Player Ratings by Lucky Strike: NER v. TFC

[Lucky Strike]

As usual, check back here in the hours following the match for the player ratings. Good luck to the guys today!

[Lucky Strike]

Frei (7): The main criticism is that he’s not as sharp on crosses in the box but I thought he intervened well in many of them. Still not perfect, but maybe he saw how helpful it can be by watching Conway in action last match. New perspective, new ideas?
Gargan (6): No huge complaints, looked lively, got skinned once but busted his ass during the entire match. I thought he was sometimes playing too narrow though.
Cann (7): Yet another solid performance from what is looking to be like the best signing this year. I can’t wait for the MLS player salary list to come out and see how much he makes – it’s likely to be a bargain.
Garcia (6): There was one moment where he scared me a bit but overall I didn’t think he was too solicited as New England was looking to get balls across from the wingmen. More on this later.
Hscanovics (5.5): I thought he had a difficult match today. Bad header back to Frei which thankfully wasn’t deadly. Had another moment or two of concern but seemed to have learned his lesson with Nyassi’s speed and I thought he was more careful this time around.
Cronin (5.5): I thought he had a tough time with his control today. Was good positionally, effort-wise, and had decent passing except he had the touch of a rapist. I understand a little more now why Preki thinks he’s second choice behind players like LaBrocca, Peterson or Sanyang. That’s not to mean I think he’s garbage, just commenting on Preki’s selection.
Sanyang (6.5): Was effective in containing Joseph who admittedly didn’t look as dangerous as usual but skill doesn’t just disappear so he had to be vigilant. Still could improve his passing though – a lot.
Saric (6): The other part of the equation in locking down the midfield and was his usual aggressive self. Unfortunately took an early card which I thought caused him to disappear for certain lengths of time because he obviously didn’t want to pick up a red.
Peterson (6.5): Though there weren’t flashes of brilliance, I’m beginning to understand a little more about this player. He’s a solidly skilled player all around but just doesn’t have the flair that’ll make you go “wow”. That’s no criticism though, I thought he was very effective today in his delivery and never gave the ball away.
Barrett (7.5): Admit it, you would have put good money on him to score today after seeing the first 15 minutes, right? It seemed like it was just a matter of time before he got one and I’m glad he did. It seems this year he’s not just playing hard, he’s also playing smart which is making him a much more dangerous player. Great runs, puts himself in good spots, had a bit of an issue with his touch early on but I thought he got rid of that problem later on. Big round of applause for him.
Ibrahim (6): Though he played only a half, and his first minutes of the season, he did get into some good positions and I get the sense he has a good footballing brain. He’ll need more time to be more effective but it’s a decent start. He needs to bulk up though as he still gets knocked off the ball a little too easily.

White, on for Ibrahim – 46th minute (6.5): It’s strange, he seemingly takes forever to get going but when he’s at speed, he’s fast and causes problem with his pace. Made some good runs and displays good understanding with Barrett, he just feels a little clumsy sometimes. If he can get rid of that, he’ll be that much better at getting goals. It seems like he’s still adjusting to the speed of the MLS (as compared to college play).
LaBrocca, on for Cronin – 59th minute (6): Not too much going on for him today but I thought he retained the ball very well which is always desired when holding a lead.
Gala, on for Peterson – 82nd minute (NR): No time to make an impression, really. Well, that’s not entirely true, he had another “LA moment” of hard and effective work to kill time.

Preki (7.5): You would never have known that the TFC midfield was being outnumbered all match long. That’s right, New England had three central midfielders being nullified by Sanyang and Saric. The trick was that Cronin came in and out of the midfield as needed. New England was playing through the middle in midfield where they felt their strength was since they 3 had guys to TFC’s 2 and then looked for the ball out to the advanced wingers to try and swing something in the box. So Cronin came in narrower on defence to help prevent the link from the midfield to the advanced wingers and back out on the attack to try and stretch the New England back line. The end result was that New England had next to nothing going forward.

Referee (6): A fair to middling performance. I felt the yellow to Saric early on was a bit harsh, he got the ball, and wasn’t completely from behind but that may have been enough for him to warrant the card. Also felt he was a bit slow in recognizing when players were down injured. Aside from that, I can’t think of any major issues with him.

TFC MOTM: Barrett. I don’t think I really need to explain that one, do I?

Most impressed by opposition’s: Kevin Alston. A draft pick from last year who’s proven to be very effective. He’s fast, tough, positionally sound and strong.

Least impressed by opposition’s: Joseph Niouky. He wasn’t pulling his weight during the match and felt like he had a major impact on why New England couldn’t win the midfield battle today.

Conclusion: TFC kept the 100% record at home and it’s especially satisfying today given how we were missing many of our better players. Preki says it’s important to trust the entire squad and with effective rotation, I feel that trust is enticing them to play better for each other – they can feel the confidence the manager has in them and he’s being rewarded. Plus you know, the manager is not tactically naïve – that always helps. Additional props goes to the capo of U-Sector who got Zac Herold on the platform and serenaded by the South End. Very nice touch.

[Dub Narcotic]

This is one of the weaker NER teams we've seen. Alston is likely headed for a NT callup, but the don't have a lot else. I thought Burpo was weak today, and their forward play is non-existant.

[jabbronies]

Sanyang (6.5): Was effective in containing Joseph who admittedly didn’t look as dangerous as usual but skill doesn’t just disappear so he had to be vigilant. Still could improve his passing though – a lot.


Ya he was literally on top of Joseph all game. Really got under Joseph's skin a couple times.

[TFC_4_Life]

I would rate Sanyang higher. The sheer number of tackles he made today was mind boggling. He had what I thought was by far his best match of the season. Also looked more relaxed on the ball then previously. Obviously still room for improvement with distribution, as stated, but much improved from previous games.

[jabbronies]

I would rate Sanyang higher. The sheer number of tackles he made today was mind boggling. He had what I thought was by far his best match of the season. Also looked more relaxed on the ball then previously. Obviously still room for improvement with distribution, as stated, but much improved from previous games.

I wouldn't rate him higher...he fucked up a few times and flopped around like a fish a couple other times. Still, a well deserved 6.5 IMO

[devioustrevor]

A 6.5 for White is too high. For his first 15 minutes 6.5 seems about right. But during that last half hour he was a 5, maybe a 5.5

He Patrik Stefan'd that easy shot for a potential goal, he made some absolutely dreadful passes (what the hell was he trying to accomplish on that crossfield pass to Gala. Gala was wide open and nobody else was on that side of the pitch and he still misses Gala by at least 5 yards and does so with a ball too heavy for Gala to run down), then there was that dangerous-looking forward push late in the game while NER was pressuring that White allowed to go out of bound out of sheer laziness.

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

I think Cann might have pushed into an an 8, viewing his performance in context of the match. Same for Sanyang, 6.5 not unfair but what his play meant for the team today far outweighs a technical assessment of performance today. Sanyang may flop around, but I don't think he's diving at all.

[prizby]

i see some bias here, sorry, but i know 95% of ppl just can't stand garcia, but he played better than a 6 today, he was a 7 no doubt and its a clear bias if you can't see that

[Lucky Strike]

i see some bias here, sorry, but i know 95% of ppl just can't stand garcia, but he played better than a 6 today, he was a 7 no doubt and its a clear bias if you can't see that

That's never a good way to construct an argument. If you disagree, fine, tell everyone why. But please don't label people with assumptions.

[TorCanSoc]

White, on for Ibrahim – 46th minute (6.5): It’s strange, he seemingly takes forever to get going but when he’s at speed, he’s fast and causes problem with his pace. Made some good runs and displays good understanding with Barrett, he just feels a little clumsy sometimes. If he can get rid of that, he’ll be that much better at getting goals. It seems like he’s still adjusting to the speed of the MLS (as compared to college play).


Its bizarre when the season started, I thought this guy is just too slow to be a striker? But he seems to get to balls driven long. Barrett even said OB has out and out pace. His running style seems to be lumbering, but once he gets going I guess he has speed.

Curious. Who's the fastest on the team right now?

[Carts]

i see some bias here, sorry, but i know 95% of ppl just can't stand garcia, but he played better than a 6 today, he was a 7 no doubt and its a clear bias if you can't see that

I don't think critism like this is warranted at all...

Every match Lucky rates the players, and has often given low numbers to popular guys, and high numbers to team goats...

Reading them after every game, there's times I agree and times I disagree - but I see no bias in regards to hating on Garcia...

Personally, at 6.5 - that's a solid 'C' which is 'average'. Maybe a C+ is deserved which is 'above average'...

Keep up the player ratings - and don't let the critics get to you. Its nice to actually discuss the players and match, and not read another 'Mo must go' bitter bunch post...

Carts...

[CoachGT]

i see some bias here, sorry, but i know 95% of ppl just can't stand garcia, but he played better than a 6 today, he was a 7 no doubt and its a clear bias if you can't see that

I disagree - I think the rating is fair. One of the things you've got to watch for is the decision making with the ball. A few times on the game yesterday I saw Garcia make rushed passes to players who were already covered. The player receiving the pass then loses the ball and gets the criticism, when in fact it is the player making the pass that should bear the responsibility for the turnover. Garcia did that several times against New England. I don't know if it is panic or that he just doesn't see the opposition, but both options are concerning.

My only other comment is about Sanyang. He covered Joseph well all day but was tiring later in the match, as indicated by Joseph fniding himself in position for free headers and in dangerous positions in the box. Someone near me referred to the injury time as "this minute brought to you by Sanyang". I would have expected him to come off around the 75th for Gala and save the histrionics that we saw later.

The ratings seem pretty square to me. But I thought that the run of play over the game was slightly favoring New England over TFC - they seemed dangerous a lot more than we did. And I'm wondering if anyone else had their heart in their throat for the last 15, when the ball seemed to stay in our zone in New England possession - shades of last year!

[James17930]

Can we all please stop using the term 'touch of a rapist"? I've seen like five people use it on this board.

I'm sure you realize how offensive that is, especially to our female members.

[James17930]

Def. Peterson's best game so far. Let's hope that he regains his confidence along with his fitness and is able to control his wing more authoritatively as the season goes on.

And yeah -- Sanyang sure is good at breaking up plays, but his passing is horrible. But of course he's still only 18 -- if he keeps improving steadily than in 2 or 3 years he's gonna be awesome.

[ag futbol]

[B]Most impressed by opposition’s: Kevin Alston. A draft pick from last year who’s proven to be very effective. He’s fast, tough, positionally sound and strong.

Word, never watched him play a game I wasn't impressed with. He really gets under the opposing team's skin.