Portland Timbers vs FC Dallas Players Ratings: The Results

The results are in! 141 people participated and a few left comments. Overall the scores look a lot higher than the last game, which makes sense because this game was a win.

Donovan Ricketts- 6.9

Ryan- Ricketts was chosen as captain this week and he led by example as he sacrificed his body on numerous occasions to clear dangerous crosses/corners. One punch allowed him to slow the game down and gave Portland a chance reset.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste - 6.8

Andy- AJB was fun to watch on Saturday night, against a team that likes to create pressure and ping the ball around the penalty area until they get a good look on goal. AJB showed well in shutting down this kind of behavior, thanks to his positioning ability finally catching up with his size and speed. His presence was immensely important in pushing Portland's defensive possession higher up the field.

Michael Harrington- 6.1

ibmoonie - Good outing and fairly solid on the defensive side. Slipping and falling 2 or 3 times to give up the ball on offense was not good.

Pa-Madou Kah - 6.4

Ryan - Kah was constantly talking with his teammates and during one stoppage of play late in the game (for Ricketts to be looked at) he went to every defensive player and midfielder and talked to them. His distribution was less than stellar but his vocal presence combined with Ricketts' helped Portland earn all three points.

Alvas Powell - 6.3

Scudzmeckenzie - a much more complete showing than his previous couple matches, went the distance without trouble. used his recovery speed well when beaten, and also showed why he's a dangerous addition going forward. if he continues to click with the team and play smart, he'll be a great asset.

Ben Zemanski - 7.1

Stacey - This was probably Zemanski's best game so far. For once, the absence of one half of the Chara-Johnson pair didn't seem like a glaring weakness for the Timbers, a fact which, all by itself, speaks volumes about his play. He was also involved in some really brilliant moments, like the one-two passing with Diego Valeri that should have been the Timbers first goal, all of which started with Zemanski dispossessing a Dallas player in the midfield.

Diego Chara - 8.1

mccusk - The wee man was back! Excellent game, winning headers in midfield to set up Valeri for the Nagbe goal is not bad a 5'6", also facing down George John provided much amusement.

Stacey- Thanks in part to a good shift from Zemanski, Chara was free to do his thing and be pretty much everywhere Saturday night. Having him roaming around the field disrupting things for Dallas and winning loose balls was so important for the Timbers, especially when he was able to win a header and get things rolling for the game-winner

Diego Valeri - 8.5

DanBurnell- The only thing that keeps me from giving him a 10 was that miss in front of goal about 20 minutes in. Absolutely amazing performance otherwise. Two bravado assists. Tore the defense apart with his passing and the attacking runs he made.

Darlington Nagbe - 7.8

Andy - There was a time when Darlington Nagbe could bury an impossible shot from outside the area but fire the easy shots right at the keeper. On Saturday he took a straightforward scoring opportunity and made no doubt about it. Beyond that, he was as usual an effective passer and dribbler and made some important contributions defensively.

Ryan Johnson - 7.4

Will- Johnson picked up his eighth goal of the season, keeping him just ahead of Darlington Nagbe as the Timbers' leading scorer this year and tying him with Kenny Cooper for the top spot on the Timbers list of goals scored in a season. Beyond burying his chance, Johnson put in a hardworking shift, keeping the Dallas defense under pressure with his runs and movement off the ball.

Jose Valencia - 6.1

Ryan - Confidence is a good thing in a striker but usually it doesn't lead to taking on 5 defenders all by yourself. Valencia didn't think twice about being outnumbered and almost pulled it off. His inclusion in the game also helped Dallas' defenders stay put and did not allow them to pin the Timbers in their own half.

Kalif Alhassan - 6.2

Will - He was brought on to hold possession and manage the game, and that is just what Kalif did for the final eleven minutes of Saturday's match. His dribbling and short passing game were on display as he and Darlington Nagbe took the ball into the corner time and again to grind out the final minutes of the match, something the Timbers have struggled to do at times.