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The narrative for Jay Heaps and the Revolution feels frighteningly familiar: a strong start to the season leads to an early-summer drop-off. After scoring a first-minute goal, the Revolution left points on the table again, falling 2-1 to Columbus Crew SC. Who deserves Man of the Match honors? Share some positivity--vote below.
Rating Scale: 1.0 Goat → 10.0 Golden Boy
Starters
Bobby Shuttleworth - 4.5 (June Average: 5.46)
Poor defending led to both goals, though Bobby looked helpless on both occasions. Tough to concede twice and watch both goals over your shoulder. He did, however, make a sensational stop before the break, deflecting a teasing low cross in front of goal.
Jeremy Hall - 2 (June Average: 2)
Yikes. Disappointing performance from the MLS vet. Lost Kei Kamara twice in the opening moments, once on his first goal and again on a missed opportunity. Too much standing, watching and asking for calls; not enough defending (or recovering from runs forward). Created a few promising chances late in the second half, but could do nothing to rectify his poor defensive showing.
Jose Goncalves - 5.5 (June Average: 5.71)
His defending on the second goal looked suspect--he cheated toward the ball and left Kamara wide open in space--though Goncalves ultimately turned in a fearless match (particularly after the second goal). Accumulated 3 tackles, 2 interceptions and an astounding 14 clearances.
Andrew Farrell - 5.5 (June Average: 6.17)
Lost Federico Higuain on the cross that led to Kamara's first tally, but recovered to turn in a positive match. Even put together a relatively tidy passing night (80%).
Chris Tierney - 4.5 (June Average: 5.21)
At times, Tierney looked dangerous moving forward, even splitting a pair of defenders to set up Scott Caldwell in front of goal. Unfortunately, his greatest mistake led to Kamara's second finish. While trying to beat Ethan Finley to a cross, Tierney picked a bad spot, miss-timed his jump and allowed the midfielder collect an easy assist. Mixed bag for the talented left back.
Scott Caldwell - 5.5 (June Average: 5.71)
Caldwell turned in a quiet-yet-effective match. His fellow midfielders struggled in the passing game, though Scotty stood tall, connecting on 93.9% of his passes. Not quite as active defensively as he has been, but provided a clean performance nonetheless.
Daigo Kobayashi - 5 (June Average: 5)
Daigo's defensive duties interrupted his attacking presence, though he looked sharp out of the middle of the park, amassing 3 tackles and a pair of key passes. Would like to see him rejoin the Starting XI on Saturday in place of the suspended Andy Dorman.
Kelyn Rowe - 4.5 (June Average: 4.94)
Yes, he had his moments--a clever lay-off to Chris Tierney, a handful of strong runs toward the endline. But in the end, Rowe turned in a sloppy match. Connected on less than 70% of his passes, wasted too many touches and miss-hit a pair of shots from dangerous spots. Just can't seem to find his rhythm.
Lee Nguyen - 6 (June Average: 5.38)
His 1st-minute goal looked like vintage Lee Nguyen. Columbus gave the former MVP candidate too much space and he immediately responded, ripping a long-range shot past Steve Clark. Nguyen buzzed about for the rest of the match, and created a few promising opportunities, but (as expected) failed to maintain his first-half energy. Has shown flashes of his 2014 form in back-to-back matches.
Juan Agudelo - 3 (June Average: 4.17)
Immediately moved up top after Kamara's equalizer, but struggled to find the match. No key passes, sub-70% passing, no shots--Agudelo looked tired in this one, and was justly subbed off at the break.
Teal Bunbury - 4 (June Average: 4.75)
Barely remember Bunbury's presence. His stats tell the story of a decent match--stung one shot on frame (though right at Clark), connected on 80% of his passes and won 3 aerial duels. Unfortunately, he never found his rhythm, failing to leave a significant impact on the match.
Subs
Charlie Davies - 4.5 (June Average: 5.96)
Had 45 minutes to leave his mark, though his teammates battled fatigue throughout his shift, struggling to give him looks up top. Even without strong support, Davies made a handful of strong runs during a hard-fought shift.
Andy Dorman - 3 (June Average: 5.21)
Interesting sub from Jay Heaps; didn't expected to see the defense-minded Dorman in the latter stages of a 1-2 loss. Sure, he brought fresh legs into the match and helped his club develop some kind of possession. But more importantly, he earned another yellow card, his eighth of the season. Now facing a second suspension, Dorman absolutely has to play more disciplined soccer.
Diego Fagundez - 4 (June Average: 5.33)
Diego brought great energy into the match and seemed to push forward with purpose. Unfortunately, his teammates looked worn out by his 70th minute entrance, and he never really had a chance to make a difference. Would love to see more minutes, or even a start, for Diego on Saturday.