Looked vulnerable early on as Kansas City attacked down the left hand side. Eventually settled down and provided a solid performance. The environment of course suited Gargan’s style of play.
Joseph Nane (6)
Another good performance from the defensive midfielder. His size and strength give him a presence in the midfield that has been missing. On the ball he is proving to be reliable although at times he takes risks in areas that he shouldn’t. Is looking a better option than Sanyang.
Julian de Guzman (6)
A reasonable performance under difficult circumstances. Nothing worse for a player of Julian’s ilk to play on a tight field in an overly physical environment. But he coped well although unfortunately again he was not spectacular.
Jacob Peterson (5)
Like Gargan he looked vulnerable defensively early on. Tried to create by being mobile but again the environment was not conducive to his style or strengths.
Nick LaBrocca (6)
Doesn’t matter where he plays or what the environment is like, he is a reliable performer. Not spectacular but good defensively and efficient with his passing.
Mista (5)
The jury is still out on Mista. He had the chance to be a hero if he had finished his one opportunity to score. To be fair to him the goalkeeper made a great save after he had to dig out the strike on net. Forrest’s observations on his lack of work rate look to be correct. For the time being we can leverage his fitness which is not 100 per cent. If it turns out he has an aversion to working hard then Mista will find out quickly that the MLS is the wrong place to be playing.
Maicon Santos (6)
A great pass set up the chance for Mista. His tactical awareness and technique is generally very good. The cultural shift of playing in North America can hinder even the top imported players. Under the circumstances of the difficult environment he performed well.
Substitutions
Chad Barrett (6)
Looked fresh and hungry when he came on but he could not bulldoze his way through a strong and resilient Kansas City backline.
Dwayne De Rosario (6)
Not enough time or space for Dwayne to be effective. The role he is now playing is a good one and how Preki made the substitutions to get him there (turning the 4-4-2 into 4-3-3) was notable. Easy to say now but really he should have started.
