Houston Dynamo at Vancouver Whitecaps player ratings

(image via Houston Dynamo FC)

The Houston Dynamo earned all three points in a seven goal thriller at BC Place against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Let’s take a look at how everyone performed.

Starters

Steve Clark-6

This was not Steve’s finest game in goal, conceding three goals. He made one gigantic save to end the second half, which was his big highlight of the game. Other than that, there was not much he could have done about most of the goals. Three goals conceded will still hurt his rating regardless.

Griffin Dorsey-9 (MOTM)

Dorsey had his best offensive game of the season, scoring two goals, including the late winner. Defensively, he was not the best, but does that matter when you go on to win the game in that fashion? Vancouver allowed loads of space out wide, and Dorsey took full advantage, creating multiple chances and scoring those two brilliant goals.

Erik Sviatchenko-6

The Dynamo defense was not at its best, but Sviatchenko still managed to have a solid game. He played a huge role in the team’s buildup out of the back. He had an awesome pass to Aliyu leading to Dorsey’s goal in the first half.

Micael-4

This was not Micael’s finest performance. There weren’t many glaring errors in his game but he just never made a big impact and was part of the team conceding three goals. His second half was just really poor.

Franco Escobar-6

Like Erik, this was not his best defensive game but he provided loads in build up and offensive contributions. Franco and Aliyu were having a field day combining on the left side in the first half, leading to Houston’s big lead.

Artur-6

Artur had a tremendous game in possession, making all the right passes and keeping the play simple, allowing Herrera, Coco, and Bassi to do their thing. Defensively, Artur was a ghost especially when the game opened up in the second half. Vancouver’s transition attacks were leaving Artur chasing shadows.

Hector Herrera-8

Hector dominated the midfield, once again, making 136 touches. He was everywhere, leading by example with his incredible work rate and passing ability. He also had a great defensive game, making five tackles.

Amine Bassi-7

Bassi was very involved in creating multiple chances for the entirety of his time on the field. He was able to be much more of a threat in the box with the space Ponce was creating off the ball. His touch just needs to be a bit cleaner at times to be a huge goal threat.

Coco Carrasquilla-8

Coco had one of his best games of the season, scoring another goal and putting in a massive shift on both sides of the ball. His ability to play in transition was on full display combining with Dorsey on the right side.

Aliyu Ibrahim-9

Aliyu was given loads of space on the left and took full advantage, creating both first half goals. He was tricky and direct, pulling defenders all over the box to create space for both Dorsey and Coco’s goals. He also played a huge role in the pressing game, as per usual.

Ezequiel Ponce-6

The Dynamo’s new DP made his debut and was good in different ways than expected. He was incredible off the ball, making some great runs and taking up the right positions in the box allowing for better spacing from the rest of the attackers. His relentless pressing created a very dominant game environment for the Dynamo in the first half. This was a game where Vancouver clogged the middle of the box, leaving loads of spaces out wide, not allowing Ponce to get too involved on the ball. The signs were all there, the execution will need more time and work.

Substitutes

Sebastian Ferreira-8

Sebas had a really good game coming off the bench, also in a different way than expected. He was not much of a goal threat but his holdup play and passing game was excellent. He played a role in both second half goals, getting the assist for Brad Smith’s banger.

Sebastian Kowalczyk-6

Sebastian came on with 24 minutes to go and had a solid display. He never stood out but was a large part of the winning goal by getting involved in that scramble in the box. He worked his tail off to get the result and is becoming a nice asset off the bench.

Brad Smith-8

This looked like an odd sub for Ben Olsen to make at the time, where you would think he would opt for keeping Aliyu on the field or bringing on Gaines who tends to be more attack minded than Smith. Smith silenced me by scoring one of the goals of the season to bring the Dynamo level late in the match.

Latif Blessing and Daniel Steres-N/A

Neither player was on the field long enough to get a fair rating. Both played their role in seeing out the game in the last few minutes plus stoppage time.

Head Coach

Ben Olsen-9

You have to give it to Ben Olsen to prepare this team in the perfect way in the first half. He identified the wide space Vancouver were allowing and he had the team play a much wider game than they usually play. Yes, the second half was a disaster to start, but Ben made all the right substitutions to grind out three points in the end.