Impact vs Colorado Rapids Player ratings: Part 2

This is my follow up article to Impact vs Colorado Rapids Player Ratings: Part 1. This article contains my player ratings for our attacking 4 and subs.

Ignacio Piatti: I was happy to see our Argentinian maestro make the move back to the left wing. Many were disappointed with Piatti's performance against the Rapids but I found his play to be up to par. Even though he was not the offensive presence we have come to expect, we must remember that it was Piatti who suffered the foul that led to Didier Drogba's free kick goal in the 8^th minute. Nacho also seemed to have a lot of energy on the pitch. He covered a lot of ground participating in both the offensive and defensive performance of the team but his execution was lacking. Piatti only had 1 successful dribble out of his 7 attempts. Nacho also suffered 4 fouls. This week, Piatti's effort was there but his execution did not quite reach the bar that he has set so high for himself. Performance Rating: 7/10

Harry Shipp: It came as a huge relief to see Harry Shipp placed in the #10 position. The young American is definitely not a winger and he has quite a bit of trouble finding room on the wing. The difference between winger Shipp and #10 Shipp was dramatic. The former Chicago Fire man was finally able to spark some offensive play. His closest attempt on goal came in the 60^th minute but narrowly missed to the right of Zac MacMath's net. Shipp also managed shots in the 63^rd and 84^th minutes. It is important to mention that it was Shipp who played the ball to Tissot on his goal. The Chicago native also managed 4 recoveries. Performance Rating: 8/10

Dominic Oduro: Was I the only one who barely noticed Oduro on the pitch Sunday? And I watched the game twice. Oduro had a grand total of 15 completed passes and 4 incomplete passes for a sum of 19 attempted passes over 90+ minutes. On the offensive side, Oduro saw his only 2 attempts on goal get blocked. On the defensive side of the ball, our speedy Ghanaian managed 1 tackle and 2 recoveries. Oduro can be a force on the right wing but he was not a presence during Saturday's game. Performance Rating: 5.5/10

Didier Drogba: Didier is one of those rare players that with only a few touches of the ball can drastically change the outcome of a match. The Ivorian's world class strike in the 8^th minute gave the Impact the early lead. In each of his two career matches versus the Colorado Rapids, Drogba has buried a goal off of free kicks. He led the Impact in shots with 7 attempts on goal. Our most famous designated player saw 4 of his attempts blocked. His attempt in the 78^th minute was brilliantly hit but just narrowly sailed inches over the crossbar of Colorado's net. At the defensive end of the pitch, we saw Drogba with 1 interception, 3 recoveries and 2 clearances from inside the box. The down side of Didier's performance was his 5 unsuccessful dribbles. The legendary elephant has proven that he can dominate no matter his age. Performance Rating: 8.5/10

Substitutes

Marco Donadel: The Impact brought in our veteran Italian midfielder in the 63^rd minute for young Canadian Kyle Bekker. During his half hour of play, Donadel attempted 15 passes which is 4 less than Oduro attempted during his 90 minute presence. Donadel was placed in the defensive role that he fills so well. The scruffy Italian had 2 recoveries, a tackle and a clearance from the edge of the box. Donadel accomplished the defensive responsibilities he was assigned and took another step towards full recovery. Performance Rating: 8/10

Lucas Ontivero: The short Argentine returned to Saputo Stadium Saturday in the 80^th minute for Impact captain Patrice Bernier. Ontivero was sent on to add some offensive flair and secure all 3 points for Montreal. Ontivero did not have enough time to make an impact on the outcome of the game. His only pass of the match came in the 80^th minute, he was fouled in the 84^th minute and he had an unsuccessful dribble in the 87^th minute. That was Lucas Ontivero's contribution to the match, granted he only had a few minutes of playing time but he did not have a strong performance. Performance Rating: 6.5/10

Last week, the Impact committed robbery when they stole a point from NYCFC but on Saturday they were robbed of 2 points they deserved to collect. The Impact had an impressive performance in front of a sell-out crowd at Saputo Stadium. Even though the Impact were able to sell every single ticket, I was disappointed to see quite a few open seats in the west end of the stadium. Season ticket holders do the Impact a favor when they buy their season tickets but they do not contribute when they leave their seats vacant. Next, the Impact voyage to Mapfre Stadium where they were eliminated from the MLS post season last year. The visit to Columbus will be the Impact's 2^nd meeting with the Crew this season. The Impact won the 1^st match 2-0 at the Olympic Stadium. Thanks for reading and see you next week after the Columbus match.

Question of the Week:

With a fully healthy line-up, what is your ideal holding midfield duo?