Player Ratings: RSL v. Herediano

GK and Defense

Nick Rimando - 8 Rimando was forced to make some tricky saves and kept RSL's hopes alive throughout.

Nat Borchers - 8 Kept Herediano's chances to a minimum and led the defense well, especially without the likes of Olave.

Chris Schuler - 6 Looked solid but had a poor giveaway that almost put RSL in a spot that would have been extremely difficult to escape. Luckily, Herediano did not finish their chances.

Tony Beltran - 7 I do not really have much to complain about with Beltran, he played well and filled his role.

Chris Wingert - 7 Much like Beltran, did what he was supposed to but did not exactly excel.

Midfield

Kyle Beckerman - 7 He broke up some plays and won the ball back a decent amount of times but I felt like he kid of disappeared in the second half. I did not sense that fierce leadership that is usually easy to see.

Javier Morales - 7 Had a good shot and created some clear chances, but it wasn't his best night.

Luis Gil - 8 The promising 18 year old did great with the time he was given. He could have been a bit more aggressive but I think that will come in the future when he knows he is the main creator.

Will Johnson - 6.5 Did not have a bad game, worked as hard as ever, and did what he needed to do. Unfortunately, I cannot think of any special plays from Will.

Forwards

Paulo Jr. - 5 I do not even recall a good chance for Paulo. Two goals in one season for a striker is nothing to brag about. What I learned from his performance is how badly we need Sabo.

Fabian Espindola - 5 I debate writing this, but I could not help but be reminded of the Monterrey missed chance tonight. Espindola had a chance to put in a relatively easy early chance and lefft us wanting more. Espindola gets chances in big games and tends to miss them. Perhaps I am letting my emotions talk right now, but if you cannot put the ball away in a pretty simple scenario in games when it really matters, what does that mean for the forward? Big players make big plays in big games. I do not have confidence in Espindola in those big games. I hope he proves me wrong in the future.

Subs

Kenny Mansally - 6 I did not see Mansally really assert himself. He was brought on partially to replace Schuler, but also to create offense.

Sebastian Velasquez - 7 I like this kid and I have made that clear. He creates instant offense every time he steps on the field. That said, he probably could have done a bit better with his chances (and with a field that was not drenched.)

Jonny Steele - 4 Had some really puzzling passes to no one in particular. Gave away the ball when RSL was trying to create something in the face of 10 defenders in or around the box. For me, Steele has not had a solid performance for a while and has looked horrid over the past couple games.