Bunbury, Cropper stock up in Revolution loss to Toronto FC

For prolonged stretches of the Revolution’s 2-0 loss to Toronto FC, Jay Heaps’ side looked like the more dangerous club. Twelve shots, 11 chances created, six corners—the Revs did enough offensively to find the back of the net. Unfortunately, for the second consecutive week, the team struggled to finish.

Here are two players whose stock rose, and one whose stock fell, following the loss:

Stock up

Teal Bunbury

In 10 appearances prior to Friday’s match, Bunbury looked a step off his usual pace. The man who contributed 13 assists in his first three Revolution seasons had barely made an impact; he traveled to Canada without a goal or an assist to his name.

But against Toronto, Bunbury immediately made his presence known as a substitute for the injured Antonio Delamea. He looked active moving up and down the right flank, sparked the attack with a few clean passes and—in the 88th minute—nearly put the Revs on the board with a well-placed header. If not for a massive save by Alex Bono, Bunbury may have left Canada as a surprise hero.

And while Bunbury still doesn’t have a goal or an assist to his name, he took full advantage of his 11-minute shift, looking as in-form as he’s looked all season. Bunbury serves as a strong candidate to start on Wednesday during the Revs’ Round of 16 U.S. Open Cup match.

Cody Cropper

Minding a net in front of against Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore is no small task—especially when that net is located in Toronto. But on Friday, Cropper did his part to help the Revs stay alive. He used perfect positioning to deny Altidore in the 14th minute, an attempt that would have put Toronto up 2-0 before the Revs had settled into the match. He came up big again with a sprawling save in the second half. And he made alert plays on crosses and set pieces, parrying a few opportunities to safety.

Cropper has looked steady this season even when his club has not. He’ll stay locked into the starting spot moving forward.

Stock down

Kei Kamara

After Juan Agudelo earned a start as the Revs’ lone striker, Kamara came off the bench for a 37-minute shift. And in some respects, Kamara made the most of his appearance, creating two chances while looking confident over the ball (he won an impressive dribble sequence down the right channel that led to an attacking opportunity).

But unfortunately, Kamara didn’t come to New England to play 37 minutes. He came to go 90 almost every weekend, and Friday’s match proved yet again that he has yet to meet that expectation. With Heaps transitioning to a 4-2-3-1, and Agudelo playing good soccer of late, Kamara may continue to miss out on playing time.

Now, there’s no denying that Kamara could play his way back into the 11 on regular basis, if he takes advantage of his minutes. But right now, Kamara doesn’t look like the man who scored 22 goals for Crew SC.