Player Grades: Real Salt Lake vs. Orlando City
Orlando City came home with a point after being reduced to 10 men Saturday night. Kaka opened the scoring in the 5th minute but would be sent off just before halftime for an apparent stamp on Javier Morales. The call was controversial and Adrian Heath hinted they might appeal the call. Regardless, a magnificent defensive effort in the 2nd half rewarded the Lions with a crucial draw in a tough road environment in Sandy, Utah.
G Tally Hall- No surprise here. Hall earns the CST Man of the Match, making 6 saves and keeping RSL off the board after Kaka was sent off. Hall is proving to be one of the best ‘keepers in MLS and it’s no coincidence that Orlando City’s good run of form started when Hall took over in goal. Grade- 8
RB Rafael Ramos- Ramos had a solid, yet frustrating night. He’s much happier getting forward but had to remain defensively vigilant after the sending off. The entire defense deserves an extra point on their grades for holding RSL scoreless for the entire second half. Grade- 7
CB Seb Hines- Hines was steady once again although he was beaten to the ball on RSL’s only goal. Unfortunately for him, he was marking about 3 players due to some uncharacteristic confusion by City defenders. He also came close to scoring himself when his header careened off the cross bar. After the Lions went down a man, the defense tightened up and held RSL in check. Hines continues to fill in for Aurelien Collin and the defense hasn’t skipped a beat. Grade- 7.5
CB Sean St. Ledger- St. Ledger will want his 2nd half chance back as he should have buried a point-blank header that could have snatched all 3 points for the Lions. He was also caught roaming in no mans land on the RSL goal. All in all, it was still a steadfast performance for the Irishman as the defense tightened up in the second half and dealt with wave after wave of attack from RSL. Grade- 7
LB Luke Boden- Boden also can claim some fault in RSL’s goal as he and St. Ledger failed to mark the cross or any of the runners which led to Hines being overwhelmed in the box. In the first half, his pairing with Rivas seemed like it was destined to create the havoc we’ve become used to, but unfortunately, the story of the match was the red card, forcing Boden to sit deeper than he would like. Grade- 7
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CDM Cristian Higuita- Higuita was wonderful on the night. His partner, Darwin Ceren, is away on international duty so Higuita played the role of both players and was a classic box to box midfielder for most of the game. He picked up his standard yellow card for a late tackle, but was otherwise a menace in the center of the field, disrupting RSL’s attack enough to hold them scoreless after the Lions were down to 10 men. Grade- 7.5
CDM Lewis Neal- Neal got the start over Amobi Okugo and played admirably in the first half, if not a bit anonymous. Neal’s versatility is a big asset for Coach Heath as he can play any of the midfield positions. However, Neal leaves a little bit to be desired athletically and his performance certainly didn’t wow anybody. Like Eric Avila, Neal is an industrious player who compliments others. Grade- 6
RM Eric Avila- Avila worked his tail off and tracked back on several occasions to disrupt RSL’s attack. Avila plays a support role as Orlando City’s entire attack and shape tilts to the left with Rivas on the field. You never look back on the match and remember much from Avila, but he does all the little things well and Heath thinks he’s invaluable to the team. Grade- 6.5
CAM Kaka- Kaka opened the scoring in the 5th minute with his 9th goal after a nice pass from Pedro Ribeiro. However, we’d only see the Brazilian for one half in this one as he was sent off just before halftime. It was going to be a deserved yellow card as he plowed Javier Morales over from behind but then the ref pulled out the red card as he thought Kaka intentionally stepped on Morales’ back. Only 1 person knows whether it was intentional or not. It will be interesting to see if Orlando City appeals the call. If they dont, Kaka will be suspended for next weekend’s match at home vs. FC Dallas. Grade- 6
LM Carlos Rivas- Rivas never really got going as RSL made sure to shadow him with two players for most of the first half. His best opportunity came on a free kick early in the second half that went inches wide of the post. After the sending off Rivas turned into an isolated striker who’s job was to keep the RSL back line honest and collect some possession to give the rest of Orlando City’s defense a rest. Overall, Rivas was still dangerous and looks to continue his sparkling form next week. Grade- 6.5
S Pedro Ribeiro- Ribeiro did very well as he’s taken over the striker position in Cyle Larin’s absence. His combination play with Kaka was on display again as he set up the first goal with a defender-splitting pass that left Kaka with an easy side footed shot past the RSL ‘keeper. He also won 7 aerial battles as his imposing size continues to be a handful for opposing players. He would likely have found the score sheet had the match stayed at even strength. Grade- 7
Substitution
Amobi Okugo- Okugo entered in the 90th minute for general housekeeping. Okugo must be frustrated that Lewis Neal has climbed above him in the holding midfielder pecking order. Grade- N/A
