Portland Timbers @ Philadelphia Union Player Ratings: The Verdict

Last Saturday the Portland Timbers took flight to Philadelphia for just the second time in their MLS career to take on the Union. They went into the match having never been defeated by the Union. Given that fact and their performance so far this season, the expectations for a solid result were high. While the Timbers ultimately returned home with only a single point, they managed to keep their record heavily in their favor for the next time the two sides meet. Something that was reflected in your player ratings.

Enjoy!

Starting XI

Donovan Ricketts - 8.5

Stacey: Ricketts didn't have as much to do as he often does, with only four shots on target, but still made a couple big saves to get the shutout.

Jack Jewsbury - 5

Cruz exposed Jewsbury at right back. I'm just surprised it's taken this long for anyone to make him look like he's playing out of position! - madison_shrimp

Stacey: Got beat repeatedly by Danny Cruz. The gap between Cruz's pace and Jewsbury's was exacerbated by the fact that Jack seemed to struggle positionally as well.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste - 7

AJB played great against Connor Casey and you could tell Casey was getting frustrated throughout the game. Plus AJB was not afraid to be physical in the match but he did it in the smart way. He seems to grooming himself into a solid backline defense player and is taking the advice that he is given from either Horst, Futty, or Pa. Which he is displaying the advice on the pitch. - Anonymous

Ryan: This might have been his best game of the year. His positioning was great and his use of his body and strength were used perfectly against a very physical forward in Conor Casey. His passing was also exceptional as he was able to connect on the short and long passes.

Pa Modou Kah - 7

Pa Kah really proved to us Saturday night that he wasn't the man who played looked like he had never play a game of soccer in his life against Columbus. His ability to throw his body around to head the ball away was like nothing I had ever seen from a Timber. I thoroughly believe his inner motivation stemming from the Columbus game, made him the most consistent man on the pitch last night. (Unless his name was Ricketts.) - RCTIDnomatterwhat

Will: Kah stepped back into the Timbers lineup with all the poise that you would expect from a veteran and immediatly made an impact as he resumed his fearless approach to the game: sliding, lunging, and generally throwing himself around in his quest to win the ball. While his passing was a little less ambitious than his partner at the back, Kah was accurate and a key piece of the Timbers ridiculous possession advantage.

Michael Harrington - 5.5

Will: The Hair had quite the task in front of him as he tried to shut down assist machines Sheonon Williams and Sebastian LeToux, who have a combined 16 assists this season. Fortunately, with an assist from the Johnsons, Will and Ryan, he was able to limit the effectiveness of Philly's killer right hook all evening. Unfortunately, this was one of Harrington's less effective outings going forward, and the Timbers attack was less for it.

Will Johnson - 6

Geoff: You can't blame Will Johnson for being out of touch just a tad due to his Gold Cup duties and subsequent illness, but he certainly wasn't as active as we've come to expect. While he held the ball up in the midfield well, his offensive efforts just weren't on the level we've come to expect.

Darlington Nagbe - 6

Geoff: Similar to Will Johnson though without a solid excuse. Nagbe just never seemed to mesh into the game. I don't know if it's because he was back playing in the midfield rather than up top or if Philly's defenders just knew what to expect. Regardless, his his efforts were muted all night.

Diego Chara - 6

Andy: Chara was my man of the first half, as he was easily the most energetic Timbers player on the field, especially defensively. Very much hoping his injury wasn't too serious.

Diego Valeri - 6

Valeri: I almost ranked him as average, but went slightly higher because he showed a lot of quality. The problem was that, in approaching the goal he found very little help - neither Piquionne nor R. Johnson seemed willing to make pressing runs into the box, but rather hung back in line with Valeri, leaving him nothing but the square pass. Valeri certainly didn't lack for attacking ambition as he often took it upon himself to make a run in on goal and open up some half-chances. - Anonymous

Geoff: I've said it in the past and I'll say it again, I don't think Valeri works as a right winger. For a player as creative as he is, positioning him away from most players means that he's unable to make the kinds of creative plays we've come to expect. The game against Philadelphia was no different and with no Rodney Wallace on the left, forward service was found lacking.

Frederic Piquionne - 6

I think this was Piquionne's worst game as a Timber. Ineffectual in creating opportunities, gave the ball away on multiple occasions, effort was lacking (he needs to be more proactive against the offside trap). That said, I was unimpressed offensively all the way around. I think Will Johnson was spot on in saying that our defense is stout, but we need to work on breaking teams down in their third. Maybe that means faster transition so the other team can't stack behind the ball. - Corleone Dynamite

Ryan: His aerial ability was a threat but more importantly his defense on the set pieces was were he had the biggest influence. Almost every time Portland cleared the first ball it was accompanied by "cleared by Piquionne."

Ryan Johnson - 5.5

Geoff: Invisible on the left side and not nearly as effective as Rodney Wallace is in that position. Not much more to say about him than that.

Subs

Ben Zemanski - 5.5

Stacey: He's no Chara, but Zemanski did a pretty admirable job filling in for him in the second half of a physical game. At one point Jack McInerny tried to take Zemanski on one on one and it looked like it could be problematic for the Timbers, but Zemanski played it very well, holding his ground while Pa Modou Kah rushed in to poke the ball away.

Jose Adolfo Valencia - 5.5

Geoff: El Trencito only managed to get a few minutes in the game so you can't expect too much from him. Still, the youngster was able to create a couple chances. Now he just needs to work on finishing them.

Kalif Alhassan - N/A

Geoff: Kalif got a negligible amount of time and, as such, won't be graded.

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111 people voted in this round of player ratings. That's a noticeable drop off from the 300+ in last week's most likely due to the humdrum performance.

What do you think of your player ratings?