Player Ratings: Birmingham Legion 0-0 Las Vegas LightsLots of work, no results
Another great night in the stands, not so great on the field, although it wasn’t for lack of trying. Here’s our assessment of the individual performances:
GK: MATT VAN OEKEL – 7. Matt needed only 1 save to earn a clean sheet, the 30th in his USL career and the 3rd this season. He is also tied for 3rd in total saves this season with Detroit’s Nate Steinwascher. He also managed a whopping 92% accuracy in passing.
LB: RYAN JAMES – 7. A strong 76 minutes from Ryan, in which he connected on 33 of 40 passes, including 2 of 6 crosses. He also had a shot off target. Defensively, he won 5 of 6 duels and recorded 2 tackles, 4 clearances and 1 interception.
CB: PHANUEL KAVITA – 7. Phanny found his target on all but 2 of his 64 passes and was perfect in the attacking half. He won only 2 of 5 duels, and was forced into just 1 interception. All told, a relatively low stress outing.
CB: ALEX CROGNALE – 6.5. A very creditable 94.1% completion rate on 51 passes. He won 3 of 6 duels (all but 1 in the air) and had 3 clearances and 4 interceptions. He created 1 scoring chance, but spoiled a good evening with a yellow card for a rather obvious handball.
RB: JONNY DEAN – 8. Not quite as accurate as Ryan on left wing, but Jonny went the full 90, logging 50 passes for 76% accuracy. Also had 2 of 6 crosses connect, but no attempts on goal of his own. Defensively, he was a star, winning 5 of 7 duels and tracking back hard to get 2 tackles, 1 clearance and 4 interceptions. His work gets him Man of the Match honors.
LM: ZACH HERIVAUX – 7.5. Zach played the entire game, and maybe he shouldn’t have as he picked a yellow card just into second half stoppage time for a rough foul. Other than that he had a good game, completing 91% of a hefty 78 passes, He was involved in 15 duels, winning 7, and had 3 tackles, 2 clearances and 2 interceptions. He created 2 chances and had 1 shot off frame.
CM: ANDERSON ASIEDU – 7. The numbers really don’t seem to reflect Little Tank’s night, as Ando was everywhere as usual. That being said, he only attempted 42 passes for 88.1% accuracy, but none of his passes into the Las Vegas box connected. He had 1 shot on target and 1 blocked, both from outside the 18. However, he won only 2 of 8 duels and had 1 tackle, 1 block and 1 interception.
RM: MIKEY LOPEZ – 7. I was personally a bit surprised that Mikey got pulled at half time; I didn’t feel he was underperforming (I know that some do think that). He was 37 for 40 in passing and had 2 shots (both off target). He won 3 of 4 duels but had no defensive actions.
LAM: ENZO MARTINEZ – 7. A lot of hard work with not much success. Enzo connected on just 25 of 34 passes, but 3 of those were corners (he did find a target on 1 corner). He was limited to 2 shots, 1 on target and 1 blocked, and created 2 scoring chances.
RAM: MARLON SANTOS – 6. Another tough game for Marlon, who had just one blocked shot. He played 76 minutes and recorded only 23 passes with 78.3% accuracy. He was credited with 1 chance creation.
FWD: PROSPER KASIM – 7. 5 total shots for Prosper. 1 on target, 1 blocked and 3 off target, including that 1 80th minute attempt that nearly knocked the goal off its moorings. However, it was the only one he tried from inside the 18.
SUB: JUAN AGUDELO – 7. Watching Juan from just beside the Vegas goal, it was clear that he was in a much more determined state of mind than he has been to date. The numbers say he had 3 shots in his 45 minutes, 1 off target and 2 blocked, but it seemed like he wasn’t getting credit for other chances.
SUB: EDI HORVAT – 7. 14 official minutes, in which he had 1 shot off target. Edi has been kept off the field by roster compliance issues and a hamstring problem, but at this point he should be getting much more time. He’s the power striker the Legion needs.
SUB: JAKE RUFE – 7. Came on with Edi in relief of Ryan and completed all 12 of his passes and created a chance. He also won both his duels and had 1 tackle.
HC: TOMMY SOEHN – 6. Yet another formation change; a 4-3-3 this time and still no attacking success. At some point the Legion has to settle on a playing style.
