Last night was a night to forget for Sporting KC with the final result being a 2-1 loss to Houston. Here's a breakdown of SKC player ratings from the game:
Jimmy Nielsen -6
Came up big on a deflection, and can't really be blamed for either goal. Jimmy is never going to be the fastest of goalies, but his instincts are spot on.
Michael Harrington -4
He seemed lost, which for a veteran player is odd. He often drifted too far inside and is not prone to advancing quite like Myers can. It was a poor match for him, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he was replaced by Myers and switched to the left. Then, of course, they gave up a goal on Myers side.
Aurelien Collin -6
The Houston announcers couldn't stop lauding his performance, and this was one of those matches where he did have his challenges well timed. His rating drops because of the weird overplay on the goal, where he covers for the rest of the defense leaving Calen Carr right in front of the goal.
Matt Besler -4
On the first goal, I have no idea where he is. Collin is covering for him, he should at least be covering for Collin. On the second, the cross passes his outstretched body, where he may have been better served staying up and challenging the awkward attempt by Calen Carr. Outside that it was solid, but being either involved or disappearing on the two goals doesn't sit well.
Seth Sinovic -4
Sporting KC was abused outside on the left as well as the right. In Sinovic's case, they played more inside of him, but he didn't play a part when they drifted inside pulling the center backs away from their mark towards Will Bruin's diagonal runs.
Paulo Nagamura -4
Not his most active role in a game where the play often drifted out wide. The concession of possession still falls on the midfield, but without Joseph pressing higher the second level of pressing never really set in.
Michael Thomas-4
He was on the field. Had a clever flick on in the waning moments of the match, but neither hurt or helped his cause. The rift that may exist between Vermes and Julio Cesar did more to help his stock than this performance.
Peterson Joseph -2
The effort was there, the restraint was nowhere to be found. He didn't have any of the insightful passes that he showed in the Columbus match, and often failed to even maintain possession. The red card was harsh, but correctly ruled. You can't really ask for more in a league plagued at times by poor officiating.
Kei Kamara - 6
He's disruptive and by far the biggest mismatch that Sporting KC presents. While you have moments where he does odd things on defense (juggling the ball and clearing over his head), he also gets back and makes strong challenges to keep the ball away from Sporting's goal. On offense, his decision making often went awry but he was also the one creating these chances.
Jacob Peterson - 6
He's well on his way to fan favorite. That's not something we expected out of the journeyman, the least heralded of the three acquisitions in the off-season. The run he made to get the penalty was another savvy move by the veteran. Perhaps, if Kamara saw another run towards the far post, he gets a goal there to take the pressure off Sporting KC.
Teal Bunbury -4
He sure is fast. There were ample opportunities for that speed to pay dividends in the first half, but each time Bunbury was foiled by either impatience or poor touch. Obviously, the PK argument with Kamara was odd, but chalk that up to Bunbury just wanting to be involved and score as opposed to the weirdly petulant display by both players.
Subs
CJ Sapong - N/A He was on the field for an entire half and I have nothing to say about him. He wasn't out of position, but he wasn't involved either. He should've dropped into the Zusi role and held up the ball hoping for an occasional counter. Instead, Vermes put him up top and said pray the ball comes to me. It didn't
Chance Myers -3 It's mean, but he steps onto the field plays too narrow much like Harrington did all game and Brad Davis took advantage. That was the game, and he was involved in the loss just fifteen seconds into the match.
Bobby Convey -N/A He got on the field, which is a positive development. His first touch was a poor quickly taken cross that should have given Sporting a chance to equalize and steal a point.