Players Ratings: Columbus-TFC

[Lucky Strike]

Strange match to describe, it’s good to see TFC back in action after MLS off-seasons that are much too long. I think it’s fair to say everyone knew it was always going to be a tough proposition today so I wasn’t too upset with the 0-1 score line. Of course that changed when the second goal was allowed to stand followed by a kick to the chest of Frei. I don’t have a problem with the 50-50 challenge, it’s just that the follow through was clearly a foul and a card. And to have that el Douchebag score because of it is doubly infuriating. On to the players:

Frei (6.5): Didn’t have to do too much. An lapse in coverage led to the first goal and the second, well, you watched the match. Came out for an ill-advised excursion in the first half that went unpunished. He gets a small deduction for it which is cancelled out by rushing out to correct Garcia’s blunder.
Attakora (7): Was our best defender today. Strong physical presence and kept Robbie Rogers in check. He did find himself out of position near the end of the match, but aside from that hardly put a foot wrong. Booked.
Garcia (4.5): My God. I dumped on Garcia a lot and by no means am I claiming exclusivity on that fact. I really was ready to give him a fresh start like I did for Velez last year; I wanted him to succeed. Had a horrible whimper of a back pass which fortunately Frei took care of. Later, he stepped up in the play which gave Columbus the opportunity to send two guys on goal with lots of space; fortunately the resulting Columbus shot barely deserved its title as a shot. He also is useless in the air, getting out jumped by everyone. Argh. A strong central defender obviously remains a top priority.
Harden (6.5): I think he’s a real find. He played very well in all aspects of the game. Of the three instances where he could be criticized, he mopped up two of those himself. The third was an overly heavy touch in a volley back pass to Frei: it went for a corner. I look forward to seeing more of him, especially given how he didn’t play at all last year.
Brennan (6): He wasn’t seen too much during the match, but when he did show, he appeared solid defensively.
Gala (6): Another player that could have been on the side of a milk carton today. But when he did make his presence known, I thought he was good, the highlight being getting passed two Columbus players near the right end line. Just needs to get more involved – make things happen for yourself. Subbed.
DeGuzman (6.5): Disappointing given the high expectations I have of him. He certainly looks a class above most MLS players but marred this match with some giveaways. He wasn’t overly effective but this was because I thought Columbus crowded the midfield effectively, denying DeGuzman space to do his thing. I hope TFC can exploit this potential strategy used by opponents by having effective wing play.
Saric (6): Looks like a good acquisition so far. Had one glaring giveaway but I thought Saric was otherwise pretty effective. Subbed & booked.
Cronin (5.5): Didn’t feel he was all that useful out on the wing. Nothing shockingly negative, but not much positive to speak of. He can up his game though so no cause for panic.
White (6): If he can make a little more happen for himself, he’ll be a good striker. I think he did fairly well with the opportunities he got, but strikers have got to score thus the score.
DeRosario (6.5): I don’t really know what to say about him. He played like I expected him to (by this I mean well), but could have used more service.

LaBrocca, on for Gala - 53rd minute (6): Though he got about 35-40 minutes to work with, he never really made a bang. But TFC acquired him something like 48 hours ago, I’m sure he’ll get better.
Sanyang, on for Saric - 66th minute (6): Similar to LaBrocca, I don’t think he really got into the match. I think he had one notable pass though; can’t be sure.

Preki (7): Agreed with his starting XI minus Garcia. I would have preferred Attakora in the centre and Gargan on the right. But Gargan had just gotten to Columbus mere hours before so I understand the selection. Made smart substitutions for Gala who wasn't effective and for Saric who got clattered and also had a yellow. Good management there. Also no issues with the flat 4-4-2, it's a standard formation. Work from there for your first match and make adjustments from there.

Referee (5): He was going to get a much higher mark if it weren’t for the last few minutes. I thought he called a very good game, didn’t go card-happy and was consistent. Many players complained to him about uncalled fouls (well, mostly Columbus players but that’s no surprise), but I have no issue with it since his standards were the same for both sides. However, his decision not to award a card to O’Rourke for kicking Frei in the chest thus leading to the second goal is a big mistake. It wrote off any chance TFC had of getting a point through an equalizing goal. I also disagreed with his decision to only award a yellow to Moffat for his two-footed lunge on Garcia. That’s a pretty clear red. It’s really too bad because I thought he was doing a fantastic job until those two moments.

TFC MOTM: Attakora. Most effective defender with the fewest mistakes. The midfield got crowded out and the strikers didn’t score. A fairly simple call today.

Most impressed by opposition’s: Robbie Rogers. He would have been much more noticeable and dangerous had it not been for Attakora.

Least impressed by opposition’s: Schelotto and Lenhart. Both twats of players who go down and complain far too often to be taken seriously as footballers. It’s really quite revolting.

Conclusion: I have mixed feelings. Most importantly, we lost 0-2 but it should have been just 0-1, which given the pessimism that we had is not wholly discouraging. Zero points is zero points though. TFC mostly looked more organized on defence and passing in the midfield, but there were some obvious mistakes at the back that need to be cut out. Coupled with scrambly moments, it shows Preki’s work isn’t done yet, but we knew that already. I look forward to our bye week so that Preki can bring in more players and better gel the ones he has now. Love the new white kits – brilliant!

[[NBF]]

I think most people mistook OBW for Gala on the right flank. I didn't see Gala do shit, he looked a hell of alot like Derek Gaudet out there. He played very timid in my mind and deserved to be subbed off.

DeGuzman, there's a question as to whether they switched the formation near the end or if DeGuzman took it upon himself to move the ball forward.

As far as the team, I was impressed by how well they maintained possession before the first goal, but after it they played more defensively and allowed the Crew to move up through the middle.

Formation (Before the 1st Goal)

--------------1--------------
2------4----------5--------3
-------------6---------------
7--------------------------8
-------------9---------------
------10-----------11-------

After, the score was 1-0 for the Crew:

--------------1--------------
2------4----------5--------3
--------6---------9----------
7--------------------------8
-----------------------------
------10-----------11-------

They kept up this formation until the later stages where we saw DeGuzman pushing up and Sanyang and Lebrocca were subbed in. I think then they moved to a 4-3-3

----------------Frei----------------
Attakora---Garcia--Harden--Brennan
--------------Sanyang-------------
------Lebrocca--------Cronin-------
DeGuzman-----------------DeRosario
----------------OBW---------------

[zeelaw]

Remember when Garcia had an open clearance and hit it into his own keeper on the ground.. fucking loser

[tfc2007]

Strange match to describe, it’s good to see TFC back in action after MLS off-seasons that are much too long. I think it’s fair to say everyone knew it was always going to be a tough proposition today so I wasn’t too upset with the 0-1 score line. Of course that changed when the second goal was allowed to stand followed by a kick to the chest of Frei. I don’t have a problem with the 50-50 challenge, it’s just that the follow through was clearly a foul and a card. And to have that el Douchebag score because of it is doubly infuriating. On to the players:

Frei (6.5): Didn’t have to do too much. An lapse in coverage led to the first goal and the second, well, you watched the match. Came out for an ill-advised excursion in the first half that went unpunished. He gets a small deduction for it which is cancelled out by rushing out to correct Garcia’s blunder.
Attakora (7): Was our best defender today. Strong physical presence and kept Robbie Rogers in check. He did find himself out of position near the end of the match, but aside from that hardly put a foot wrong. Booked.
Garcia (4.5): My God. I dumped on Garcia a lot and by no means am I claiming exclusivity on that fact. I really was ready to give him a fresh start like I did for Velez last year; I wanted him to succeed. Had a horrible whimper of a back pass which fortunately Frei took care of. Later, he stepped up in the play which gave Columbus the opportunity to send two guys on goal with lots of space; fortunately the resulting Columbus shot barely deserved its title as a shot. He also is useless in the air, getting out jumped by everyone. Argh. A strong central defender obviously remains a top priority.
Harden (6.5): I think he’s a real find. He played very well in all aspects of the game. Of the three instances where he could be criticized, he mopped up two of those himself. The third was an overly heavy touch in a volley back pass to Frei: it went for a corner. I look forward to seeing more of him, especially given how he didn’t play at all last year.
Brennan (6): He wasn’t seen too much during the match, but when he did show, he appeared solid defensively.
Gala (6): Another player that could have been on the side of a milk carton today. But when he did make his presence known, I thought he was good, the highlight being getting passed two Columbus players near the right end line. Just needs to get more involved – make things happen for yourself. Subbed.
DeGuzman (6.5): Disappointing given the high expectations I have of him. He certainly looks a class above most MLS players but marred this match with some giveaways. He wasn’t overly effective but this was because I thought Columbus crowded the midfield effectively, denying DeGuzman space to do his thing. I hope TFC can exploit this potential strategy used by opponents by having effective wing play.
Saric (6): Looks like a good acquisition so far. Had one glaring giveaway but I thought Saric was otherwise pretty effective. Subbed & booked.
Cronin (5.5): Didn’t feel he was all that useful out on the wing. Nothing shockingly negative, but not much positive to speak of. He can up his game though so no cause for panic.
White (6): If he can make a little more happen for himself, he’ll be a good striker. I think he did fairly well with the opportunities he got, but strikers have got to score thus the score.
DeRosario (6.5): I don’t really know what to say about him. He played like I expected him to (by this I mean well), but could have used more service.

LaBrocca, on for Gala - 53rd minute (6): Though he got about 35-40 minutes to work with, he never really made a bang. But TFC acquired him something like 48 hours ago, I’m sure he’ll get better.
Sanyang, on for Saric - 66th minute (6): Similar to LaBrocca, I don’t think he really got into the match. I think he had one notable pass though; can’t be sure.

Preki (7): Agreed with his starting XI minus Garcia. I would have preferred Attakora in the centre and Gargan on the right. But Gargan had just gotten to Columbus mere hours before so I understand the selection. Made smart substitutions for Gala who wasn't effective and for Saric who got clattered and also had a yellow. Good management there. Also no issues with the flat 4-4-2, it's a standard formation. Work from there for your first match and make adjustments from there.

Referee (5): He was going to get a much higher mark if it weren’t for the last few minutes. I thought he called a very good game, didn’t go card-happy and was consistent. Many players complained to him about uncalled fouls (well, mostly Columbus players but that’s no surprise), but I have no issue with it since his standards were the same for both sides. However, his decision not to award a card to O’Rourke for kicking Frei in the chest thus leading to the second goal is a big mistake. It wrote off any chance TFC had of getting a point through an equalizing goal. I also disagreed with his decision to only award a yellow to Moffat for his two-footed lunge on Garcia. That’s a pretty clear red. It’s really too bad because I thought he was doing a fantastic job until those two moments.

TFC MOTM: Attakora. Most effective defender with the fewest mistakes. The midfield got crowded out and the strikers didn’t score. A fairly simple call today.

Most impressed by opposition’s: Robbie Rogers. He would have been much more noticeable and dangerous had it not been for Attakora.

Least impressed by opposition’s: Schelotto and Lenhart. Both twats of players who go down and complain far too often to be taken seriously as footballers. It’s really quite revolting.

Conclusion: I have mixed feelings. Most importantly, we lost 0-2 but it should have been just 0-1, which given the pessimism that we had is not wholly discouraging. Zero points is zero points though. TFC mostly looked more organized on defence and passing in the midfield, but there were some obvious mistakes at the back that need to be cut out. Coupled with scrambly moments, it shows Preki’s work isn’t done yet, but we knew that already. I look forward to our bye week so that Preki can bring in more players and better gel the ones he has now. Love the new white kits – brilliant!

I agree with most of your points, minus those about dero. I think he played an awful game. His touch was bruital, and his distribution was poor. He gave the ball up numerous times in the middle third, and in the offensive third his passes to the crease were behind the attacking players. I would give him a 5 at the most.

Also, I am intrested in how you think the individual postions did? IE a seperate rank for the defensive 4, mid, and strikers and an overall mark for the team?

I think you raise some valid points, and I look forward to reading this after every match.

[Chevy]

Is Garcia's 4.5 the lowest player rating ever given?

[Ron Manager]

Garcia - 2 Truly awful performance. Could be the first player in red I ever boo at BMO. Even had the nerve to say he was happy with the team defensively in a post game interview. He is an absolute liability and I would guess that if we kept track of the points he cost us this season he alone will be enough to cost us a playoff spot. Tonight he cost us one goal by indirectly passing it to the oppositions most dangerous player for an open net goal. I would argue he may have cost us a point as up til then we had almost looked like we could scrape an equaliser. We would be better of with Rick Titus.

[Chevy]

Garcia - 2 Truly awful performance. Could be the first player in red I ever boo at BMO. Even had the nerve to say he was happy with the team defensively in a post game interview. He is an absolute liability and I would guess that if we kept track of the points he cost us this season he alone will be enough to cost us a playoff spot. Tonight he cost us one goal by indirectly passing it to the oppositions most dangerous player for an open net goal. I would argue he may have cost us a point as up til then we had almost looked like we could scrape an equaliser. We would be better of with Rick Titus.

you forgot "indirectly passing it OFF THE BACK OF HIS FALLEN KEEPER to the oppositions most dangerous player...

[Lucky Strike]

I agree with most of your points, minus those about dero. I think he played an awful game. His touch was bruital, and his distribution was poor. He gave the ball up numerous times in the middle third, and in the offensive third his passes to the crease were behind the attacking players. I would give him a 5 at the most.

Also, I am intrested in how you think the individual postions did? IE a seperate rank for the defensive 4, mid, and strikers and an overall mark for the team?

I think you raise some valid points, and I look forward to reading this after every match.

Thanks for the kind words. I did think about ratings for those but I'm not sold on it. I feel I do a somewhat comprehensive analysis for each player, from which the reader can get an idea of what the back line, midfield or front was like. Part of the reluctance is about time - it took 45 minutes to write today's piece. Doesn't sound like too much, but I may not always have enough time for it. But if enough people suggest it, I'll probably run with it.


Is Garcia's 4.5 the lowest player rating ever given?

It is not - last year Garcia garnered a lower score on an occasion or two. I think it was around 3-3.5.

Basically, my scoring system generally goes something like this:

10 - A performance that'll be talked about for years.
9 - Usually the performance of the year.
8 - An outstanding effort.

Now you get into the more typical scores:

7 - A good/solid performance, nothing major to complain about.
6 - Fairly good outing, there may have been a mistake or two - the default score that players start with.
5 - Mediocre match, the player was at fault for something fairly big or repeatedly for smaller screw-ups.

Now for poor performances:

4 - Bad game, nothing redeeming in the performance. Usually includes around two major mistakes. This one the player will want to forget quickly.
3 - Awful game, probably the worst performance of anyone for the season as it was littered with major mistakes. Questions should be asked if he's selected in the next match.
2 - This player shamed the club with his performance. It may very well end up being on a video showing how NOT to play.
1 - The team would have been better served by playing with 10 men.
0 - Why is this man even a footballer?

On frustration, (like with Garcia today) it would be easy to say that he meets all the descriptions for the 0-4 ratings, but if you try and think about it objectively, this works well.

The highest rating I ever gave was a 9.5 for DeRo in the Montreal Miracle.

[rocker]

pretty good ratings. one thing I found interesting was how "even" the players looked on this day. and your ratings reflect that. it was kind of reminding me of the notion of interchangeable parts. Now, I expect De Ro and De Guz to shine far and above their teammates but they didn't... but other than Garcia I didn't feel anyone else sucked so badly compared to the rest. Am I making sense here? Is this Preki's style reflecting on the players... they are just parts rather than the individuals we saw so much of in years past, who may shine or fail seemingly on their own?

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

I though Gala had a couple of good passes that lead to chances / half chances. I'm not sure what people saw in LaBrocca and Saric.

It's very early days, but I think talent wise we're at a low point for TFC. I know Preki likes hard workers, but there has to be some halfway point between industry and talent.

[koryo]

We lost. Individual achievement means nothing.

[Lucky Strike]

pretty good ratings. one thing I found interesting was how "even" the players looked on this day. and your ratings reflect that. it was kind of reminding me of the notion of interchangeable parts. Now, I expect De Ro and De Guz to shine far and above their teammates but they didn't... but other than Garcia I didn't feel anyone else sucked so badly compared to the rest. Am I making sense here? Is this Preki's style reflecting on the players... they are just parts rather than the individuals we saw so much of in years past, who may shine or fail seemingly on their own?

Makes sense to me; the team is playing much more like that, a team. To me that was the downfall of 2009: a very talented team but that played too individually and generally underachieved. Now it's the opposite, the squad is much less talented, but I feel like they will be extracting much more from their talent. It may yet not be enough but it's something positive.

[Davenport]

Frei - 4 - A liability. Can stop shots, but most keepers can. Leaves his box way too often and usually mistimes those challenges.

Attakora - 7 - Did well. Kept Rogers, their most dangerous player, quiet for most of the match.

Garcia - 1 - A defensive liability. Completely out of his depth.

Harden - 4 - Very little pace and not much more mobility. Needs to be partnered with a proper sweeper to make a proper assessment.

Brennan - 5 - A better game than usual. Won a couple of important challenges, but his legs have gone and a speedy winger will do him everytime.

Gala - 1 - Invisible.

DeGuzman - 4 - Very disappointing. For someone supposedly as good as he is, gives the ball away a lot and makes very few telling passes.

Saric - 3 - Very poor first outing. Could have been sent off. Doesn't look fit.

Cronin - 3 - Ineffective. No composure, rushed everything.

White - 5 - His first touch is terrible, and he's usually the wrong side of his defender.
Had a couple of efforts, had for him a good game. Not good enough.

DeRosario - 4 - Again disappointing. Not sure about his mind-set. When things are going well, he's dangerous. When not, he loses focus.

LaBrocca - 4 - Not enough time to tell, but looks like a footballer and has good balance.

Sanyang - 2 - Not good enough.

[azzuri4stars]

I will specifcally highlight 3 players

1) De Guzman- I was disappointed in his play. He is our DP. Last year he had problems but I gave him the benefit of the doubt given that he was out of action for a good part of the season. No excuses for yesterday. For the $$$ he is making he has to take charge and can't be just an average player. God knows we have plenty of other average and below average players on this team. De Guzman has to rise up and stand out. Game 1 he didn't so that was a disappointment.

2) Labrocca- I watched his play in the 2nd half and wasn't impressed. I was a fan of Wynne and disappointed they let him go. So I was watching to see how Labrocca played. There was nothing exciting about him at all.
3) Saric- given that he was a new addition with international experience I was interested in seeing how he would perform. In one word "disappointing" I mean how many bad passes did he deliver? How many times did he give the ball away. Also stupid fouls and the yellow card. The yellow card came as a result of a por giveawy an dthen he had to try and get back into the play.

[jabbronies]

DeGuzman (5) - He needs to toughen up when he's on the ball. I saw him receive the ball numerous times in the first half only to turn and get tangled up in 2 players. I'll give him the benefit that he was being double teamed at that point. In the Second, he opened up a bit - probably cos of the formation change and made some decent passes. However he and his midfield compatriots passed the ball right to the opposing team numerous times. As a DP - he gets graded more critically IMO

Defence (4) Attikora and Brennan played well individually, but as a full unit, the defence were pretty bad. There was a huge lack of formation back there, hence the reason Columbus had about 4 partial breakaways. Bad passing out the back and horrendous clearing out the zone is what cost us the two goals.

Midfield (4) Lost the ball too much for my liking. Bad passing and lack of creativity for most of the game. They need to move around more. Seems like they would just line up in front of the Columbus Midfield instead of finding and using the open spaces to get behind them.

Defense/Midfield Bridge (3) Wasn't there and not sure who to blame. The defence for not thinking or moving quick enough or the midfielders for not getting open.

[TFCtoMUFC]

How can you say Garcia is a 4.5 and Cronin is a 5.5? Cronin was one of our better players on the pitch. DeRo should've hit him with some passes and not taken off angle shots.

[scooterTFC]

How can you say Garcia is a 4.5 and Cronin is a 5.5? Cronin was one of our better players on the pitch. DeRo should've hit him with some passes and not taken off angle shots.
I don’t like Cronin on the wing. He isn’t effective in the attacking third of the field. He treats the ball like a live grenade in the attacking end. His commitment to team defence is an asset but if he isn’t starting as CM he probably shouldn’t start.

[TFCtoMUFC]

I don’t like Cronin on the wing. He isn’t effective in the attacking third of the field. He treats the ball like a live grenade in the attacking end. His commitment to team defence is an asset but if he isn’t starting as CM he probably shouldn’t start.

I agree with that statement. He is amazing as a CM and should start there. Would still like him on the wing, just not as much.

[MartinUtd]

With ratings like that you'd think we won 3-0

I really can't see how Garcia would be awarded anything higher than a 3.

I wish I could give more individual ratings but I was having trouble telling who's who on my blurry internet feed (and complete lack of useful commentary)

[Lucky Strike]

2) Labrocca- I watched his play in the 2nd half and wasn't impressed. I was a fan of Wynne and disappointed they let him go. So I was watching to see how Labrocca played. There was nothing exciting about him at all.

That's a bit quick in judging him isn't it? He played something like 35 minutes. I agree he wasn't really visible at all, but I've seen LaBrocca play before. Based on that, I believe it will prove to be a very good trade. TFC turned something they weren't going to use into something that will definitely come in handy this year.

[deacon]

cronin is not a natural winger,but he works his tail off.As far a attacking talents, just look at his 50 yrd run early in second half. OB clearly needed to lay ball off to cronin on right.
Eddie gavin,a US nat'l, didn't do anything yesterday, in large part because of cronin's two way effort.
cronin's better than saric in middle and he's the best winger we have right now.

[profit89]

Garcia - 2 Truly awful performance. Could be the first player in red I ever boo at BMO. Even had the nerve to say he was happy with the team defensively in a post game interview. He is an absolute liability and I would guess that if we kept track of the points he cost us this season he alone will be enough to cost us a playoff spot. Tonight he cost us one goal by indirectly passing it to the oppositions most dangerous player for an open net goal. I would argue he may have cost us a point as up til then we had almost looked like we could scrape an equaliser. We would be better of with Rick Titus.

lol.. did he really say that?

Imo, Garcia was 0.. the horrible back pass, the second goal where he cleared it off frei's back, and the corner kick he gave away from 40 yards away when he tried to take down the high lob. Brutal.