Houston Dynamo vs New England Revolution player ratings
(image via Ricky Vega)
The Houston Dynamo beat a desperate New England Revolution to move up the Western Conference standings. Let’s look at how everyone performed.
Starters
Steve Clark - 7
Even though a clean sheet was not kept, Steve put on his cape and went to work. Clark had three big saves that kept the Dynamo in the game. He literally took a point blank shot at goal into the chest. There was not much he could do with the perfectly struck penalty by Carles Gil.
Franco Escobar - 8
Franco put in a great performance against a desperate Revolution attack. Escobar was perfect in his tackling and even made a great save by putting his body on the line to block a wide open shot in the first half. The Argentine is in great form.
Micael - 7
Another great game from Micael, as we are used to seeing from the young center back. Nothing necessarily overly special, but he did a great job of staying cool, calm and collected in the back as the transition game was strong by New England.
Erik Sviatchenko - 8
Similar to Micael, nothing necessarily special defensively from the vet against New England. However, offensively he had two shots on target, with one of them being a beautiful strike for his first MLS goal with the Dynamo.
Daniel Steres - 6
Steres had a rough start to the game. Earning a few fouls in the first 10 minutes that culminated with an early yellow card. Daniel switched to the right side of the field, after that, in which he became a terror for the opposition on a couple of runs forward. Dan came out after taking a knock in the few remaining minutes of the game.
Artur - 7
Okay, Artur’s way of collecting the ball from opponents is so entertaining. He has to have magnets in his feet with the way he pulls the ball from under the opponent’s feet. Artur’s rating would be higher if it wasn’t for his lazy defending that gave New England a penalty kick. But seriously, El Pulpo, put in a shift.
Coco Carrasquilla - 9 (Man of the Match)
Coco gives the team another dimension in place of Hector Herrera. Carrasquilla pushed the ball quickly up the field in what was an entertaining back and forth between the two teams. He had a long distance strike that went just wide and assisted both goals scored by the Dynamo.
Latif Blessing - 7
Blessing came back into the lineup after missing the match against Seattle due to concussion protocol. Latif had a solid game, finding himself in dangerous situations in front of goal but could just not get the final product. It is great to see him healthy again.
Amine Bassi - 6
Bassi played just the first half, where his passing accuracy was spot on. 20 out of 21 hit its target. Now, there were some good runs by Aliyu that Amine did not risk what could have been a quick transition past New England’s defensive line. At this point, Bassi will get asked to do more offensively during the rest of the season if the team hopes to lift another MLS Cup.
Ibrahim Aliyu - 6
Aliyu had a bounce back after playing sick against Seattle. Ibrahim had a handful of touches in the final third, but nothing impactful in the attack. Now, defensively, Aliyu worked hard to recover the ball for the Dynamo. He has not scored a goal in three months, a bit alarming.
Sebastián Kowalczyk - 8
Kowalcyzk is one of the most fun players to watch for the Dynamo. The Polish attacking midfielder keeps everyone on the edge of their seats and the other team on their toes. Sebastian is not afraid to create his own shot and let it rip without much hesitation. Strong performance from Kowalcyzk.
Substitutes
Ezequiel Ponce - 8
Ponce came back from injury as a half time substitute for Amine Bassi, after missing the Seattle game. Ezequiel opened up the scoring just five minutes later with a blast from outside the box. A flawless strike. It is fantastic to see Ponce back in action.
Junior Moreno - 5
Moreno made his debut with the Dynamo against the Revolution to help keep possession. Junior struggled some, he was not sharp enough after not playing since May. However, Moreno will likely be instructed to be the closer like Luis Caicedo was last season for the Dynamo in the final stretch of the year.
McKinze Gaines - 6
McKinze continues to get late minutes and has looked more confident in the role. Gaines had a couple of dribbles up the field and a shot on target against a battered opponent. Ben has made it clear that Gaines will be an important player during the playoff run like a lot of the depth in the roster.
Tate Schmitt & Ethan Bartlow - N/A
Tate was brought in for Daniel Steres after he took a nasty knock, while Ethan was brought in at the end of extra time. Both did a great job closing the game out but it would be unfair to rate them with the short amount of minutes they had in the game.
Head Coach
Ben Olsen - 7
Ben had to make some adjustments to his favored starting lineup due to injuries and suspensions. The team had issues dealing with Carles Gil and his transition play, but still managed to put in the defensive effort that we have come accustomed to. His team scored multiple goals in a match again, which was good to see.
