Player Ratings: Birmingham Legion 3-1 Chattanooga Red Wolves
This was easily the most complete performance by the Legion to date this season, spoiled only by an unfortunate late Chattanooga goal. The Three Sparks dominated pillar to post and got the deserved win. Here are our thoughts on their individual efforts.
GK: FERNANDO DELGADO – 6.5. Fernando did not face a single shot on target until the 94th minute and it was a point-blank effort that he had no opportunity to stop. Rough way to lose a clean sheet. His passing was a hefty 87.8% accurate on 49 tries and he even got 2 duels in, both of which he won. He was yellow-carded for dissent.
LB: MOSES MENSAH – 7. It seems Moses was a late replacement for Dawson McCartney, who was announced in the starting XI but was in street clothes. He did not disappoint, of course. 3 clearances and 2 interceptions, but he only won 1 of 8 duels per the stat sheet (which I find less than credible). He also sent in 1 unsuccessful cross.
CB: RAMIZ HAMOUDA – 6.5. Ramiz almost got to the ball before Kinzner scored but was a hair short. And that just after he got a yellow card for a foul so he may have been a tad hesitant. Otherwise, 7 clearances and 5 of 7 in duels. A massive 75 good passes, missing on only 7. Pretty good all told.
CB: PHANUEL KAVITA – 7. Phanny’s return to the lineup was a 45-minute runout. In that time he made 4 clearances and won all 5 of his duels, which were all in the air. That should surprise no one. 88.6% accurate on 44 passing attempts. Hopefully we’ll see him more next week.
RB: JAKE RUFE – 8. Jake started at right back but moved to center back after Phanny left the game. He was probably the most active member of the back line, logging 2 tackles, 4 clearances and 1 block. He also won 6 of 10 duels and recorded an 82.2% completion rate on 45 passes. He also managed a shot, which was blocked.
DM: KOBE HERNANDEZ-FOSTER – 8. Kobe was the victim of Michael Knapp’s red-card foul but other than a brief rest on the turf was not overly affected, thankfully. 2 tackles, 1 clearance and 1 interception, 5 for 10 in duels. He also had a shot on target and was credited with creating a scoring chance.
LW: DANNY TREJO – 9. Danny’s goal was officially unassisted but that was after two shots already had the ball bouncing around in the box. He later added the assist on Ronaldo’s goal. He had 1 more shot on target and 2 off target. He made 26 passes and failed to connect on only 1 of them. Man of the Match honors go his direction.
LM: ENZO MARTINEZ – 8. Wearing the captain’s armband again, Enzo had a great game. He assisted on Preston’s goal, had 1 shot of his own blocked and created 3 scoring chances. He also helped out in defense, racking up 3 tackles, 1 clearance and 1 block, as well as winning 5 of 9 duels.
RM: TYLER PASHER – 7. Tyler went 84 minutes and looks to be back to full fitness, which is really good news. He had 2 shots, 1 on target, 1 off. Like Enzo he created 3 scoring chances. Also 1 tackle and 1 interception, and 4 of 8 in duels. Strong outing.
LW: SEBASTIAN TREGARTHEN – 7. Seba played 61 minutes and was definitely having fun out on the wing. He had 1 shot off target and was good on 1 of 3 crosses, creating a scoring chance in doing so. He connected on 13 of 14 passes.
FWD: RONALDO DAMUS – 7.5. Ronaldo got a yellow card for a rather silly foul late in the first half but was clearly in the groove for this one. He worked hard to get his goal, having 3 shots off target and 1 blocked. At least 1 of not 2 of those probably should have found the net but it’s a game of percentages.
SUB: TIAGO SUAREZ – 7. Tiago replaced Phanny but was installed at right back, which is probably not where the Revolution want him. No attacking contribution, but 1 tackle and 1 interception combined with 3 of 4 duels won was a job well done.
SUB: PRESTON TABORT ETAKA – 8. Preston came on for Seba and scored a goal just 10 minutes later. You can’t really ask for more than that from an attacking sub. It was his only shot in the game. He also sent in a cross, which did not find a target.
SUB: ROMAN TORRES – 7. Roman replaced Enzzo and didn’t have a great deal to do in 10 minutes on the field. Perfect on 2 passes, won 1 of 2 duels and logged 1 tackle and 1 clearance.
SUB: SAM MCILLHATTON – 7. On with Roman for Tyler and likewise was not overly busy. Good on all 3 passes; he made 1 tackle and wqon his only duel.
SUB: FINN CALLOWAY – N/A. Finn entered the game with 6 minutes remaining largely to give Danny the O. He didn’t really get to do much in that short time.
HEAD COACH: ERIC AVILA – 8. Two straight home wins now; the Legion managed to do that just once all last season (in September against Tampa Bay and Miami). Moreover, both were by multiple goals and that is good. Eric may well be on short time at the Legion but a permanent head coaching position is in his future and likely soon.
