Sporting Kansas City played yet another game that finished with only 10 players for SKC and another loss. Despite that, there were a couple of bright spots against the New England Revolution.
My scale:
1 – Never Play Again. You shall be cursed to the fifth generation for your travesties.
…
5 – Your play was completely unoffensive. You are a cream wall in an office park building.
…
10 – You are the chosen one! They will forever sing of your aptitude! You are the most interesting man in the world!
Starting XI
Tim Melia – 7
Had some truly excellent saves and really was the only reason that SKC stayed in the game. Might have been able to do a little better on the second goal by deflecting it out instead of right to the feet of an attacker.
Cameron Duke – 2.5
Not sure what to make of Duke’s performance other than to say he was absolutely roasted by Boateng all night. Was culpable on both goals and offered surprisingly little going forward. Another oddity, he went to ground so easily all night, multiple times he had dribbled through people and then fell over trying to get a call versus completing the play. Hopefully, this is just him playing out of position, but it was certainly a disappointing outing.
Dany Rosero – 6
Let’s just get this out of the way, there was nothing he could do about the first goal that blasted off his shoulder. Outside of that looked good and was covering for Duke all night. The only mark against him is when he goes to ground in the buildup to the red card which leaves Fontas all alone. Not his best outing but still the most capable defender on the team by a mile right now.
Andreu Fontas – 2.5
Fontas’s lack of legs was really showing in this game which was played at a frenetic pace from the start. The straight red (or second yellow) were well-deserved and clumsy. He could have just shown him to the edge of the box but alas he did not.
Logan Ndenbe– 5.5
Looked great for his first outing this season. He showed some slick passing, the ability to dribble, and defensive solidity that have been sorely needed from the left-back spot.
Remi Walter – 6
Worked tirelessly on the night but would still like to see a bigger range of ball progression with this passing.
Roger Espinoza – 4
Struggled with the pace of the game and was notably absent in defensive help for Cam Duke. A couple of times got in behind, but he does not have the wheels at this point to stay in front of the defenders.
Erik Thommy – 5.5
Thommy was able to deal well with the press by New England and wiggled out of some tight spaces. Unfortunately, his final ball is still off, and it makes it very difficult for the team to break quickly in transition.
Johnny Russell – 6.5
Was all over the pitch driving the attack and got the lone goal for SKC. It was an easy finish but only because he was right where he needed to be. Still seems like he has lost a step on the dribble though and his efforts in that department were less successful.
Alan Pulido – 4.5
Was influential in possession but really feels like he is playing as a center-attacking midfielder most of the time. Needs to get more time being actually goal dangerous.
Daniel Salloi – 5.5
Had a great attempt early on and combined well with Ndenbe and Thommy throughout the game, but like Pulido we just need him to be more goal dangerous. That said he picked up an assist on the Russell goal with an excellent whipped-in ball.
Subs
Khiry Shelton – 4.5
Was a good game for him to use his motor and keep the Revs from relaxing. He succeeded to that end but was ineffective with the ball at his feet.
Robert Voloder – 4.5
Struggled a bit with the pace of NE but he was largely unoffensive at the back. I assume he will be getting the start next week with Fontas out with the red card.
Felipe Hernandez – 6
Used his motor to good effect and nearly found an equalizer off of a well-struck shot from just inside the box. Tracked back well on a NE breakaway in the closing minutes.
Marinos Tzionis – 5.5
Showed some neat dribbling skills and setup Felipe up for the last big chance of the night.
Chris Rindov – 5
Had an uneventful Sporting debut. Showed some flashes of why they signed him to a deal. I assume he is getting some minutes because Peter plans on starting him for the US Open Cup game on Tuesday.
Coach
Peter Vermes – 4
Used all his subs to good effect but I am unclear why you start Fontas against a team with so much pace. That said the team looked good while being down a man and it feels like this was a game where SKC could have stolen a point.
Conclusion
As I said last week, this season is over so I think I would like to see us start building for the future by starting Voloder, Pierre, and Ndenbe consistently. Obviously, they have not all been healthy, but I want to see if they are actually consistent starters for this team or not.
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