Player Ratings: D.C. United 1 - 0 Real Salt Lake

Nick Rimando - 7 - Rimando had a solid game if we are to be honest with ourselves. He made another highlight reel save initially but an unfortunate positioning by Sebastian led to the easy goal immediately after. RSL didn't get a shutout, but that is hardly his fault.

Tony Beltran - 6.5 - Beltran played sound and looked like a leader defensively. He did what he was supposed to do.

Kwame Watson-Siriboe - 6 - Kwame brings a lot of energy when he plays and it does not go unnoticed. He is the kind of player you want on your team because he gets under the opponent's skin.

Chris Schuler - 7 - I really like Schuler's game. He looks to be filling Olave's shoes admirably. Sure, his game is not quite the same as Olave's, but he has different physical tools that play to his advantage.

Abdoulie Mansally - 6 - Unlike the game against San Jose, he didn't look shaky this time around. Seems to be fitting into his role well while Wingert is out.

Kyle Beckerman - 6.5 - Beckerman is not about to back down from anyone in this league and while his play tonight was what we have come to expect from him, I was most impressed when he stepped in to stand up for his teamate in a kerfuffle. That is what you want out of your team leader.

Sebastian Velasquez - 6.5 - So fun to watch Sebastian make defenders look silly. With more time he will be even more effective and fun to watch.

Khari Stephenson - 6.5 - I believe Stephenson had the best attempt on goal with a good sense of what was going on around him, but Hamid made a good save. What can you do?

Luis Gil - 6 - I get that he is still young, but much like Kreis implies I want to see more from Gil. It's not that he played poorly, in fact he did just fine. I guess that's the issue. "Just fine" is not what I expect from him.

Alvaro Saborio - 6 - Sabo didn't have his best showing tonight but it seemed to me that the refs were overlooking the abuse he was taking in the box. He is demanding two defenders most of the time now which doesn't make it easy to score, but also speaks to the fear he incites in the opposition.

Robbie Findley - 5.5 - I'm not seeing much out of Findley yet that makes me think he is returning to the form of 2009. The season is young though.

Substitutes

John Stertzer - 5 - Much like Sandoval last week, Stertzer didn't see much time but looked somewhat dangerous when he came in. Needs time.

Lovel Palmer - 6 - I really liked what I saw out of Palmer. He didn't seem hesitant to make plays or insert himself in the game. Also needs more time on the field with this team to see what he can really bring.

Joao Plata - 5.5 - Not the game-changer he was last week. We also found out through a mid-week interview with Kreis that he is a bit out of shape. That does not weigh in directly on his rating for this game, but it does mean that he will not reach his potential until he is in the kind of shape he should be. We shouldn't get too excited about Plata until we see consistently positive performances from him. Otherwise we will end up being frustrated with him like many were with Paulo Jr. after he showed well early on.