Portland Timbers vs. New England Revolution Player Ratings: Treading Water

The Portland Timbers faced off against the New England Revolution and, surprisingly, didn't manage to get a goal. Up until Thursday's game, the Timbers have managed a goal at least once in every match. This was made even worse by the fact that New England was playing with a humdrum defensive back line that mostly consisted of back up payers due to a number of injuries and suspensions. All in all, it was a very surprising affair.

Here are the individual player ratings:

Starting XI

Donovan Ricketts: 10

Ryan: He did everything that was asked of him. He made the key saves he needed to after Portland had to push numbers forward.

Michael Harrington: 8

Andy: He was the only outfield player without a shot, but that was at least in part because of how busy he was keeping tabs on Lee Nguyen -- who finished the game with no shots and zero open play crosses from Harrington's wing.

Futty Danso: 7

Will: Futty came up big on several key plays late in the game to deny New England's most dangerous counter attacks. Early on he was no slouch either, dominating in the air on defense and providing a steady outlet to cycle the ball through on offense.

Mikael Silvestre: 7

Stacey: Silvestre was having another good game before his injury and after he was taken off the Timbers were noticeably slower and less confident working the ball up from the back.

Jack Jewsbury: 6

Ryan: Defensively he helped to shut down any attacks that came down his side and offensively he provided a number of quality passes. He really has been a rock since switching to an outside back and last game was another in quality outing.

Diego Chara: 7

Will: Chara started the game out on fire, playing in Darlington Nagbe and Rodney Wallace for two of the Timbers earliest, and best, opportunities. For the rest of the game, Chara was his usual self, popping up all over the field to pick the pocket of whatever unfortunate Revolution player had the ball in his proximity. Unfortunately, the bounces were not quite going Diego's way and, mostly thanks to the packed in nature of the New England midfield, many of the balls he won, ended up right back at the feet of the Revs. This was particularly an issue later in the game as these turned over turnovers lead to several anxiety inducing breakaways.

Will Johnson: 7

Stacey: Gave the ball away cheaply a few times, but was also so crucial in winning it back. New England might have been more inclined to play for the win right from the get-go if Johnson and Chara hadn't made the midfield so hard for them.

Diego Valeri: 6

Stacey: Played like a man possessed, especially in the second half when he just seemed desperate to get the ball into the box for his teammates. Unfortunately his efforts didn't bear fruit.

Darlington Nagbe: 7

Andy: Many fans were disappointed by Nagbe's shot selection against the Revolution, but I was encouraged by his willingness to take some shots he might not have in previous weeks. Yes, they were right at the keeper, but they were taken with no lack of eagerness or confidence -- and that's the attitude the team will need from him if he is to be successful. Plus, that near assist of Valeri was something special.

Rodney Wallace: 5

Ryan: Wallace has been very good going forward and Thursday he provided width to the attack whenthe center was clogged with numbers. However there were too many errant passes and at times those passes created opportunities for New England.

Ryan Johnson: 6

Andy: RJ had the Timbers' best chance of the night, a redirection right in front of goal that Shuttleworth was lucky to save. But other than that shot on target, Johnson didn't see a lot of the ball before he was replaced by Piquionne.

Subs

Andrew Jean-Baptiste: 4

Will: Despite a well hit shot from range and dominant aerial play, AJBeast was just in the wrong place too often to earn a positive rating. If he can step up his positioning and situational awareness AJB could be a force to be reckoned with, but until then, despite his size, speed, and skill, he is always going to be a depth player.

Frederic Piquionne: 6

Geoff: I love Piquionne's presence when he enters a game. He brings that sort of veteran forward experience that you just don't see very often from the Timbers. Against the Revolution, he made an almost immediate impact on the game. It's unfortunate he wasn't able to get a goal to his name, but he certainly had a positive impact over all.

Kalif Alhassan: 4

Geoff: Alhassan came on late n the second half as a last effort to create any sort of goal scorer chance. Unfortunately, he just wasn't that effective. Worse, because he came on for Jewsbury, I would say the Timbers actually had to pull back and defend a bit more than usual.

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How well do you think each individual player performed?