Houston Dynamo Player Ratings:
Tally Hall, MotM, (7) - Hall commanded his backline very well and made a spectacular double save, well with the help of Boswell, in the 79th minute. Easily the player of the match, and will probably be the player of the month.
Kofi Sarkodie (6.5) - Kofi Sarkodie had the difficult task of defending one of the world's greatest, Thierry Henry, and he proved that he could mark Henry as well as defend against him 1v1. Sarkodie was typically in the right place at the right time EXCEPT when the 2nd goal was scored, Sarkodie was clearly way out of position. Overall though, he put in a good performance.
Jermaine Taylor (5) - Maybe this is a little tough on him, but the first goal was Taylor being caught flat footed. Our two center backs didn't have much work to do in the middle of the field due to Moffat/Clark clogging passing lanes, but Boswell and Sarkodie did more to close space than Taylor. Eric Brunner may be the best choice to partner with Boswell after a few rough performances by the Jamaican.
Bobby Boswell (6) - Boswell's foot was in the right place at the right time to deny Henry who pounced on Hall's first stop. Furthermore the ball fell right into Hall's hand's which was incredibly fortuitous. Boswell closed space in and around the 18 yard box forcing close passing and tight shots by the Red Bulls.
Corey Ashe (5.5) - Ashe denied Henry in a terrific sprinting effort, which could have been a penalty, maybe not, but it certainly kept the Red Bulls scoreless for the time being.
Ricardo Clark (6.5) - Ricardo Clark lined up next to Adam Moffat, not in front of him, this match and it really helped shut down the center of the midfield. Moffat and Clark intercepted passes, made key tackles, and distributed the ball well from the center. Clark made his own efforts on goal, but both were nowhere near threatening as one shot was right at the keeper, and the other he skied.
Adam Moffat (6) - Moffat played the best game that he has in sometime. He paired with Clark very well and made very good tackles making the center of the field a tough place for New York to get the ball through. They found a way around that though which I'll get to. Moffat still struggled on the offensive side of the ball, but Clark did his best to adjust for this deficiency.
Warren Creavalle (5.5) -Creavalle seemed more than a little overwhelmed by playing right mid for the injured Oscar Boniek Garica. At times, New York pressed every possession through Creavalle's side because not much was going through the center. Yes, both goals came from the left side (sleeping Ashe, and a long ball to the right side for the 2nd goal), but Creavalle did not have much going for him.
Andrew Driver (7) - Driver was incredibly active and was the dynamo in our offense (that was bad I know). Everything really started with him. His passing is incredible, see the pass to Clark in the 23rd minute, and his work on both sides of the ball remains strong.
Giles Barnes (5.5) - This was a tale of two halves for Barnes, one half dominated by listlessness and lethargy, and the other by close chances that never found their way in. Barnes may benefit from having a new striking partner while Will Bruin is away with Gold Cup duties.
Will Bruin (5) - Maybe a little harsh for Bruin, but Bruin went 90 minutes without taking a shot. Hopefully Bruin's time away with the USMNT will restore our forward's confidence because he needs it.
The Subs:
Omar Cummings (5.5) - Cummings came in for Warren Creavalle in the 65th minute. Cummings lined up at the RM spot, which he never looked quite comfortable in. Still, Cummings getting more minutes is a good thing, and his touch and ability to take on defenders on the dribble still look very good. C
Brian Ching (6) - Brian Ching provided stability, coming on in the 78th minute for Giles Barnes. Personally, I would have liked to see Bruin come off, but Ching still aided the Dynamo with his hold up play.
Alex Dixon (5) - Dixon came on for Adam Moffat in the 78th minute and looked to add an offensive spark for the Dynamo. Unfortunately, Dixon saw relatively little of the ball and didn't seem completely confident seeing first team minutes.
Dominic Kinnear (5) - Kinnear has got to find a way to get his team scoring again. The defense did pretty well, despite allowing two goals which were errors that were capitalized on and the center pairing of Moffat and Clark side by side proved much more effective than Clark ahead of Moffat. Still, this team has scored two goals in seven matches. This is no longer acceptable. It's time to change things up, and somehow fortunately Kinnear is forced to because the Gold Cup.