We haven’t posted one of these in a while. For a good few games there the ratings would have been pretty dismal, to be honest. Personal time constraints were also a factor, but we’re able to put this one up.
And deservedly so. This was perhaps not the best performance the Three Sparks have had this season, but it’s close. The guys put out a huge effort and left nothing on the field after 90+ minutes. Moreover, they did what their head coach has been asking for ever since he got here. Lastly, they were upset with the final result knowing they could have had the full 3 points from the game. Progress is being made. Here then are their personal ratings for this week:
GK: FERNANDO DELGADO – 7. Fernando only made 1 save in the game although he did have a few close calls that he had to deal with, including a clearance under pressure. His passing stat was a mere 51.7% accuracy rate on an equally low 29 attempts. That doesn’t feel right as his distribution is one of his strongest assets.
LB: RAMIZ HAMOUDA – 6.5. Raz played 75 minutes at what was basically a wingback position. He had no direct attacking contributions, but made 3 tackles, 2 clearances and 2 interceptions while winning 3 of 7 duels. He completed 18 of 22 passes, almost all of them short. He did get a yellow card for a fairly innocuous foul.
CB: A.J. PATERSON – 7. A.J. was most at fault for letting Augie Williams have space to get his tying goal. Other than he had a great game. 5 clearances, 1 block and 4 interceptions. He won 4 of 6 duels and was a very creditable 77.1% accurate on 48 passes. He also had a shot of his own blocked.
CB: PHANUEL KAVITA – 7. As usual the big guy was avoided by the attack. He racked up 6 clearances though. He won a surprisingly 2 of 7 duels, most of the losses being in the air, even more surprising. He as good for 85.3% of his 34 passes.
CB: TIAGO SUAREZ – 6.5. Tiago got a yellow card for time wasting which seemed a tad harsh with 19 minutes of regulation left. He had a somewhat quiet game all told with just 1 clearance and 1 interception. 2 of 6 in duels and good for 23 of 35 passes.
RB: AMIR DALEY – 7.5. This was Amir’s first start and second appearance for the Legion. He hampered himself with a relatively early yellow card but was able to play the entire game. He had a shot on target, 1 unsuccessful cross and the assist on Ronaldo’s goal. 2 clearances in defense and 3 for 6 in duels. Just 18 passes, connecting on72.2% of them.
LW: PRESTON TABORT ETAKA – 8. Preston came very close to icing the game in the first half but couldn’t quite finish the attempt. He had one other shot off target but was a constant threat. 1 chance created. He also logged 2 tackles in defense. 70 minutes played at a high rate of speed.
LM: SAM SHASHOUA – 7.5. Despite getting a yellow card at the end of the first half Sam was superb. He put in 3 crosses, connecting on 1 and generated 2 scoring chances. 1 tackle, 1 clearance and 3 interceptions and 7 of 12 in duels. 88.1% accurate on 42 passes. Man of the Match, easily.
RM: SAM MCILLHATTON – 7. The other Sam hasn’t had too many starts lately but he made the most of this one. He came very close to a late winner (he knew he blew it) and created 1 additional scoring chance. Just 1 interception defensively and
RW: SEBASTIAN TREGARTHEN – 7. Mark Briggs loves speed but noted that Seba is sometimes too fast, getting ahead of the game. That doesn’t change the fact that he may well be the best addition to the squad this year. 1 shot on target, 2 off and 1 blocked is a pretty good output. Subbed off after 75 minutes.
FWD: RONALDO DAMUS – 8. Ronaldo plays all heart and was mad at himself for not finishing his second shot on target. 1 final shot was blocked. He was also flat out on the field at the end of the game. On top of that he created 2 scoring chances. He even blocked a shot at the other end.
SUB: EDWIN LASZO – 7.5. Edwin came on for Preston in a rather odd decision. Predictably he got a yellow card after just 12 minutes. Still, he had a shot blocked and blocked one himself. He won 3 of 4 duels and connected on 21 of 23 passes.
SUB: ENZO MARTINEZ – 7. At this stage Enzo may be a regular bench option. In this game he had 1 shot off target and sent in 2 unsuccessful crosses. He had just 3 passes, all of which were perfect, and he won 3 of 4 duels.
SUB: DAWSON MCCARTNEY – . Dawson’s main contribution was crosses, all 3 of which did not connect. He had 3 other passes which did, however. Hopefully he will be good for 90 minutes soon.
HEAD COACH: MARK BRIGGS – 7. A 5-4-1 is a pretty defensive formation but it worked for the most part. He was also able to adjust his own team in response to Pittsburgh half-time shift. It looks like he and the team are finally in sync.
