Player Ratings

Player Ratings: FC Cincinnati vs. Atlanta United

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FC Cincinnati and Atlanta United came away with a 1-1 draw Wednesday night. Brad Weigel grades FC Cincinnati’s performance.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Miller/Graphic by Joey Koehling

FC Cincinnati played Atlanta United to a 1-1 draw Wednesday night at TQL Stadium in front of a crowd of 23,162. In a back and forth affair, Luciano Acosta put the Orange & Blue ahead in the 61st minute for his fourth goal of the season. The lead was short-lived when Ronald Hernandez curled a right-footed shot into the top corner for the equalizer in the 69th minute. Both teams had chances at the end with Atlanta adding nearly 1 XG after the 70th minute, but none could pull ahead as Kenneth Vermeer made several big saves and FC Cincinnati held on for the draw.

Check out Cincinnati Soccer Talk’s post match report here for more details.

RULES:

  • Each player starts off with a 6 as a standard rating. Six signifies an “average performance” for the match.
  • Players will receive additions or subtractions to their score based on individual moments and the overall team performance.
  • We’ll look at multiple criteria such as statistics and the Audi Player Index (API), Who Scored, and Stats Zone to assess a player’s rating.
  • A player may receive an N/A if they are subbed in/off before any quantifiable statistics are available.

Expected Goals (xG): FC Cincinnati – 1.3, Atlanta United – 1.9, per mlssoccer.com

Now onto the ratings:

GK – Kenneth Vermeer- 9 (Man of the Match)

I can’t remember many times over the last couple of years where I’ve given out a 9, but Vermeer earned it. He singled-handed kept FC Cincinnati in the game, and if not for a couple of saves, this match could’ve been a blowout. What a rebound after a poor performance against Montreal. Check out this 87th-minute free kick against Josef Martinez.

RB – Joseph-Claude Gyau- 6.5

If you want to see flashes of why FC Cincinnati should continue the Gyau experiment at RB, you need to look no further than last night. While he’s still figuring out all of his defensive positioning and responsibilities, you can’t teach his speed and explosiveness. There were several moments when he took a touch or two and flew right past an Atlanta defender. He put a couple of dangerous balls into the box and is starting to develop a relationship with Alvaro Barreal on the right.

CB – Geoff Cameron- 6

I think it was somewhat of a quiet night for Cameron, who had to keep tabs on 19-year-old Jackson Conway. I have to admit I did crack a laugh when the two went toe to toe after Conway took out Cameron on the end line. Other than that, I thought his performance was average. You can see his effect on the defense now that he was back in, but he had a couple of sloppy touches and a giveaway that nearly cost FCC. I’d like to see the relationship improve between him and Gustavo Vallecilla. I feel they had some issues deciding on coverage on through balls behind the defense that needs to be cleaned up.

CB – Gustavo Vallecilla- 6

The young Ecuadorean had a solid if unspectacular night Wednesday. He definitely showed his physicality early, but I would like him to continue to improve on his tackling. I feel there were a couple of moments he could’ve stopped a break with a tackle or professional foul yet came up empty. Also he needs to continue to not get caught ball watching. I feel he was pulled slightly out of position at times, but he is getting better. All things that are fair to see from a young CB, but overall I like where he’s headed.

LB – Edgar Castillo- 6

No firecracker like against Columbus, but another sold match in relief duty of Ronald Mataritta. I have to admit, I did not think Castillo was going to get forward as much as he did against Atlanta. He had his hands full with Jake Mulraney and Brooks Lennon but did well when called upon.

CM – Caleb Stanko- 5.5

Stanko came in for Yuya Kubo who was out on yellow card suspension, and honestly, I’m not sure he was set up for success. With Haris Medunjanin given somewhat of a free 8 role to get into the attack, a lot of the defensive responsibility fell upon Stanko, which was not easy. That pairing, while not ideal, is what it is right now with the roster situation with Kamohelo Motojko not being selected and Allan Cruz on international duty. I will echo what Coach said below though. In possession, Stanko still leaves a lot to be desired.

CM – Haris Medunjanin- 6.5

As I said above, the pairing of Medunjanin and Stanko leaves a lot to be desired, especially when it comes to a lack of covering ground. I did give Medunjanin a point higher than Stanko because I’m probably a Medunjanin stan but he just makes things happen with his passing. There was a time early in the second half where you felt FCC was going to score, and that was from Medunjanin pulling the strings. At 36, you know he can’t cover as much ground. His value is to create scoring opportunities, and you then live with the rest.

RM – Álvaro Barreal- 7

Alvaro Barreal is becoming my favorite player to watch because he just needs a split second to get a shot off. Outside of Acosta, he’s one of the few that can create scoring chances regularly — five shots with two on target Wednesday. This cracker below almost put the Orange & Blue on the board.

CAM – Luciano Acosta- 7.5

Acosta is dynamic every time he gets the ball and makes FC Cincinnati fun to watch for me. It’s amazing how strong he is in small spaces against multiple defenders. I docked a half-point for that flop in the second half. While I appreciate gamesmanship, this one was a bit of a stretch. Check out his nifty goal below.

LM – Isaac Atanga- 5

Atanga didn’t do it for me Wednesday. He was limited to 19 touches and five passes and was pretty much absent all night. FC Cincinnati needs to get more out of the left wing, and Atanga isn’t exactly writing his name in pen in the starting XI. Still, he is young and there isn’t anybody healthy to push. Let’s just hope he can find his best form soon.

ST – Brenner- 7

I tweeted it last night and looking back I think my first impression was right — Wednesday was the best service Brenner has received all season. While he didn’t end up on the scoresheet, Brenner had several nice chances and a couple of others that he was an inch or two from getting on the end of. Earlier in the year, he wasn’t getting these opportunities, so to me this is another sign of progress not only for Brenner but for the team as a whole. I love how Acosta, Brenner, Barreal and even Medunjanin played off each other and it started to cause issues for the Atlanta defense. When FCC looked dangerous, these four coupled with Atanga would change up their runs to become unpredictable to their opponent. In the end, I really think that’s what coach Jaap Stam is looking for. If Atanga can get into games more consistently and add in Mataritta when he gets back, Cincinnati’s offense really looks like it has some dudes to be dangerous.

SUBS

Brandon Vazquez (73rd Minute)- 5

Vazquez came in for Atanga which put Brenner out on the left wing. He just couldn’t get into the game, and when it looked likely he either misplayed the ball or was caught offside.

Nick Hagglund (79th Minute)- 6

Hagglund came in for Barreal. He alternated between RCB and RB, even getting up the field as Stam pushed Gyau forward into the attack.

Injury Notes: Zico Bailey (hip), Allan Cruz (international duty), Calvin Harris (meniscus), Rónald Matarrita (international duty), Maikel van der Werff (sports hernia)

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