Houston Dynamo player ratings vs Sporting Kansas City

(image via Billy Mears)

The Houston Dynamo opened their MLS regular season at home against Sporting Kansas City Saturday night and managed to comeback and earn a draw. Let’s take a look at how everyone performed.

Starters

Steve Clark-6

Steve really had nothing to do in this game. Sporting Kansas City lacked any sort of quality going forward to trouble Steve. The goal conceded was not the fault of Steve’s at all.

Tate Schmitt-7

Now that was much better for Tate after the disaster against St Louis. Tate started the game slowly but improved drastically as the match went on. You can even say he was the best Dynamo player towards the end of the game. It’s great to see him adapting to a more defensive role than he is used to.

Erik Sviatchenko-3

Erik was the other player who massively disappointed against St Louis and he was not a whole lot better this week. He did not make any of those massive mistakes like on Tuesday, but he just looks slow to start the year. Not sure why he decided not to put in a challenge on Erik Thommy when he scored SKC’s goal.

Micael-8

Micael was rock solid once again, dominating in the air and keeping Alan Pulido extremely quiet. His passing out of the back looks much improved compared to last season. Excited to see what Micael’s ceiling might be.

Griffin Dorsey-5

This was a game where Griffin could have easily put in an 8 or 9, but his final ball was just lacking that extra bit of quality. He got forward very well but was never able to put in a ball that created a goal scoring opportunity, despite the many opportunities to do so.

Artur-8 (MOTM)

Artur at home is just a completely different monster from what we see on the road. He was excellent building out from the back and made multiple huge interceptions. He looked much more comfortable having a bigger role in possession without Hector Herrera than he did against St Louis.

Brooklyn Raines-4

It hurts to give him such a low score because he had some really nice moments in this game where he looked like he could kick on and put in a great performance. Unfortunately, he was caught napping and showed some extremely lazy defending on the goal Thommy scored. There is tons to build on for Brooklyn, but he’s just not the full package yet.

Sebastian Kowlaczyk-7

Once again, super excited to see him perform at such a high level. He looks like a completely different player than last season. He looks so confident every time he gets on the ball, and he is constantly moving and looking to make things happen. Who knows how great he can be with more creators like Amine Bassi and Hector surrounding him.

Coco Carrasquilla-8

My big gripe with Coco Carrasquilla over the last two seasons has been his inconsistency in the final third. This year he seems to be quieting down that criticism, creating three goals in the first two games. Sadly, two of those goals have been called back for offside, but the fact that he is seeing and confidently making those passes is a sign for things to come. That pass to Aliyu Ibrahim to set up the goal was magical and not many players in MLS have that ability.

Brad Smith-3

I think it’s quite obvious that Brad Smith is not an attacking piece at this level. For the second game in a row, he looked out of place playing that many minutes as an attacking winger. He lacks the ability to be a difference maker on a consistent basis. He did manage to score a goal that got ruled out for offside. It was nice to see him get in that position, but it was not like he scored some crazy goal that should keep him in the lineup every week.

Aliyu Ibrahim-7

Another game where Aliyu is the provider. He has looked really nice on and off the ball in both games this season and has been rewarded with two assists. He hasn’t gotten a real opportunity to score yet, but his overall play is solid. I thought he looked even better when he was shifted out wide which led to his assists in both games.

Substitutes

Jan Gregus-6

This was a performance ripped straight out of Luis Caicedo’s book last season. He came in with 20 minutes to go and quietly went about his business. Sometimes it is just nice to have those players on your bench where you don’t have to worry about any mistakes and they’ll play their role very well.

Gabe Segal-7

Gabe Segal came off the bench to replace Brad Smith and added instant fire power, scoring the equalizer in just two minutes. Overall, his work rate was very Corey Baird like and like Baird, he struggled to get himself too involved in the play. If he can continue scoring goals, then who cares?

Head Coach

Ben Olsen-7

Ben managed to get something out of a game that could’ve been seen as hopeless with all the injuries. It still would be nice to see all three points while at home, but given the circumstances, this was a solid result. Nothing better for a coach than to see the guy he just brought off the bench score a goal in minutes.