Player Ratings: FC Dallas vs. San Jose Earthquakes

FC Dallas traveled to San Jose and were soundly beaten 3-0 by the Earthquakes. In our first player ratings of the new season, we get a look at who shined and who struggled in the latest match.

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

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy Maurer (6.4) - I know what you’re thinking, “this rating is too high for a player who allowed three goals”. Sure, three goals got past Jimmy, but he had to face off against two penalty kicks and delivered this beauty:

Jimmy left the match with a shoulder sprain and it is unclear at this time if he will be available for this weekend’s game against Portland.

Bressan (6.6), Jose Martinez (7.1), Matt Hedges (6.4) - The three-man backline actually played really well. You can’t fault any of them for the two penalties, but they can receive criticism for the other two goals. Matt Hedges was subbed out due to a minor ankle injury.

Jose Martinez was the standout player of the group and finished with three tackles, three interceptions, two clearances, one blocked shot, 79.6% passing with two key passes.

Ryan Hollingshead (6.0) & John Nelson (5.9) - Neither player had a good afternoon and Nelson was the last line of defense on the second goal, which he misjudged badly...as did the entire team:

Tanner Tessman (5.4) & Bryan Acosta (6.4) - The midfield combination of Tessman and Acosta simply didn’t work well. Tessmann in particular looked really slow in his defensive reactions. Tessman gave up the second penalty kick on a handball, so his rating takes a big hit. Acosta actually played better once the team switched to a 4-3-3 formation in the second half.

Jader Obrian (6.2), Freddy Vargas (5.8), Franco Jara (5.8) - The attack struggled big time, and most FCD fans have grown impatient with Jara’s lack of goal scoring. Obrian was the only real threat of the group and deserved a higher rating, but I just can’t let him slide on that really dumb penalty kick he gave away.

Substitutes

Phelipe (6.3), Andres Ricaurte (7.0), Ricardo Pepi (7.1), Paxton Pomykal (6.5), & Eddie Munjoma (6.2) - Pepi is your Man of the Match, simply for this:

The kid subs on and quickly scores. Pepi needs to continue scoring, in whatever limited minutes he gets until he forces Luchi’s hand into making him the starter. All of the reserves played well, with Ricaurte and Paxton pairing well in the middle. Phelipe looked solid and capable in from of the net, a good sign, given he’s your likely starter this coming weekend.

Luchi (5.4) - From the formation to lineup choices, to substitution decisions, Luchi will have to answer a ton of questions from an unhappy fan base.

In case you missed it, we talked about many of these things in more detail on our weekly podcast: