All told, this was exactly the kind of Legion game we were promised with the new management. That is, except for the two goals allowed. Mark Briggs continues to focus on eliminating defensive errors but the transitional game he has been demanding was very much in effect last Friday. This squad is getting closer and closer to what he wants. Here are their individual marks for the win.
GK: FERNANDO DELGADO – 7. Allowing 2 goals, including a very late score was hardly Fernando’s fault. He did make 2 saves and punched 3 balls clear as well as logging 4 other clearances. His passing was surprisingly weak though at just 43.3% accuracy on 30 attempts. He is generally excellent with the ball at his feet. The stat is questionable, frankly.
LB: MOSES MENSAH – 7. Moses was able to go the full 90, which in the continued absence of Dawson McCartney is good. 4 tackles, 2 clearances and 1 interception to his credit. He went 7 of 12 in duels and connected on 21 of 28 passes. He also sent in 1 cross, unsuccessfully.
CB: A.J. PATERSON – 7. No attacking contributions for AJ even being the big guy with Phanuel Kavita out. At the other end he was responsible for 2 tackles, 1 interception and a whopping 6 clearances. 3 of 4 in duels as well, and his passing was strong at 84.8% accuracy on 46 tries. That being said, he did let Dolabella go for the first goal.
CB: JAKE RUFE – 6.5. Jake stuck with a central defensive role rather than being his usual all-purpose self. 4 clearances, 2 interceptions and 4 of 5 in duels. Good on 37 of 40 passes as well. He looked tired and could probably have done better on the ludicrously late North Carolina goal. A yellow card also marred his performance.
CB: TIAGO SUAREZ – 6. A bit sloppy on both North Carolina goals, Tiago was slightly under par overall. 1 tackle, 4 clearances and 1 interception. 4 of 8 in duels and a modest accuracy rate of 68.4% on 38 passing attempts.
RB: STEPHEN TURNBULL – 7. Stephen was given an early yellow card for no obvious reason and is not getting marked down for it here. His defensive work was relatively limited – just 1 clearance and 2 of 6 in duels. His passing was solid at 81.8% accurate on 22 passes and he created 1 scoring chance and even was offside once.
LW: DANNY TREJO – 9. Scoring a brace will always get you a high score and Danny was also named Player of the Week in the USL Championship. He had 1 more shot on target and created a 4th scoring chance. He missed a player on just 2 of 28 passes. Subbed out in the 86th minute.
LM: EDWIN LASZO – 7. Edwin had a fairly quiet but nonetheless important game. He created 1 scoring chance but was very useful in defense, recording 1 tackle and 4 clearances and winning 5 of 7 duels. 79.5% accurate on 44 passes to boot.
RM: ENZO MARTINEZ – 8. Enzo was another unsuspecting victim of the yellow card, not getting the Mexican exception on a falling handball. He exited just before the second North Carolina goal. Up to that he had 1 blocked shot, 1 assist, 1 unsuccessful cross and 2 chance creations. 2 tackles, 2 clearances and 1 block; 4 of 8 in duels and 84% good on 25 passes. Impressive work.
RW: TYLER PASHER – 9. Tyler was named to the bench for the Team of the Week, which seriously understated what he did in this game. 1 shot on target, 1 off target, 1 assist (counting as a chance creation) and generally a nightmare for the opposing defense. Throw in 3 tackles and winning 5 of 6 duels and an 87.5% accuracy rate on 40 passes and he is the Forge’s Man of the Match.
FWD: RONALDO DAMUS – 8. Ronaldo went 87 minutes in this one. He had 3 total shots, scoring once, off target once and blocked once. He also got a rarish assist to rack up 2 chances created. He also made a clearance and blocked a shot. As much as you can ask for from a striker.
SUB: ERIK CENTENO – 7. The first sub in after 81 minutes, replacing AJ. Erik didn’t do a great deal in terms of formal stats: 2 passes, both connecting, and 1 lost duel.
SUB: SAM MCILLHATTON – 7. In with Erik, for Stephen Turnbull. Likewise low on stats with 1 interception, 1 lost duel but 5 good passes.
SUB: SEBASTIAN TREGARTHEN – 7. Seba replaced Danny in the 86th minute. 1 good pass and 2 lost duels. Nothing else of substance.
SUB: PRESTON TABORT ETAKA – 7. Preston came in for Ronaldo in the 87th minute. He made one good pass, lost 2 of 3 duels, made 1 tackle and had a shot off target.
SUB: ROMAN TORRES – N/A. Roman came on very late for Enzo and touched the ball just once for a long clearing pass. North Carolina scored just 48 seconds after he entered the game which is probably more on Briggs than him.
HEAD COACH: MARK BRIGGS – 8. This was easily the team’s best performance so far for their new coach and it looks like his philosophy and style and finally making an impact. The late substitutions were questionable though.
