Portland Timbers @ Toronto FC Player Ratings: Better Edition

While Wednesday's match didn't end up being the away win that we were all desperately hoping for, the end result wasn't too bad. I mean, don't get me wrong, I really want the Portland Timbers to earn 3 points again, it's just that they managed to score twice on the road which is encouraging for the future of the team. Well at least for the future of their scoring ability...

Another highlight was Donovan Ricketts having his first game. While I won't spoil his score, I'll merely state that his first game was an interesting affair. I think it'll take a few more games to really see how he works out in Portland and whether he could be rejoining the squad for next season.

So with that the player ratings:

Donovan Ricketts: 5

I'm giving Ricketts a solid middle-of-the-road treatment. Truthfully he didn't have a bad night. In fact he actually came up pretty huge on the second goal when David Horst hung him out to dry. It was unfortunate that his save landed right at the feet of another TFC player though. One slightly shaky, jumbly save also keeps him from earning a higher rating.

Ryan's rating: 6 - His distribution was very good in a game that Portland needed all the possession they could get. His position was good but he almost let a howler in and probably could have done more on the first goal.

Kosuke Kimura: 3

Not a good night for Kimura seeing as how TFC constantly attacked from the right side. In fact, on the second goal which came from a cross, he was left entirely in the dust as the TFC player skirted around him. Pace is an important quality in defensive wingers and Kimura just didn't have it Wednesday night.

Ryan's rating: 2 - He struggled all night on the island of right back and he gave up an easy cross which lead to the second goal. Just was not his night even though he tried really hard, of course this could be because he did not have the help defensively from the wing that Smith had on the left.

Hanyer Mosuqera: 4

Hanyer was caught entirely off guard for the first goal to the point where he shares at least some of the blame with partner David Horst. Overall, a rough night for him.

Ryan's rating: 4 - Not a great game but not a terrible game from Horst. He gives everything when he is on the pitch but there are times where he gives goals to the other team.

David Horst: 2

Horst was completely out of it Wedneday night. He was at least partially, if not fully responsible for both goals when TFC's forwards simply outpaced him. At this point I'm very much waiting for Eric Brunner to be well enough to play again.

Ryan's rating: 4 - Not a great game but not a terrible game from Horst. He gives everything when he is on the pitch but there are times where he gives goals to the other team.

Steven Smith: 6

After a string of lackluster games Steven Smith really upped his edge against Toronto FC. While one could argue that he is partially responsible for the second goal, he more than made up for it by sending in a great corner kick which lead to a goal and getting the assist for Darlington Nagbe's late half equalizer.

Andy's rating: 6 - With the benefit of having Rodney Wallace in front of him, Smith did a pretty good job of defending his side of the field, and that meant he had the energy and vision left by the end of the game to orchestrate one of the best goals the Timbers have scored all season.

Darlinton Nagbe: 6

Another man of the match contender, Nagbe played a good game. Not perfect, but better than what I've come to expect in recent months. The fact that he got his head on the ball at the right time from Smith's cross earned him his first goal in a long time... and it was a solid one to boot.

Andy's rating: 7 - My man of the match, Nagbe opened the game with more confidence than I've seen all year, making great runs up the pitch and really looking like he wanted to take firm control of the Timbers' attack. He regressed a little bit in the second half, taking too many touches at times, collapsing in a heap when challenged by a defender, but when he got that cross from Smith, he buried it like he'd done it a million times.

Jack Jewsbury: 4

Kind of forgetful for the entirety of the game to be honest. I don't suppose he did anything bad, but he certainly wasn't a prominent figure within the game itself.

Ryan's rating: 4 - You did not see and hear from Captain Jack a lot in this game and that usually means he did well defensively and was not involved going forward, which is an ok game in my book.

Diego Chara: 5

The bruiser the Timbers so desperately need was doing his usual thing, though he wasn't quite as effective as usual. In particular he seemed to have some trouble containing Torsten Frings and eventually gave TFC an important free kick.

Andy's rating: 4 - Against Dallas, Chara had 4 unsuccessful passes out of 54 total. His numbers against Toronto were 13 unsuccessful in 51 total. Diego had a mother of an off day on Wednesday. He'll bounce back.

Sal Zizzo: 5

Great night for Zizzo and his first goal of the season. Honestly, before Wednesday night I was convinced Zizzo would remain a super sub for forever. Now though? I'm not so sure. Perhaps more starting time is in his future. He still struggles with picking up his head and looking around though.

Andy's rating: 3 - He scored the first goal of his MLS career and came somewhat close to adding an assist, but other than that he didn't have a great game. As usual he lacked vision and failed to see his teammates making some promising runs around him. And then there was the defensive side of his game...

Kris Boyd: 2

Another lackluster performance by Boyd highlighted by a decent offsides run and "goal," which was then followed by a botched legitimate chance. We knew going into this season than Boyd wasn't going to score on his own, but when he does get the chance to take the shot, we expect it to actually happen.

Ryan's rating: 3 - Boyd would have been man of the match had he scored and then helped in the interchange which lead to the second goal. One has to wonder if firing Spencer has set Boyd off on his little funk.

Rodney Wallace: 4

First game in a while for Wallace and boy did it show. Truthfully, he wasn't the worst player out there, but I'll be happy to see him back on the field once he gets some of that rust off.

Andy's rating: 4 - Clearly Wallace hadn't played in a while. His touch was sloppy, his mechanics were rusty, and his decisions were dubious. But he did play some good defense, and I hope he gets another chance to work out his kinks soon.

Substitutions

Mike Fucito: 4

Came on in the 66th minute with that same kind of energy and hard work that we've come to expect, but he ultimately contributed little to the actual game itself. He should have earned a PK, though.

Andy's rating: 6 - He should have had an assist, and he should have won a PK. But beyond that, if you watch the replay of the Nagbe goal, you can see Fucito receiving that throw from Smith and holding up the ball with a defender basically on top of him, before passing the ball back to Smith's feet. He's fast and he's strong and he was causing real problems for Toronto for the whole time he was on the pitch.

Eric Alexander: 5

Got an assist. I would certainly call that a decent performance and a solid outing for the substitute.

Ryan's rating: 5 - Eric had a positive influence on the game once he came in but defensively he looked disinterested. Luckily his offensive interest was high and he was able to notch an assist.

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So there you have it. An otherwise "average" affair for the game, but even that's better than what we've seen in the last few weeks, especially from an attacking perspective.

Agree? Disagree? Let's hear your own ratings in the comments!