Photos: Corbin Elliot
Rapids draw 4th straight game after James Riley header saves point
San Jose @ Colorado Player Ratings
by John Marshall
The rain poured down on Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as the Rapids and Earthquakes played to a 1-1 draw. The Quakes struck first with a 19’ goal by Chris Wondolowski but it would be Colorado who got the last laugh as James Riley scored a stoppage time equalizer to salvage a point for the hosts. San Jose may have scored first but again were out possessed (65%-35%) and completed under 70% of their passes (66% was an improvement over the last two matches’ 59%). They were lucky to have gotten a point at all and can thank the woodwork for the late save. It’s clear things need to change for the Quakes to compete for the cup but for now lets get to the ratings.
As usual, ratings are based on a 1-10 scale:
- Horrible
- Awful
- Poor
- Flawed
- Adequate
- Good
- Very good
- Great
- Superb
- World Class
David Bingham: 6
David was having a pretty fantastic game up until the 93’. He made some great saves to keep the lead for San Jose and another one to keep the game tied but we’re gonna end up talking a lot about that punch that went right to Riley for the tying goal. If he’s going to punch he has to punch further than that and he might have been able to catch that ball instead. It also doesn’t help his side how often his goal kicks and drop kicks go out of bounds or right to an opponent (he was 8-22 passing).
Cordell Cato: 6
I thought Cordell was the best defender for San Jose. He did well on the wing to get forward on the attack but more importantly he was constantly rotating over when his teammates needed help in defense. He never seemed to rush his play and made some very nice plays to intercept passes and get the attack moving.
Marvell Wynne: 5
Another good performance for Marvell. He controls his wing very well but he seemed to rush his clearances instead of taking the time to find a teammate. All of his unsuccessful passes came in San Jose’s half which is concerning and was the biggest factor keeping me from giving him a 6.
Paulo Renato: 5
I’ve always been given the feeling with Renato that the quieter he is in the match, the better he’s played. He had a few poor moments where he was dispossessed or made an ill-advised tackle but was solid for most of the match. He’ll really want to forget that nutmeg that was put on him though.
Victor Bernardez: 4
Bernardez was caught on his heels multiple times by the Rapids and his lack of speed almost cost the Quakes a goal. He’s great for clogging the box and clearing the line but when he’s left in space he’s a liability.
Khari Stephenson: 3
I’m slightly confused as to why Khari was playing as a defensive mid in place of the injured Alashe. Khari has been much more effective on the wings where he can get forward and attack and you could tell he was uncomfortable playing behind the midfield 4. He had a number of turnovers that really should have been converted into goals but Khari was lucky the Rapids squandered the chances.
Chris Wondolowski: 7 MOTM
That goal might not have been the flashiest of goals but Wondo’s control and composure were fantastic. He covered tons of ground and his passing was much better than the team average. In whole it wasn’t a spectacular performance for the captain but he was by far the most dangerous man on the field for San Jose.
Sanna Nyassi: 5
Nyassi got the assist on Wondo’s goal because he was aggressive and headed the ball back into the mixer instead of letting the defense clear the corner. After that the aggression seemed to disappear and his complacency almost lead to a Colorado goal when a weak back pass to Bernardez barely made it half the distance.
Shea Salinas: 5
It seems to me that San Jose is a better team with Shea on the field. He didn’t have his best game today and lost possession more than I would like to see but he also had a number of key passes in the match. He was least effective in the final third which he really needs to improve upon.
Tommy Thompson: 6
We got to see some flashes of Thompson’s talent on the ball later in the game but I’m still waiting for the whole package to come together. It was great to see Tommy get the start and he had probably his best performance of the year. I really can’t wait to see it all come together.
Adam Jahn: 3
Jahn was almost non existent in the match. Some of that could be attributed to San Jose playing behind the ball most of the match but Adam really didn’t challenge on 50-50 balls when the Quakes cleared their back line. My biggest gripe is that as a lone forward you have to have more than 1 shot and you can’t miss the target. Really should have done better on his one chance.
Substitutes
Jordan Stewart (for Nyassi 67’): 6
I can only assume that Stewart wasn’t in the XI because of his lack of fitness because of his earlier injury and with the short week, Kinnear felt he couldn’t go a full 90 or even 60. When he did get on the field he made some great defensive plays. San Jose will be excited to have him healthy again and even more excited when he’s at full fitness.
Matias Perez Garcia (for Thompson 72’): 4
Credit to MPG for heading the ball away from goal deep into stoppage time and saving the game for San Jose; that was a huge play from a small guy. Other than that his play was just okay. He had a nice pass to set up Jahn’s chance but he also wasn’t really pushing to keep possession for the Quakes when they were defending for their lives.
Leandro Barrera (for Salinas 84’): Incomplete
Not enough time for Barrera to make an impact.
