Keeping the Legion in their place
The Riverhounds got another big win at home, let's look at the player performances.
The Hounds played a stellar first half and dominated Birmingham. The Legion worked their way into the second half, but that didn't stop the the boys in yellow and black from talking their chances.
Reminder, everyone starts the game at a 6 and then goes up or down based on performance…
Starting 11
Eric Dick: 7
Didn't have much to do but did his job. Could have been better on the offside play that hit the bar. Showed no fear in attacking the ball and took a big hit for his efforts.
Junior Etou: 7
Good defensively and made some good attacking runs and give-and-goes. Kept up the intensity.
Sean Suber: 7
A good defensive presence that cleaned things up. He was rock solid.
Beto Ydrach: 7
Good progressive passes and stepped up to break up the attack. Stepped into the midfield after Sample left the field and had a perfect pass to get the assist on the second goal.
Luke Biasi: 7.5
Solid defensively, 2 flicks on corner kicks that he just couldn't get on frame. Numerous good crosses.
Jackson Walti: 8
Dropped back into he defense and cycled the ball well. Easy to miss his impact in the first half, he was integral in keeping BHM from getting back into the game. At some point we have to ask if he will set his personal bar too high.
Brad Sample: 7
Aggressive and getting involved. Looks like he's hitting his stride in his first start back from the injury. Great 64 min for a player that hasn't been able to play much.
Robbie Mertz: 8.5
Great performance. Crisp passing and great set pieces. Did he sneak in and steal Kenny's boots? He was integral in the attack, then he comes up big and buries the goal!
Danny Griffin: 8
Good performance both ways. Constantly breaking up the attack and pressing well. Looks good in the more advanced role. Hits his second goal at home on a gutsy finish just beating the keeper to the ball.
Aidan O’Toole: 7
Looks like a different player compared to last week. Good crosses and playing well on the right, knows when to lay it off to Biasi and when to make the cross. Covering a lot of ground and instrumental in the attack. Early yellow card was concerning but he stayed involved until he came out in the 64 min.
Augi Williams: 6
His press is making a big impact for the Hounds and he is pulling the defense apart but needs to be more involved in the end product. Close to getting the goal in the 67' but was a step offside. Good to see him making the run though.
Substitutes
Jason Bouregy (64’): 6
Didn't make any mistakes but didn't make much of an impact. Got involved in the attack with a good run but couldn't keep control. Playing on the left side was new for him, did that make a difference?
Illal Osumanu (64’): 6
While there were a couple of moments that he made us nervous, he did his job.
Max Broughton (74’): 6
Didn't have a lot to do as Birmingham rarely attacked his side.
Brigham Larsen (89’): NA
Pablo Linzoain (89’): NA
What do you think? Disagree with our ratings? Share your thoughts below!