection between Brek Shea and David Ferreira and the tandem did not disappoint tonight, almost connecting in the opening minutes of the game after Shea cut a ball back towards the center of the penalty area after streaking down the left side of midfield. Despite the stellar moments and fluid passing of Dallas early on, it was a nice passing sequence from Philadelphia which opened the scoring on the night. As Justin Mapp connected with Sebastien Le Toux who’s saved shot allowed Alejandro Moreno to hurley, burley a goal through several bodies as the Dallas defense could not clear the goal mouth. Then Ferreira & Shea took over for Dallas. It was Ferreira’s long searching ball across field which troubled the Union keeper Brad Knighton, forcing him to trip Brek Shea, conceding a penalty and forcing Referee Jair Maruffo to issue him a red card. Ferreira connected with a solid penalty past the freshly subbed in Chris Seitz. The next goal two goals would come courtesy of second half sub Jeff Cunningham. The first as a result of excellent service from Shea as Cunningham rose between two Union defenders and the second from a great through ball from Ferreira. Philly is a hard working team, but were outmatched this evening and were dealt more than they could handle after going down a man. The only remaining question is regarding continued attendance troubles in Dallas. So if a team plays attractive, flowing and exciting soccer, but no one is around to see it, did it really happen? Let’s hope their attendance fortunes turn around because there is a lot to see in this Dallas team.
Conditions: Hot and sunny. Announcers made numerous references to the heat and how it could be affecting the players.
Philadelphia: Knighton started in goal, but his performance continued Philly’s goalkeeping troubles. This was also the debut of Colombian center back Juan Diego Gonzalez.
(1) Knighton (GK):Completely misplayed the ball that led to the penalty and his red card. Since he was dismissed he never really had a chance to redeem himself.
(3) Arrieta (D): Not a great effect, but does receive tough man points for staying in the game after eating one of Ihemelu’s dreadlocks.
(4) Califf (D):Not directly at fault for the goals, but the defense he was a part of was lacking overall.
(3) Gonzalez (D): Cunngham snuck between him for his first goal, but I am sure he will be better as he has time to adjust to the league.
(3) Orozco Fiscal (D): Has a tendency to not make the smart play, putting the defense in danger.
(4) Coudet (M): Calm and consistent but midfield could not keep up the pace after going down a man.
(3) Nakazawa (M): Could not make an impression once Dallas took control with the man advantage, subbed in the second half for more defense.
(2) Fred (M): Has trouble maintaining possession and makes more dumb plays than magic ones. Tough competitor, but should have been subbed instead of Mapp.
(4) Mapp (M): Subbed for Seitz, but was lively before that.
(4) Moreno (F): Scored an Alejandro Moreno type goal. How about that?
(4) Le Toux (F): The life of the team, but it isn’t enough.
Subs:
(4) Seitz (GK): Continues to struggle, but was put in a tough spot having to face a penalty right after coming in to the game.
(3) Harvey (M): Beaten on Cunningham’s second, sub-par performance.
(5) Jacobson (M): Brought some energy and connected some passes. Best sub.
FC Dallas: Dallas is riding a real hot streak and has now reached 3rd in the western conference. Their last loss was to the Galaxy on May 20th. There is a fluidity to their attack which seems to have come from Coach Hyndman’s system paying dividends and the cohesion of teammates. This is a dangerous team if they continue to play the way they did this evening. This loss could have been much worse for Philly.
(5) Hartman (GK): Could have done better on the Philly goal by preventing the rebound, but did not have too much to do after that.
(5) Pearce (D): Had good vision for cross field passes, but was the lesser of the two fullbacks. Could have done better on the Philly goal.
(5) Ihemelu (D): Really should be an incomplete since he had to be subbed early due to a concussion, but he gets tough man points for attempting to play on after the nasty collision.
(5) John (D): Nice, steady performance. Nothing spectacular, but help keep Philly at bay.
(6) Benitez (D): Got forward and contributed well to the offense without being found out of place.
(5) Eric Avila (M): Was steady, but his biggest contribution was being subbed out at the half for Cunningham.
(6) Hernandez (M): Seemed to cover a lot fo ground and even let out a nice looking long range shot attempt.
(8) Ferreira (M): Man of the match, despite Cunningham’s goals. He was the magic man and is a real budding star in the league.
(7) Shea (M): Shea is really showing his potential. He is at home on the wing and can really find people (one assist tonight and should have had another). Really benefits from a connection with Ferreira
(6) Harris (M): Was active, but scuffed a gimme chance that should have made this win look more like it felt.
(6) Rodriguez (F): Would have liked him to be a bit more dangerous, but was still a good part of an offense that was dominant.
Subs
(6) Loyd (D): Came in for the injured Ihemelu and was very serviceable for being put in on short notice.
(8)Cunningham (F): Pulls the brace, which was well deserved and is the type of finisher that should thrive more often from the type of play coming from this midfield.
(5) Alexander (M): Game was in hand by the time he came in and really didn’t have much time to make a big impression.