Revolution 1-0 NYC FC: Player Ratings and Man of the Match

While sporting a makeshift defense—including backup goalkeeper Brad Knighton and utility back Jeremy Hall—the Revolution turned in a stout performance against NYC FC, earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory. This time, several players turned in a Man of the Match-worthy performance. Who stood out among the crowd? Vote below.

Rating Scale: 1.0 Goat → 10.0 Golden Boy

Starters

Brad Knighton - 7.5 (July Average: 7.5)

No Jose Goncalves, London Woodberry at center back...this match spelled disaster for Knighton, who always seems to man the pipes behind a sluggish back line. But on this night, the vet proved his worth. Made a handful of gutsy decisions—including a late-match stop at the edge of the 18 on a through ball to David Villa—and showed off his outstanding hands in the waning moments. Strong performance.

Jeremy Hall - 5.5 (July Average: 5.5)

Hall looked sharp moving forward, and even helped set up Lee Nguyen's goal with tidy passing in the attacking third. Defensively, he amassed 6 tackles and 4 interceptions. Exactly what the doctor ordered.

Andrew Farrell - 5 (July Average: 4)

Farrell showed off his athleticism with a handful of acrobatic challenges (he collected 8 in total) and tracked his mark much better against NYC FC than he did against NYRB. Unfortunately, he also misjudged a few 50/50 balls and lost possession on a handful of dangerous passes. Mixed bag.

London Woodberry - 6 (July Average: 4.75)

Throughout the match, Woodberry did an exceptional job of slowing David Villa, collecting 6 tackles, 5 clearances and 2 interceptions in the process. Followed up a sloppy defensive showing against NYRB with a tidy performance.

Chris Tierney - 6 (July Average: 5.25)

Tierney looked dangerous moving up the left flank, hitting a pair of dangerous shots—including a long-range rocket that forced Josh Saunders into a finger-tip save. Defensively, he did a nice of job of slowing Mehdi Ballouchy and the NYC FC attack, giving the club little room to maneuver down the right channel.

Scott Caldwell - 6 (July Average: 5.25)

Another quiet-yet-effective performance for the consistent midfielder. Stood strong defensively, created a goal-scoring opportunity and covered a tremendous amount of ground out of the middle of the park.

Daigo Kobayashi - 7.5 (July Average: 5.75)

Without question, Daigo turned in his best performance of the season against NYC FC. He showed up everywhere on the field: a beautiful heel-flick set up Diego Fagundez's game-winning assist, clever play over the ball earned 5 free kicks (and a Ned Grabavoy red card) and a commanding defensive presence resulted in 4 tackles. Daigo's exceptional work rate led way to an exceptional performance.

Teal Bunbury - 5.5 (July Average: 4)

Solid performance for the workhorse winger. Stung a nasty shot on frame—forcing Saunders into a strong save—and caused defensive problems throughout his shift. Still needs to connect on more of his passes (57.9%).

Lee Nguyen - 7.5 (July Average: 7)

A patient, well-placed finish helped Nguyen score the game-winner. Looked active throughout the match (3 key passes), showing continued flashes of his 2014 form. Still needs to put more of his shots on frame—and avoid silly fouls (one more yellow card will result in a suspension)—though his recent run of play has kept the Revs afloat during an otherwise disappointing summer campaign.

Diego Fagundez - 8 (July Average: 6.5)

After finding Nguyen with a perfectly-weighted through ball—and setting up the match's only goal—Diego continued to stifle the NYC FC back line. Collected 4 key passes, made dangerous runs at goal and looked sharp over the ball. Should remain in the XI for the foreseeable future.

Charlie Davies - 4.5 (July Average: 4.5)

Made a nuisance of himself with strong runs at goal, but just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. Needs to rediscover his finishing touch.

Subs

Juan Agudelo - 4 (July Average: 3.5)

Pedestrian performance for the Revolution forward. Won a pair of aerial duels, pushed down the right flank with purpose and found the space to hit an off-target shot. Strong play from Bunbury and Fagundez may keep Agudelo on the bench (for now).

Andy Dorman - 4.5 (July Average: 5)

After losing possession on a few sloppy passes, Dorman helped preserve the clean sheet with a timely tackle at the top of the box. Unfortunately, with Kobayashi's return to form, he will likely see a drop in playing time.

Kelyn Rowe - 5 (July Average:)

Couldn't have asked for more from Rowe in an abbreviated 10-minute shift. Created a goal-scoring opportunity, curled in a well-hit cross and helped the club keep possession with tidy passing.

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