Player Ratings: Sandoval, Gil top men in 2-1 win over Seattle

Nick Rimando - 7.5 The one goal by Seattle was not really Nick Rimando's fault by any means. A strange bounce of the ball led directly to the goal. Rimando made his usual three to four quality saves per game. It really is expected at this point.

Abdoulie Mansally - 6.5 I thought this was Mansally's best performance thus far in the 2013 season. He seemed confidant after his national team call up and he was composed on the ball. He also made a few extra effort plays to help RSL keep possession at critical times in the game.

Nat Borchers - 6.5 Borchers makes the defense more organized, that is clear. This all just makes me wonder how Kwame fits into the rotation. Seems to me that it would be wise to rotate the three main CBs to keep them fresh.

Chris Schuler - 6.5 Schuler had one flub in a bad position that very well could have led to a goal, but he recovered well. A night where mistakes aren't highlighted is a pretty good night for a defender.

Tony Beltran - 6.5 Some might point to Beltran for the Sounders goal, but I really do think that the goal resulted from a freak deflection. I thought he had a good performance.

Kyle Beckerman - 6.5 El Capitan vs. Ozzie Alonso is a fun matchup to watch. I think Beckerman showed why he is better. The stats back it up as well as Matt showed here http://www.rslsoapbox.com/2013/3/30/4165712/match-thread-real-salt-lake-v-seattle-sounders Beckerman has more frequent interceptions and key passes. Same story tonight. I'm sure the debate on who is the best defensive mid in MLS wil rage on, but we know the truth.

Ned Grabavoy - 6 My question is this: Who is relegated to the bench now that Morales has returned? You could make an argument either way that any of the other mids except Beckerman could sit. They all bring unique strenghts and Ned brings aggressiveness and veteran composure to the field every time.

Sebastian Velasquez - 7 I had a hard time choosing who the player of the game was, but I think Velasquez was in the running. He played realliy well on both sides of the ball and shoed his creativity and quality footwork once again.

Luis Gil - 8 What a goal by Gil. That was some quality finishing and it was good to see Gil open up his account this year. In my opinion, Gil is now starting to compete with the veterans of the league. He no longer looks like he is being out-matched physically by most players. Man of the match.

Devon Sandoval - 7.5 I am starting to see why Kreis is so high on Sandoval. Here's the thing. He is not a clinical finisher yet. But his strengths are obviously that he connects really well in the box and he is a phyisical, extremely hard-worker. I did not expect that sort of creativity out of him at all. In fact, he probably should have been a little bit more selfish at times and just taken a few shots. He will learn how to make those decisions with time though. I am now really excited about yet another of RSL's young players. Sandoval's future is bright if he continues this work rate. The reason he is not the man of the match as opposed to Gil is that he had a couple chances and he probably should have put away at least one of them.

Robbie Findley - 7 Findley was bound for man of the match if he didn't pick up an injury so early on. He looked determined to make things happen tonight and it was fantastic to see him get the proverbial monkey off his back and make his first goal in returning to RSL. If he can get going, our forwards corps will be a force to be reckoned with.

Substitutes

Joao Plata - 7 He really should have had two goals, but Gspurning made a couple of great saves. Plata also made a fool out of a couple of defenders at different times. He really didn't show like this when he was playing for Toronto as I remember (not that I watched very many Toronto matches.)

Javier Morales - 6.5 Here is a guy that brings leadership to the team. You can see that when he is on the field he is respected by his teamates and the opposition alike. He was robbed of a goal by a no-call that was a clear penalty in the area, but hopefully that will serve to make him even more hungry.

Lovel Palmer - 5.5 Not a bad performance, just not a standout performance. He did look better than his last couple of outings though to be sure.