Kouassi stock rises, Angoua stock falls in Revolution loss to FC Dallas

Despite scoring an early goal, on the road, against the defending Supporters’ Shield champions, the Revolution faltered in the second half in Frisco. Maxi Urruti’s two goals downed the visitors, who now sit as the only MLS club without a point.

Whose stock rose—and whose fell—during the week three matchup?

Stock Up

Xavier Kouassi

Kouassi passed his first regular-season test with flying colors. The scrappy midfielder clogged passing lanes, won 50-50 balls and covered a tremendous amount of ground in the middle of the park, all while playing in his first MLS start since tearing his ACL. In fact, Jay Heaps admitted that it was “hard to take [Kouassi] out”; Heaps ultimately left Kouassi in the match for 80 minutes, longer than the head coach anticipated.

If given the freedom to venture forward more regularly, Kouassi seems poised to become a dangerous two-way threat for the Revolution—and he’s only getting started.

Antonio Delamea

Through two matches, Delamea has shown all the traits of a star defender: he doesn’t shy away from challenges, picks great spots, plays bigger than his frame and avoids defensive mistakes. And, for the icing on the cake vs. FC Dallas, he drew a penalty on a set-piece run at goal.

Delamea has lived in the United States for two months; his development at this stage has surpassed expectations. His stock keeps on climbing.

Andrew Farrell

The Revolution right back has turned in a quietly-impressive start to the 2017 season. He locked down the right side of the field on Saturday, forcing FC Dallas to attack Chris Tierney and Benjamin Angoua down the left channel (both Dallas goals came from the left side). He’s not an exciting pick for Man of the Match, but belongs in the conversation.

Stock Down

Benjamin Angoua

For 98 percent of Saturday’s loss to FC Dallas, Angoua put forth a strong, steady effort. He kept the back clean with seven clearances and positioned himself well beside Delamea.

Unfortunately, a series of nervy moments—highlighted by the defensive miscue that resulted in Maxi Urruti’s game-winner—made all the difference. Angoua has now made crucial mistakes (including the foul that led to the game-winning goal against the Rapids) in consecutive matches.

Still, Angoua should have no problem recovering from these errors; after all, he played an abbreviated preseason and has only featured beside Delamea for a few short weeks. The rust will wear off soon.

Juan Agudelo

First things first: Agudelo doesn’t look out of form. Rather, he seems unsettled in his new role atop the midfield diamond. The Colombian-born forward does his best work when he can make something out of nothing in front of goal, and he’s rarely had the opportunity to do so in 2017.

Though he’s made great strides defensively—he earned a team-high six tackles on Saturday—he has yet to record an on-target shot this season.

Who’s to blame? Should Heaps abandon the Agudelo-as-a-central-midfielder experiment? Or should Agudelo have made the transition by now? Either way, the Revs must find a way to maximize Agudelo’s value moving forward.