Player Ratings

Player Ratings: FC Cincinnati 1, New England Revolution 1

FC Cincinnati rode into Gilette Stadium on Saturday to take on the New England Revolution in a top-of-the-table clash. After taking the lead in the 31st minute through a Yerson Mosquera set-piece goal, they capitulated the lead away in first-half stoppage time. Then, in a 2nd half marred by officiating stoppages and missed calls, neither team could find the go-ahead goal, ending the match with a share of the spoils at 1-1.

Let’s look at where your favorite FCC players ranked for this match.

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

RULES:

  • Each player starts off with a six 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 and statistics from websites like FB Ref, Who Scored and FOTMOB.
  • All statistics used will be taken from fbref.com when possible.
  • A player may receive a N/A if they are subbed on/off before any quantifiable statistics are available.

Expected Goals (xG): FC Cincinnati – 1.9, Portland Timbers – 1.6, per mlssoccer.com

Formation: 3-5-2

Now onto the ratings:

Manager – Pat Noonan – 6

Noonan set his team to come out pressing straight away and put New England on the back foot. It was a good decision that didn’t pay dividends. From there, the Revolution settled down and controlled much of the rest of the game. Still, his team won a penalty, which Lucho missed, and had another certain penalty call that wasn’t awarded. The manager can only do so much if his players aren’t executing or the ref is having a good game.

However, I really didn’t like Noonan’s subs. This is totally subjective as it could be argued that his subs were played perfectly to preserve the draw on the road … which would be a reasonable expectation. I simply think his team was still well-poised to go for all three points. Bringing on Kubo for Santos in the 71st minute put FCC into a 3-4-2-1 in a moment when they were already sitting deep and having trouble getting out of their own half. Then, Noonan didn’t make another sub until the 84th minute when he swapped right backs. He made two final subs in the final minute of regulation. None of his subs were made to positively impact the game. Instead, they were defensive-minded or looking to waste time. For this, I think Noonan lands at a 6.

GK – Roman Celentano – 7.5

Roman continued his trend of struggling with back passes in this match. In the seventh minute, he badly popped up a clearance to Dylan Borrero, leading to a chance at a cross that Nick Hagglund luckily cut out. In the 25th minute, he chipped the ball straight to the New England midfield resulting in Justin Rennicks having a run at goal. Then, a minute later, he hit a simple back pass straight out of bounds. All goalkeepers have to hit the ball long from time to time, causing their passing accuracy to often be a bit low. It seems like young Celentano has moments where he second-guesses his ability, causing him to choke up and strike the ball particularly poorly.

That said, we don’t have a Kenneth Vermeer situation here where a goalkeeper is meant to be good in possession even though he is clueless between the sticks. Celentano commanded his box well, communicating with his defenders on through balls and coming out to collect on a few occasions. In the 39th minute, he did well to aggressively punch clear a dangerous Emmanuel Boateng cross. In all, Roman gave up one goal, facing a PSxG of 1.8 and making three saves. One of those saves was an excellent reaction in the 64th minute to deny DeJuan Jones and preserve the draw.

RWB – Ray Gaddis – 5

Ray Gaddis is what Ray Gaddis is: an incredibly solid defender who is sound on the ball, rarely makes huge mistakes, but also doesn’t typically make huge plays. In this match, he only managed to make two passes into the attacking third and had 0 crosses and 0 chances created on 72% passing. He also didn’t get dribbled at all and had a tackle and a block. Solid, if unspectacular, numbers.

The problem is, if you aren’t making any great plays then every mistake stands out a bit more. A lot had to happen in the lead-up to New England’s game-tying goal in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. But, ultimately, it was Ray Gaddis who got beat to the spot by Boateng for the tap-in.

RCB – Nick Hagglund – 7

One could argue that Nick Hagglund was the best center back on the field when FCC was in possession. He led all center backs with three progressive passes and an 82.4  percent passing rate. He was tied for first on the team with four passes into the attacking third. Defensively, he managed two blocks, four interceptions and a tackle while winning two of three ground duels.

However, it wasn’t all fun and games for the Cincinnati Kid. He was credited for two mistouches on the night. He also nearly cost FCC a goal when he fluffed a clearance at the end of the first half. leading to a Boateng shot, which Hagglund luckily was able to block. Finally, he really should have done better with the least chance of the match when he had a free header which he put wide of the near post.

CB – Matt Miazga – 7

Miazga’s defensive presence was majorly felt by the Revolution forwards in this match. The way FCC was playing, the outside center backs were shifting wide and high to try to cover the New England wings, leaving Miazga to cover the center forward, and he did this extremely well. He ended the match with two tackles and a block to go along with winning five of seven duels.

Offensively, he wasn’t as valuable. He only attempted one long ball, which he completed along with only 71.4 percebt of his other passes. It’s tough to say if this was tactical or if the veteran American was reluctant to play the ball forward, but his team struggled badly to get the ball into the attacking third in the second half and could have used some line-splitting passes from their central defender.

LCB – Yerson Mosquera – 8.5 (Man-of-the-Match)

“Ourson” seemed to have a fairly dominant defensive match. He led all players with four tackles and five interceptions. He also had a vital intervention in the 76th minute when Bobby Wood was sent in behind, but Mosquera was able to come from left to right and make the tackle. This alone might have gotten him Man of the Match even had he not scored … but he did.

That said, I couldn’t get Mosquera to a 9 because he wasn’t very good in possession on the night. He had two mistouches and only completed 58 percent of his passes. This included going only one of nine with long balls.

LWB – Álvaro Barreal – 8

For a player that is often up and down, it was good to see the young Argentinian have consecutive good games here. Offensively, he grabbed an assist on Mosquera’s goal and could have had another when he put the ball on a platter for Nick Hagglund at the end of the match. He tied for the team lead with three key passes and also had three shot-creation actions. However, his four progressive actions were a bit lower than I’d expect for a player of his talent.

Defensively, he was also very good. Barreal won two tackles and had an interception as well as leading the team with five blocks. Particularly, late in the 2nd half, he was able to stand up Brandon Bye a few times in key moments when New England was pushing for a go-ahead goal. However, Barreal did get dribbled twice and also was partially at fault in the build-up to New England’s goal when he lunged in to try to nick the ball from a midfielder, leaving the left flank exposed for Bye to get in behind and cross.

DCM – Junior Moreno – 7.5

Junior Moreno once again had a match where he did well to help FC Cincinnati possess the ball, but did little to help them advance it. He finished the match with 86 percent passing, but only one progressive pass. In the first half, he was asked to play a bit more advanced and was able to contribute two shot-creating actions. He also tied Nick Hagglund for the team lead with four passes into the attacking third.

In the second half, it appeared that he and Obi switched roles at times, with the latter pushing forward and Moreno sitting back. He was able to grab a tackle and two blocks en route to a solid defensive outing. His best defensive contribution might have been his astute tracking of a Carles Gil run in the 88th minute when it seemed like the playmaker was certain to get in behind the Cincinnati defense. Most impressively, he outpaced all other players in the Orange and Blue by tracking down 16 recoveries. Overall, a solid outing for the veteran.

DCM – Obi Nwobodo – 7.5

Obi Nwobodo can be a defensive nightmare for the opposition. His two tackles, one block and four interceptions prove that. He was active throughout the match, tracking back to disrupt plays, and his speed and acceleration covered up Moreno’s lack thereof on numerous occasions. He got into 13 ground duels, winning eight of them, and also drew two fouls.

Notably, Obi was asked to play a bit higher up the pitch in the second half. He has the ability to advance the ball, as his five progressive actions show, but seems reluctant to do so at times. When he looks to split the defense on the dribble, he is often successful. He completed all three of his take-ons in this match. However, his 71.4 percent passing wasn’t quite good enough for a player in his position. He also failed to log a shot-creating action.

CAM – Lucho Acosta – 7

Lucho played his typical key role in advancing the ball in this match, leading his team with six progressive passes and four progressive carries. He also was a key contributor once the ball was in the final third, more than doubling any other Cincinnati player with 7 shot-creating actions. He should have drawn a penalty with his excellent first touch in the box in the 65th minute but was denied by an obstinate referee.

However, the Argentinian captain has to get graded down for missing his penalty. Even though his team scored soon after, it was a moment that he needed to do better. Also, FCC really struggled to advance the ball out of their half at times, and Lucho often failed to show into useful space to be part of that. He received five progressive passes, which isn’t terrible, but he averages nearly eight on the season.

ST – Sergio Santos – 5.5

Santos pressed hard at times, made useful runs into the channels, and had several moments of decent holdup play. He contributed three progressive actions and received six progressive passes. However, it seemed like he failed to have the cutting edge in big moments. He had zero key passes even though he was in position several times to turn provider. In the second half, he virtually disappeared as FCC struggled to get out of their own half. Finally, his missed opportunity in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time proved costly as he didn’t get another clear sight of goal all match.

ST – Brandon Vazquez – 5.5

Brandon Vazquez led all players by receiving seven progressive passes. At times, his holdup play looked phenomenal. However, at other times his feet looked slow and heavy. He ended the match with six mistouches and was dispossessed once. He battled incessantly but was largely ineffective. He had a golden opportunity to cut a cross back to Acosta in the opening 10 minutes but elected to try to fit it into the 6-yard box instead and slammed it off a defender. His lone shot was a really well-worked pivot and strike in the 37th minute that forced Petrović into a diving save, but when you play as a target forward for 89 minutes, one shot simply isn’t enough.

SUBS

Yuya Kubo (71st minute) –

Kubo definitely appeared to still be working up to match sharpness. Though he completed all 10 of his passes none of them were progressive, and he also failed to log a progressive carry. He also didn’t complete either of his two take-ons. Defensively, he couldn’t quite get up to the speed of play. He lost all three of his ground duels and was dribbled once. He also failed to log a tackle, block or interception.

Alvas Powell (84th minute) – N/A

Malik Pinto (90th minute) – N/A

Dominique Badji (90th minute) – N/A

Availability Notes: Santiago Arias (hamstring)

DEFINITIONS:

  • xG – Expected goals (or xG) measures the quality of a chance by calculating the likelihood that it will be scored from a particular position on the pitch during a particular phase of play
  • xA – Expected assist (or xA) is directly related to the xG of a shot that the pass creates.
  • Post-Shot xG (PSxG) – Post-Shot xG is calculated after the shot has been taken, once it is known that the shot is on-target, taking into account the quality of the shot.
  • Progressive Pass – A pass that advances toward the opponent’s goal where the distance between the starting point and the next touch is:
    • at least 30 meters closer to the opponent’s goal if the starting and finishing points are within a team’s own half
    • at least 15 meters closer to the opponent’s goal if the starting and finishing points are in different halves
    • at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal if the starting and finishing points are in the opponent’s half
  • Progressive Carry – Carries that move the ball toward the opponent’s goal at least 5 yards or any carry into the penalty area. Excludes carries from the defending 40% of the pitch.
  • Dribble – Moving past the opposing player while maintaining possession of the ball. When a player shields the ball or otherwise uses physical strength to maintain possession, this is not a dribble.
  • Key Pass – A pass that immediately creates a clear goal scoring opportunity for a teammate. A key pass does not have to lead to a shot, and thus is different than a shot-creating action.
  • Long Pass – Definition depends on the site being used. Typically, a pass that travels a distance greater than 30 yards.
  • Mistouch – When a player fails when trying to gain control of the ball without a defender earning a tackle or a ground duel.
  • Ground Duel – A challenge between two players to gain control of the ball, progress with the ball, or change its direction.
  • Dispossessed – The times a player loses control of the ball after a tackle from an opponent, not including attempted dribbles.
  • Recovery – Any action that ends the possession of the opponent without the ball going out of bounds. Recoveries are typically duels (44%) or interceptions (16%), but can happen without any specific action from the player doing the recovery (positioning himself correctly or simply collecting the ball).
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