Player Ratings: Quintero Returns, Bob Debuts, But Inexperience Costs United in D.C.

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke (USA Today Sports)

Positives

New faces performing well. Fernando Bob debuted, and it was a welcome sight as the 30-year-old Brazilian appears to be the No. 6 Minnesota United has been in search of ever since losing Sam Cronin at the beginning of the year. Rookie Wyatt Omsberg filled in admirably for the suspended duo of Francisco Calvo and Michael Boxall, while Angelo Rodriquez scored his first goal as a Loon.

Negatives

Conditioning. The Loons should have entered this game perfectly well rested and raring to go. However, often times many players looked completely depleted and their performances waned as a result. There’s no reason in the middle of an MLS season, let alone a uber-lengthy break, that the squad should look this disheveled.   

Coach Rating (Out of 10)

5 — Heath’s starting XI seemed a good selection from the onset and had United in the lead shortly after the break. The Englishman also can’t be blamed for Jerome Thiesson’s unfortunate injury, which forced rookie Carter Manley into prominence. Manley would go on to have an utterly forgettable performance, directly costing his team points. Once again, though, Heath’s alterations to his team came only after they had gone down 2-1.

Player Ratings (1-10 | 10 = Best)
*Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating.

GK Bobby Shuttleworth, 4 — Shuttleworth’s worst run of form since becoming United’s No. 1 keeper continues, and it’s no surprise it is coinciding with a terrible run of games for the overall team. He certainly could have done better with D.C. United’s opening goal.

LB Marc Burch, 4 — Remains a plus in terms of possession retention, but defensively his speed seems to cost at least one goal per game when he starts.

CB Brent Kallman, 7 — Was left with the difficult task of leading an inexperienced backline — he played his part well, but a few others did not.

CB Wyatt Omsberg, 6 — The 15th overall pick in the most recent MLS SuperDraft fared pretty well given his minimal game time thus far in Major League Soccer. If he continues like this he could nail down the fourth center back slot in the depth chart entering 2019.

RB Jerome Thiesson, N/A — Forced off injured earlier in the match. He’s had a really tough time staying healthy this campaign.

RM Abu Danladi, 6 — Finally the 2017 second-place rookie of the year sees the pitch from the start. The speedster looked surprisingly good in link-up play with his teammates but still often looked like the inexperienced player he is. The potential is clearly there, though, and Heath must get him regular minutes going forward.   

CM Fernando Bob, 6 — Provided a calming presence in midfield in his debut performance, which Minnesota United has been starving for since joining MLS. Basically plays like Ibson, sans any of the shenanigans. Could be a crucial player next season.       

CM Maximiano, 5 — Did seem to read the game pretty well at times, making timely interventions at different moments. His legs still appear immensely heavy, though, and he offers almost nothing going forward.

LM Miguel Ibarra, 5 — Played just well enough to validate his place in the team, as he often does. However, his limited upside makes it hard to picture him getting extensive minutes come 2019 if Ethan Finlay and Kevin Molino are fully healthy.      

ST Darwin Quintero, 7 — Well, the calf certainly appears to be fully healed as Quintero sprinted past D.C. United defenders again and again. He created great chances for himself and others, but his scale is higher than anyone else’s, and on the balance this wasn’t a classic from him.        

ST Ángelo Rodríguez, 7  Minnesota fans have every right to be upset about the departure of Christian Ramirez, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that ill will needs to extend to Rodriquez. Once again, the Colombian No. 9 displayed clearly Wednesday night what he brings to the table that is different from CR21 (well, now CR12). His hold-up play provides an elite level of brute force. He can also create his own shot, something Ramirez certainly cannot do. Did well to score his first goal as a Loon in five appearances.   

Substitutes

RB Carter Manley, 2 — The rookie has performed decently at different spells but looked completely lost throughout most of Wednesday night. Clearly the primary culprit on D.C.’s winning goal.

ST Ibson, N/A

LM Frantz Pangop, N/A —


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