Houston Dynamo at Orlando City player ratings

(image via Houston Dynamo FC)

The Houston Dynamo kicked off their Leagues Cup campaign Friday night with a 1-1 draw followed by a shootout loss on the road to Orlando. Let’s take a look at how everyone performed.

Starters

Andrew Tarbell-2

Starting in goal for the first time since the Open Cup quarter final, Tarbell did not impress whatsoever. He made a few saves but handed Orlando their lone goal. That was a mistake you wouldn’t be surprised to see a young goalkeeper like Xavier Valdez make, not a 29-year-old veteran.

Griffin Dorsey-9

As always, whenever Dorsey gets his rare start, he tends to impress. He was played in the role that is normally occupied by Franco Escobar. Dorsey was flying up and down that right wing all game long. He was the most dangerous player going forward and had a solid defensive night. He also won the “penalty” the Dynamo scored for their lone goal.

Erik Sviatchenko-8

The normal Sviatchenko performance, he was dominant when defending deep and he was the center back pushing the ball forward time and time again. The Dynamo’s only goal conceded was completely the fault of Tarbell.

Micael-8

We can almost copy and paste exactly what was said for Sviatchenko. A dominant performance for Micael, letting almost nothing significant passed him. The distribution from the back could have been better, however.

Franco Escobar-8

This game saw more of a defensive position for Escobar, filling in as the left center back with Dorsey playing that right/right wing role Escobar usually plays. Like in Atlanta, Escobar was able to thrive in this role as well. He was surprisingly great in the air and was excellent in the passing game. He got forward a bit more than we are used to seeing with Steres as well.

Artur-4

This was a disappointing game for both midfielders in the double pivot. Artur had a very tough time getting involved in the game, especially going forward. He was good defensively, but without Herrera and Coco in the lineup someone must move the ball forward. Artur failed to be that guy.

Luis Caicedo-4

Same story for Caicedo. Like Artur, he failed to get the ball into the attacking part of the field efficiently throughout the game. This partnership in midfield has worked in the past, but just was not effective at all on the night.

Amine Bassi-6

Passi is back, scoring his seventh penalty of the season! Overall, not a great night for Bassi. Largely because Artur and Caicedo couldn’t transition the ball. He took his penalty well so can’t give him too low of a score. He just wasn’t good enough in his 79 minutes.

Corey Baird-5

The standard Baird performance, high effort with a lack of end product. Not his worst or his best performance. Felt he could’ve been more direct in a lot of moments. None of the attackers had a load of opportunities in this game.

Nelson Quinones-5

Similarly to Corey, he was just alright. Lots of energy with no end product. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury right before half-time, so he did not have a whole lot of time to make his mark.

Aliyu Ibrahim-4

Aliyu did not see a lot of the ball at all, with only 16 touches in 61 minutes. His defensive effort was solid, just wish we could have seen more in his limited touches. It’s always hard for a striker in this system with no Herrera and Coco.

Substitutes

Thor Ulfarsson-2

Similar story to Aliyu, he barely saw the ball the entire time he was on the field. Unlike Aliyu, he did not make a mark at all on this game with his play off the ball. There was not a whole lot of effort in this game for Thor, who was a ghost all game.

Hector Herrera-5

The midfield certainly improved once Herrera came on the field. He did not have a lot of time to make his mark on the game, especially with how dominant Orlando were at times. He also missed his penalty to lose the shootout in the end.

Coco Carrasquilla-5

It was great to see Coco back in a Dynamo jersey. Unfortunately, he was not able to make a massive impact on the game like Dynamo fans would have hoped for. He created a spark, but it was not enough to get the offense going.

Brad Smith-6

Smith getting some more minutes is always lovely to see. He didn’t have a whole lot of time on the field but what he brought was impressive. He is looking closer to a player capable of being a real impact player for this team. He fought hard and created a solid chance late in the game.

Ivan Franco-6

Franco also did not have a lot of time on the field. He had one run in transition where he took on almost the whole team and won a foul high up the field. That is what we want to see from Franco consistently. More of that please!

Head Coach

Ben Olsen-7

Ben knew that the game on Tuesday at home was going to be the real decider in this group, so he smartly rotated some players for this game. Even with the rotation, he managed to get a well-earned point against a tough opponent. The team played well defensively, and he changed up the midfield in the second half when he needed to.