FC Dallas vs. Colorado Rapids: Player Ratings

FC Dallas won 2-1 against the visiting Colorado Rapids. Let’s hand out some ratings to wrap this game up.

Note: 6 is the rating given for an average MLS performance

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Man of the Match: Ryan Hollingshead (8.0) - Ryan was in the middle of having another good game, when his penchant for being in the right place at right time, paid off against the Rapids:

While there's little doubt that Pax and Gruezo are your top choices for early season MVP, Ryan should be in that conversation as well (along with Hedges). Now settle down, and put your pitchforks away. I didn't say Ryan is the best player, nor did I say he is the most talented, heck, he's not even the best fullback on the team (Reggie Cannon). All I'm saying is that he's off to the best start. You could argue that last weeks performance was Ryans worst performance of the season, and yet that performance was good enough to earn him Workhorse of the Week. So my only real question is, when is Ryan getting his USMNT call up?

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Jessie Gonzalez (6.5) - Jesse faced four shots on goal, and finished the day with three saves. Jesse continues to look shaky with the ball at his feet, but he gave everyone a reminder of why he should continue to get USMNT call ups:

Reto Ziegler (6.5) & Matt Hedges (7.5) - Reto had a less than stellar match by his own standards. It’s a good thing that Hedges had a monster game, and would show up whenever there was a breakdown in the defense (there was a lot of breakdowns), and swooped in from seemingly out of nowhere to save the day. Here’s their defensive actions side by side:

Matt is quietly starting to regain his Defensive Player of the Year form. Then there’s this:

I’m not quite sure what it means, but it sure does look sexy.

Needless to say, but right up until Hollinshead got the game winner, Hedges was on his way to the Man of the Match performance.

Reggie Cannon (7.2) - Reggie didn’t just return to the lineup for FCD, he returned with a vengeance, quickly reminding everyone why he should be a regular call up for the USMNT:

Reggie was also a worthy consideration for Man of the Match.

Edwin Cerrillo (6.6) - Forget the rating, Edwin had about as good a match that you could expect from an 18-year old making his first MLS start. Sure he had his shaky moments, but he looked poised, confident, and at no time did he look out of place. He can only get better from here, and I believe we’re all here for it.

Paxton Pomykal (7.1): If you're not already on the Paxton Hype Train (the best of the many Hype trains you can jump on here in FCD Land), then what are you waiting for:

Pax seems to only be getting better with every start.

Pablo Aranguiz (6.6) - Pablo had his moments:

He didn't have a great game, but he certainly made his case for more starts.

Michael Barrios (7.1) - Michael recovered from back to back bad games with aplomb:

Now the teams leading scorer (two goals), Michael finding some consistency, would go a long ways toward solving FCDs attacking woes.

Dominique Badji (6.4) - Oh Badji:

Badji had a solid game on the left wing, but you'll be hard pressed to get past those missed shots. The Colman curse is quite real.

Jesus Ferreira (6.9) - Jesus was robbed of getting an assist by the most minor of deflections. Have I rated him far too high? You betcha! MLS might not give Jesus credit for an assist, but I can.

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Santiago Mosquera (6.3) - Santi arrived in Frisco with a Super Sub reputation, so there's no surprise that he looked good as the first sub off the bench. Now, if he can only figure out how to look good for an entire match.

Thomas Roberts (6.5) - Speaking of surprises, nobody expected Luchi to turn to a 17-year old with the team needing to create a late goal. Thomas showed the composure and savvy of a veteran playmaker. If you think the Paxton Hype Train is a big deal, wait till the Roberts Hype Train gets on track.

Zdenek “Cobra” Ondrask (6.2) - A center forward who stays close to the box, and makes dangerous runs at the right time, who knew FCD even had a player like that on its roster?

An exciting debut for Cobra, who I can't wait to see get more minutes in the very near future. His defensive headers were quite handy on set peice defending.

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Luchi Gonzalez (7.3) - It wasn't pretty, but you have to give Luchi credit for getting a tough win by leaning on his young playmakers. Luchi also finally got his subs right, a sign that he's starting to figure out how to best use his roster.