Player Ratings Part 1; Impact play to deadlock vs Crew

After a 10 day break, the Impact were back in action on Saturday in Columbus to take on the Crew. Without star playmaker, Ignacio Piatti and defensive general Laurent Ciman the Impact played to a nil-nil draw at Mapfre Stadium. On the other side of the pitch, Columbus were without their star Argentinian playmaker Frederico Higuain. The Impact were hoping to build on their 3-2 win versus the LA Galaxy but did not get the W on Saturday. However, they were able to leave Ohio win a respectable road point. Here are my player ratings for this week’s performance against the Crew.

Starting 11:

Evan Bush: Obviously your goalie is not a fault in a 0-0 match. Bush held up his end of the bargain admirably by keeping a clean sheet. When called upon, he made the necessary saves and interventions. One such occasion came in the 20^th minute after the Crew’s Justin Meram skilfully dribbled past the Impact’s back line and got a shot off. Bush made a diving parry to his right to preserve the 0-0 score line. Performance Rating: 8.5/10

Ambroise Oyongo: After a brief stint with the Cameroonian international team, Oyongo returned to the Impact’s ranks for the 2^nd leg of the Canadian Championship. Apart from shutting down the Crew’s offense, Oyongo contributed to the Impact’s attack with 3 attempted crosses into the Crew’s penalty area. One of those 3 found a blue jersey. Performance Rating: 7/10

Wandrille Lefèvre: Lefèvre had a very solid game and was probably the best player in a bleu-blanc-noir jersey. The young Canadian confidently dealt with the crosses sent in by Columbus and had the ability to break up the Crew’s attacks. He proved he is willing to sacrifice himself when he put his head in front of Justin Meram’s free kick. Lefèvre finished the game with 1 tackle, 3 blocked shots, a hat trick of interceptions, 7 clearances including half a dozen from inside the Impact’s box and 3 recoveries. The 27 year old is making an impressive claim to a starting spot at center back. Performance Rating: 9/10

Victor Cabrera: The Argentinian had a quiet yet impressive game. Cabrera rarely wandered into the offensive half but on the defensive end, he was solid with 4 interceptions and 4 clearances from deep in the Impact’s half. Cabrera also managed an intervention on Justin Meram that probably prevented a goal. On the down side, Cabrera lost 2 tackles inside the Impact’s box. Performance Rating: 7/10

Hassoun Camara: Camara started the match with the captain’s armband since Patrice Bernier was on the bench. The tall fullback made his presence felt along his right flank with 4 interceptions. He also managed a header in the 41^st minute that forced the Crew’s keeper Steve Clark to make the save. However, in the 20^th minute, it was Camara who was beaten by Meram. Evan Bush repaired his teammate’s mistake with a beautiful save. Performance Rating: 6.5/10

Eric Alexander: The young American was not much of an offensive presence and was invisible for much of the game, but this is not necessarily a bad thing for a holding midfielder since a very defensive midfielder like Alexander will only get recognised when he makes a mistake. Alexander’s passing was also exemplary with only 1 unsuccessful pass. He also finished the game with 7 recovered balls for the Impact. Performance Rating: 7.5/10

Kyle Bekker: Out of the 2 holding midfielders, Bekker was supposed to be the more offensive one. However, the Canadian did not attempt a single shot on target or a single cross into the box. His only corner kick was a disappointing attempt that did not even make it to the first post. On a positive note, Bekker did not commit any flagrant defensive errors. Performance Rating: 5.5/10

Well, those were my player ratings for the goalie, back line and holding midfielders. Stay tuned to Mount Royal Soccer for the rest of my player ratings.

Question of the Week:

When Ciman returns, who would you like to see playing next to him?