Player Ratings: Houston Dynamo vs. New York City FC

The Houston Dynamo are still on a winless streak, but we saw some encouraging play from a very wild starting lineup by Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera in the Dynamo’s 1-1 draw on the road against New York City FC. After very sloppy play in the opening minutes which led to a goal against them, the Dynamo were able to rally behind a cheeky quick free kick to level the game. After the equalizer they were able to find a few chances, but nothing that gave them the lead.

The ratings I mostly agree with. I don’t feel Tyler Deric was Man of the Match and I thought that honor should go to Vicente Sanchez, but everything else is pretty much in line with my views.

The Top Performers:

Tyler Deric, Man of the Match, (8.2) – New York City’s goal can be partially blamed on DaMarcus Beasley for allowing the cross, but a lot of it is on Deric for being in such a poor position. Prior to the goal he nearly conceded a penalty and could have been sent off for a challenge on David Villa, but thankfully VAR was not used and he went on. After these early blunders Deric settled down and made some huge saves to keep the Dynamo in the game. I don’t think he’s Man of the Match, but his heroics late in the game definitely earn him a spot in the Top Performers section.

Vicente Sanchez (7.4) – Sanchez continues to surprise and impress me every time he gets on the field because he has proven to be a huge difference maker. Against NYCFC he was deployed in the midfield as a deep lying playmaker, but he was actually all over the pitch making defensive and offensive plays. He was the reason the Dynamo got back into the game and it might be worth exploring Sanchez starting in this role more often.

Juan David Cabezas (5.9) – Cabezas worked well alongside Sanchez and Boniek Garcia to intercept passes and make tackles from the midfield. He also distributed the ball well through central midfield and was able to get himself involved in the offense every so often.

Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera (4.1) – This rating feels a little too low for Cabrera who definitely changed things up. Seeing the impact that Sanchez made was a sight to see, but some other decisions like keeping Romell Quioto out of the 18 man lineup felt wrong although I think he’s already looking ahead to the LA Galaxy game on Wednesday.

The Rest of the Starters:

DEF: DaMarcus Beasley (5.3)

DEF: Leonardo (5)

DEF: Adolfo Machado (5.3)

DEF: A. J. DeLaGarza (5.6)

MID: Oscar Boniek Garcia (4.8)

FW: Alex Lima (5.5)

FW: Mauro Manotas (5.6)

FW: Tomas Martinez (5.5)

The Subs:

MID: Eric Alexander (4.8)

FW: Alberth Elis (4.8)

FW: Andrew Wenger (4.9)