Houston Dynamo player ratings vs Minnesota United
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Dynamo advanced to the quarterfinals in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 4-0 over Minnesota United Tuesday night. Let’s look at how everyone performed.
Starters
Andrew Tarbell-7
Three shutouts in three Open Cup starts for Tarbell is super impressive. He did not have too much to do, especially after the red card. He came up big when called upon and that’s all the Dynamo needed from him.
Brad Smith-7
Brad Smith massively improved in this game as it went on. To start the game, he looked a little slow and unsure of himself like he has been all season. After the red card he looked much more comfortable and willing to play his game. His passing and movement in the attack was massively improved from previous performances.
Erik Sviatchenko-7
Erik has finally made his debut and he did not disappoint. He did not have a ton do for the most part as Minnesota focused their attack down the right side for a lot of the first half. He defended well when he needed too and showed how good he can be at 100%.
Talen Maples-7
It was so great to see Talen Maples get his first start for the Dynamo. In the first half he struggled a ton as Minnesota were constantly attacking him with long balls. He did need to be bailed out by Tarbell at times. After the red card however, he was brilliant. He was very comfortable pushing forward and supporting the attack, completing 70 of his 75 passes.
Mujeeb Murana-7
Another Open Cup start where Mujeeb impresses. He was super solid on both sides of the ball completing 92% of his passes and making four clearances. Great night for a player that deserves some more playing time.
Luis Caicedo-7
Luis has just become one of those players that usually always does what you need him to. Nothing more and nothing less. He was solid protecting the back line and had a good understanding with Brooklyn Raines.
Brooklyn Raines-8
A massive improvement for Raines after his last Open Cup performance. He looked incredible on the ball and defensively. He worked well with Caicedo and Bassi to keep the midfield ticking all game. He completed 93% of his passes and won 100% of his ground duels.
Amine Bassi-9
We finally got to see Bassi play in his natural position in midfield, and he was phenomenal. He completed 96% of his passes and created chance after chance. He assisted Baird’s second goal and had a wonderful pass into Quinones that he failed to convert. He was also very kind to let Corey take the penalty to give him some confidence going forward.
Corey Baird-10
The first 10 of the year goes out to Corey Baird. What a game he had, scoring a hat trick and assisting Aliyu’s goal. This was one of the best individual performances in team history and hopefully something we can see more of going forward with Baird.
Nelson Quinones-8
This was easily the best we have seen out of Quinones so far. Nelson was electric on the ball, using his speed to open up so many opportunities for the Dynamo. If he can keep this up and learn how to shoot, Quinones can end up being a special player.
Thor Ulfarsson-6
Not the most active night for Thor, as he only had 14 touches in 62 minutes. He put in a good shift for the team working very hard but didn’t contribute a whole lot to the offense. Not great but he did what he needed to do to get the win for the team.
Substitutes
Ethan Bartlow-7
Coming on after the red card at the start of the second half, Ethan was able to play a fairly comfortable game. He was not asked to do a whole lot of defending, but when he was, he played well. His passing was also very good.
Hector Herrera-8
Coming into this game already up a goal and a man, Herrera was tasked with adding that extra bit of quality to bury Minnesota. Hector was able to do just that, being super direct and opening up the field for the attackers to score more goals.
Ibrahim Aliyu-9
Aliyu came on for Thor to play the last 28 minutes and he was incredible the whole time. He went on to score his first goal in orange with a very smart and patient finish. He then got in behind and set up Baird for his hat trick. Great things to come for our newest signing.
Ivan Franco-7
Ivan came in for Bassi and played one of his best games in a Dynamo shirt. He was very energetic and tried to create opportunities for the team. He slipped in Aliyu to create the fourth goal of the game.
Head Coach
Ben Olsen-9
Olsen set the team up to be a lot more attacking than normal. This setup with Bassi in the midfield was working very well leading up to the first goal. The red card happened, and it was just all Houston from then on. He did a great job being aggressive with his subs to make sure they finished Minnesota off.
