Player Ratings: Birmingham Legion 2-1 Colorado Springs Switchbacks

It’s been a while since we last did any player ratings (been busy around here), so it’s good to get back in the groove, especially with a win. Here is how we see the various guys’ performances:

GK: TREVOR SPANGENBERG – 7. Good to see Trevor back in action after what seems like forever. He came close to stopping Zach Zandi’s 11^th-minute goal and after that had to make just 2 stops. Also a solid 84.2% accurate in passing.

LB: A.J. PATERSON – 7.5. AJ got the only yellow card of the entire game, apparently for arguing although the foul he committed was pretty blatant. It didn’t faze him though as he made one of his 2 shots barely a minute later (and it was on target). Defensively, he put up 5 tackles and 3 clearances and won 6 of 9 duels. Subbed out in the 78^th minute.

CB: PHANUEL KAVITA – 7. 3 clearances and 1 interception for Phanny this week, along with 2 of 4 duels won. He wasn’t much tested. He went 54 for 65 in passing and created 1 scoring chance. He was partly responsible for the Colorado goal, but so was the entire back line, frankly.

CB: ALEX CROGNALE – 7. The Legion generated a total of 11 corners, but Alex ended up with no attacking plays. He probably felt small for once next to Christian Herrera. A fairly meager 74.1% accurate on  just 58 passes, but he made 4 clearances and 1 interception, and won 1 of 3 duels.

RB: DEREK DODSON – 7. Just one blocked shot for Derek but he pumped in 5 crosses (2 successful) and created a whopping 6 scoring chances. Relatively limited defensive action: 1 block, 1 interception and 5 of 8 in duels. A hefty 84.8% accuracy rate on 46 passes.

LDM: DAWSON MCCARTNEY – 8. Dawson made only 15 passes (connecting on 11) in his 59 minutes, but his rebound goal was his key contribution of course. He also sent in 1 good cross. 1 tackle, 1 clearance, 2 interceptions; 2 of 7 in duels.

CDM: KOBE HERNANDEZ-FOSTER –8. Kobe is almost certainly the biggest addition to the Legion squad this season. He has quickly become the channel through whom most play develops. In this game he managed a lofty 90.2% accuracy on 41 passes; that’s huge. He had 1 shot on goal and made 8 crosses (5 were corner kicks).

RDM: JAKE RUFE – 9. Jake played 78 minutes, but it was a career game. He started as a wingback but kind of moved to fullback in the second half, doubling up with Derek. 2 shots, 1 off target, 1 blocked, 1 chance created. In defense, 5 of 9 in duels, 2 tackles, 1 block and 1 interception. Man of the Match, and not because his entire extended family was in attendance.

LW: STEFANO PINHO – 8. Scoring the winning goal will get you a ton of credit. That was just 1 of 4 shots though; 1 was off target and 2 were blocked. 12 of 6 in passing (all were short). And he was 6 of 15 in duels. That doesn’t sound great, but that’s partly how the high press works.

RW: PRESTON TABORT ETAKA – 6. Preston was fairly ineffective in 59 minutes of play, generating just 1 shot (on target). He was also weak in passing, completing just 4 of his lowly 7 attempts.

FWD: ENZO MARTINEZ – 8. Hoisted up to true striker, Enzo did not disappoint, as usual. 2 shots on target and another 2 blocked. 2 of 4 in crosses, and 6 of 12 in duels, another indication of a functioning high press.

SUB: PROSPER KASIM – 8. Prosper came on for Preston and was immediately more effective. 81% accurate on 21 passes in 31 official minutes, 2 of 3 in duels and 1 shot on target. Which shot was the saved ball Stefano pounced on.

SUB: MIGUEL PEREZ – 7. A fairly long 31 minutes for Miggy (who has started just once, I believe). 13 of 17 in passes and 1 shot blocked. Not bad for the youngster.

SUB: MOSES MENSAH – 7. On in relief of Jake for 12 official minutes of defensive reinforcement. He completed all 5 of his passes (all short) and lost 2 duels. That was it; most of the action was at the other end from that point.

SUB: RAMIZ HAMOUDA – 7. Came on with Moses for 12 minutes. 5 of 6 in passing and lost his only duel. Hisa speed made for some confusion for the Colorado attack though.

HC: TOMMY SOEHN – 7. Tommy did not look happy with this team’s early struggles, and rightly so. It appears he instituted some in-game adjustments and the end result was positive.