Player Grades: Timbers @ Puerto Rico, 9/18
Well… it’s kind of tough to grade the guys when they’re playing on a field like that. So I’m just going to give grades with very few explanations because all of them would likely include something similar to: “made some mistakes but really hard to tell if it was just due to the field conditions.”
STARTERS
Steve Cronin (B): Made some key stops to preserve the shutout.
Ian Joy (C):
Ross Smith (B):
Stephen Keel (C):
Quavas Kirk (B): A good 90 minute showing.
James Marcelin (C-): A bit of a letdown given his recent form.
Johan Claesson (C-):
Kalif Alhassan (B+): Aside from a stretch in the second half where he disappeared for a bit, Kalif was very active and involved on both the offense and defense. And, of course, he did get one memorable goal.
Ryan Pore (B):
Doug DeMartin (B-):
Takayuki Suzuki (D-): Not much to say other than it was just a terrible outing.
SUBSTITUTES
Rodrigo Lopez (C+):
Tony McManus (C):
Steve Purdy (B-): Brought a bit more of an attacking presence to the right side which ultimately led to the time and space available for Kalif to hit his game-winning shot.
Ibad Muhamadu (C+):
Mamadou Danso (–): Only 3 minutes
Suzuki looked energetic at least on the post goal celebration. His hair doesn’t hold up in a monsoon.
The coaching staff really should have been on top of the weather and its effect on Taka’s hair. That’s just poor preparation.