Houston Dynamo at CF Montreal player ratings

(image via Houston Dynamo FC)

The Houston Dynamo nearly secured all three points before giving away a last second equalizer against CF Montreal. Let’s take a look at how everyone performed.

Starters

Steve Clark-8

Steve had a great game, making six saves. He continues to be a great player and leader between the sticks for the Dynamo. Unfortunately, he could not secure his league leading 13th shutout of the season.

Daniel Steres-7

It was good to see Steres get another start and continue to improve at left back. He put in a solid defensive shift with two tackles and two blocks. Like usual, he barely contributed to the offense as Escobar normally does.

Teenage Hadebe-8

Another monster game for Teenage as he led the backline in defensive actions. He was incredible defending set pieces and the crosses being launched in the box late on. Not the best game on the ball, but nobody was really great in that regard.

Ethan Bartlow-8

Ethan’s best performance in quite some time, as he was a rock at the back alongside Teenage. He was making clearance after clearance and his short passing was as solid as ever.

Griffin Dorsey-5

It was great to see Dorsey back in the lineup, but unfortunately it was not his greatest showing. He was solid defensively but failed to make much of an impact going forward.

Luis Caicedo-7

Another typical Luis Caicedo performance where he partners Artur deep in the midfield and quietly does his role. His passing was not the strongest we have seen from him, but an overall good game.

Artur-9

It’s about time Artur’s brilliant play was rewarded with a goal. He was exceptional as usual and finally was able to get his first goal in orange. An overall great presence in the midfield that allowed the team to perform at a high level without Hector Herrera.

Sebastian Kowalczyk-8

As Ben Olsen said, this was his best performance so far for the Dynamo. He was creative on the ball and linked the play together wonderfully. He was able to get his first assist for the Dynamo as well.

Coco Carrasquilla-4

Another underwhelming game for Coco where he fails to make his mark on the game in the way we expect. Without Herrera, it is expected that Coco would take over the midfield and lead the team, but that just was not the case.

Nelson Quinones-7

Quinones was the most involved of the forwards as he was able to create all kinds of danger down the left wing. He led the team in shot creating actions and also had a solid defensive showing on Montreal’s attacking wingbacks.

Aliyu Ibrahim-7

Aliyu needs to see the field more and to see the ball more while he’s playing. When he is allowed to the lead the line and show off his abilities, he usually puts in a solid performance. His work rate was excellent and led to him creating the opening goal of the game. Unfortunately, his shooting is still not what we expect out of a striker.

Substitutes

Corey Baird-3

Corey came in for Aliyu when he picked up an injury and was mostly nonexistent for most of the game. As the team was holding a lead, he barely saw any opportunities to add to the game offensively. He did miss what was the best chance of the game that would’ve secured the three points.

Franco Escobar-6

Nothing special from Franco in his 20-minute substitute appearance. He was brought on to see out the game and he did his job fairly well.

Amine Bassi-7

Would’ve liked to see Bassi come in the game for someone other than Kowalczyk, as we have yet to see them play together. He put in a solid effort and created the chance that Corey Baird failed to convert late in the game.

Brad Smith and Ivan Franco-N/A

Both players came on very late in the match with little time to make an impact. Franco was very poor in the buildup to Montreal’s goal as his clearance was weak and so were his efforts to close down Lassi Lappalainen.

Head Coach

Ben Olsen-6

The usual road performance where Hector Herrera is absent from the lineup. He set the team up to attack early and defend the lead. This time it did not work out and his defensive tactics might have put too much pressure on the team late in the game. Overall, a solid result given the circumstances. Just upsetting that the equalizing goal came so late on.