Sporting KC vs LA Galaxy: Player Ratings
Positive performances but in the end not enough to win.
An excellent defense without attacking bite led to a 0-0 draw between Sporting KC and LA Galaxy on Saturday night. I think we were all hoping for more from the home game, but I also think there are some reasons to be positive as we break down each player’s contribution. Let us begin!
My scale:
1 – Never play again. You shall be cursed for your travesties to the fifth generation.
…
5 – Your game was completely harmless. You are a cream colored wall in an office park building.
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10 – You are the chosen one! They will sing of your talent forever! You are the most interesting man in the world!
Finally, I’m giving all player ratings a grace period at the start of the season (only for a few more games). So a 5 today can be a 3 in August.
From XI
Johannes Pulskamp – 6.5
Was only asked to take two shots on goal, but they were saved well. It will be interesting to see if he keeps the goalkeeping role once Tim Melia recovers.
Graham Zusi – 5.5
I was a bit embarrassed that Raheem Edwards dribbled around him a few times early in the game. This run of play almost forced Zusi to give up a penalty, leading me to take his score below a 6. Otherwise, Zusi did traditional things with crosses and had some clever combinations with Tzionis towards the end of the game.
Robert Voloder – 7
Was crucial on defense, showing athleticism and a drive to win the ball that I hadn’t seen from him before. Runner repeatedly prevented from falling behind.
Andreu Fontas – 5.5
Dependable defensively, however, he struggled more as a distributor of the centre-back pairing in this game, passing the ball several times when trying to cut lines.
Tim Leibold – 6
Looked good in his first start, appearing regularly to press and intercept the ball carrier. Also combined well with Thommy and Salloi a few times. My only real gripe was that his crosses were a bit stubborn.
Remi Walter – 6.5
Walter was once again all over the field, disrupting plays and cycling the ball. Had an excellent shot from outside the box that tested Jonathan Bond in goal.
Roger Espinoza – 4.5
Often seemed a step too slow and hung on the ball for too long on several counterattacks.
Eric Thommy – 7
Tested the keeper several times and generally drove the ball forward. I’d like to see him make a few more crucial passes but was a bright spot on the field as always.
Khiry Shelton – 3.5
Honestly, he’s had one of his better games in a while, but still lacked the ability on the ball, passing or shooting ability to unlock defense.
Willi Agada – 4
Got a lot more service but only got one of his five shots on the frame. Also had problems with pressing in the second half of the game. He feels he really needs a goal to regain some confidence.
Daniel Salloi – 4
A staggering amount shot in the body and passed on to no one else either than you would hope. His movement at the top of the box to try and get the ball onto his right foot felt telegraphed and easily defended. That is, he came around the outside several times and at least tried to shoot consistently.
subs
Marinos Tzionis – 5th
Had a clever combination game with Thommy and Zusi and found himself in some good positions offensively. He also brought much-needed energy into the game, although personally I would have liked to see him replace Agada, who looked exhausted. However, he missed a good chance with indecisiveness and often looked out of place defensively.
Nemanya Radoya – 4.5
Came one for a 23 minute outing and looked like he had a lot of talent but not much chemistry. Made a lot of conservative passes but did little to put the ball forward or deliver a spark of energy off the bench.
Ben Sweat – 4.5
Struggled to advance the ball much in his substitute game but didn’t do anything particularly outrageous on the defensive side either. ball
Coach
Peter Vermes – 6
His team looked on the better side this week and I think he has set it up in a way that could reasonably lead to success. His subs were earlier too, albeit somewhat ineffective.
Diploma
In MLS you have to win your home games to reach the playoffs, so it feels like losing two points. Despite this, the squad looked good and are still missing many of their best players. So I hope we can score our first goal of the season soon. What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
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