Player Ratings: Birmingham Legion 2-0 Louisville CityWhere was this team in Indy?
We haven’t seen a game this complete out of the Legion in a while. In a lot of ways it was the total opposite of the reverse fixture in Louisville – the Three Sparks last win! – but much more satisfying. Here’s the players all rated:
GK: MATT VAN OEKEL – 7. Matt was credited with 2 saves in the game, but I’m not sure either of them was going in. One at least was entirely routine. A fairly easy donut. His passing was about what you’d expect at 62.9% accurate on 35 attempts.
LB: MOSES MENSAH –7. Moses played as much as a third centerback as a fullback, if not more. As a result he won 5 of 7 duels and recorded 2 tackles, 1 clearance and 1 interception.
CB: PHANUEL KAVITA – 8. Phanny did his Gandalf impression1You shall not pass! as usual. 5 of 6 in duels, 1 tackle, a whopping 8 clearances and 1 interception. A very high 89.8% accurate on a surprisingly low 49 passes.
CB: ALEX CROGNALE – 7.5. Other than the – entirely deserved – yellow card, and presumably a suspension tomorrow, a great performance. 3 of 6 in duels, 1 tackle, 4 clearances. He managed to get called offside at one point (on a free kick but it was actually Neco). 82.1% good on 52 passes.
RB: COLLIN SMITH – 7. Collin had a good game, causing all sorts of mayhem on the right wing. He even got called offside once. He sent in 3 crosses, although none found a target. Overall passing was moderate, connecting on 21 of 29 passes. 5 of 7 in duels, 1 tackle, 1 clearance and 1 interception.
LM: PROSPER KASIM – 7. It’s rare for Prosper not to get at least one shot off, but he didn’t in this one. However, he was playing a somewhat more withdrawn position than normal, and looked good doing so. A massive 39 for 42 in passing and 1 chance created.
CM: MATTHEW CORCORAN – 7. Matthew played in a lot of ways as a single pivot, a huge ask of a teenager in a key game. But he stepped up – again. The numbers don’t really reflect it, although his distribution was central.
RM: ENZO MARTINEZ – 9. The game-winner just 5 minutes in and Enzo continues to poach goals like they are going out of style. His 9th of the year. He was credited with another shot, although that may be a tad generous; it was going nowhere. But his defensive contribution can’t be overlooked: he won 9 of 12 duels and 4 tackles and 2 interceptions.
LW: DIBA NWEGBO – 9. Most players wouldn’t even bother trying to save that ball. Diba’s backheel to keep it inbounds was brilliant. No opening goal otherwise. And drawing the foul for Neco’s PK was also well-executed. He also had a shot on target. A clutch game and Man of the Match honors.
RW: JUAN AGUDELO – 7. Juan looks good playing out on the right and his holdup play was beautiful. He got the official assist on Enzo’s goal, created 2 chances and had 2 shots blocked. He also sent in a successful cross.
FWD: NECO BRETT – 8. The PK came dangerously close to being saved, but had enough power to get past Semmle. Neco had one other shot on target, but the scissor kick attempt he missed probably should have been in the net.
SUB: MIKEY LOPEZ – 7. 23 official minutes. Mikey looks like he is back to full health now, but wasn’t a big contributor to the game. 10 of 15 in passing and he lost both attempted duels. He made 1 clearance though.
SUB: JAKE RUFE – 7. Just 5 official minutes replacing Prosper in what most would consider a parking the bus move. Instead Jake was if anything more involved in the attack. Bait and switch? Maybe. Whatever. It worked.
SUB: GABRIEL ALVES – 7. Came on for 5 minutes of stoppage time. Gabriel connected on all 3 attempted passes, won 1 duel and made 1 tackle. Not bad for short time.
HC: TOMMY SOEHN – 8. This was not your typical Tommyball. A creative game pan that worked brilliantly. Haters take note.
