OaM Player Ratings: Sporting Kansas City

CARLOS CORONEL - 5.7

J.J. Post: Neither goal was explicitly his fault but still seemed a bit uncomfortable claiming the ball on free kicks and corners.

Alexander Xenopoulos: Seemed confident and not at fault for either of the goals. Good first showing.

ANDREW GUTMAN - 6.3

Ross Haley: This will sound very Yogi Berra, but other than those three catastrophic mistakes, he was fantastic.

Ben Cork: The penalty was unfortunate but Gutman was enthusiastic and energetic throughout the match. Despite getting caught out and allowing the cross for the second Kansas City goal, was more forceful defensively than I expected, particularly in the air.

AARON LONG - 6.0

Alexander Xenopoulos: Very composed showing and didn’t have any missteps.

SEAN NEALIS - 5.5

Ben Cork: Nealis was solid enough but more curious about his presence in the lineup at all. If you’re going to go with someone raw in Struber’s complex center back role, why not have Andrés Reyes start getting reps?

KYLE DUNCAN - 4.1

Mike Battista: Kyle, I love you man. But what were you doing on that second goal?

Ben Cork: If going by his Twitter account is any evidence, it’s good to know that Tom Edwards is at least alive and lucid. Remember when Mandela Egbo scored that penalty?

Brit Byrd: Errors and lack of focus can’t be attributed to a new system. Tom Edwards please finish up your gap year.

YOUBA DIARRA - 6.2

Ross Haley: Really impressive. Now let’s hope he can avoid injury for longer than a few months for the first time in his professional career.

John Perdicaro: Wasn’t sure what to expect from him, but he kept the midfield calm, and the fact the team went awry when he was subbed shows that.

SEAN DAVIS - 5.7

J.J. Post: The same steady-if-unspectacular performance the Red Bulls can almost always expect from their captain.

Alexander Xenopoulos: Where Davis ends up will be interesting to see. I still think he should get a look as the pressing 10.

CADEN CLARK - 7.3

Ben Cork: Yet again another comically well-taken goal will overshadow how much Clark contributes throughout the rest of a match as well. Buzzing and hyper-aware on the press while clean and economical in possession, the 17-year-old adjusted to a shuttling wide role with ease.

J.J. Post: The Red Bulls’ man of the match, though somewhat by default. Scored a great goal, pressed well, had some very neat moments on the ball, but seemed to struggle to get involved for stretches.

CRISTIAN CASSERES - 5.8

Ben Cork: Having staked a not-insignificant part of my professional reputation on the premise that Cristian Cásseres is a deep-lying anchor midfielder, thank you for owning me, Gerhard. Fortunately for my take but unfortunately the Red Bulls, Cásseres struggled to maneuver in tight space at the top of the diamond and was rarely in positions to display his ball-striking talent.

Brit Byrd: Hmm, we’ve got a week until our actual attacking midfielder gets here - who would be the funniest to put in there for the meantime? Pretty sure after this game that we were still looking for an advanced midfielder after Hakšabanović fell through, and that Amaya will be the answer.

BRIAN WHITE - 5.5

J.J. Post: Did well at what he usually does well at - holding the ball up, moving around near the box, etc. But he was out of place trying to drift wide like Struber’s system requires of the front strikers.

Brit Byrd: Several moments where one imagines/hopes the in-bound Patryk Klimala would have been a bit faster or stronger.

FABIO GOMES NETTO - 6.6

Brit Byrd: Looked every bit the part short of scoring. Only hope his fitness improves so we can see him for longer.

John Perdicaro: I like his speed and he’s going to be a real powerhouse and threat when he gets in tune.

SUBSTITUTES

FLORIAN VALOT - 5.1

Ben Cork: I personally think Valot would’ve been a better option than Casseres for the 10 role, but then again they stopped sending me the press screeners for Bernd Eibler films. Somehow Rex Reed still gets them but I don’t, go figure.

TOM BARLOW - 4.6

J.J. Post: He served the system better by offering a more mobile presence than White, but despite his hard pressing still didn’t offer much of a threat to Kansas City when the ball came to him.

WIKELMAN CARMONA - 5.1

John Perdicaro: Didn’t get enough time on the ball to judge him fairly. But the few times he did, he seemed a bit overwhelmed.

Ross Haley: I understand there’s a directive to play youth, but I don’t think the decision-making skills are there yet.

DANIEL ROYER - 5.3

Mike Battista: Not being a starter is best for him. He had a silly offside called on him but for the most part he became the offense in the late stages.

Ben Cork: Was enthusiastic but looked somewhat obsolete in a team playing a faster pace. Unclear what role in this side he’ll be able to play productively going forward.

MANAGER - GERHARD STRUBER - 6.6

Ross Haley: The team played really well. Kansas City had no answers to stop the Red Bulls’ vertical play. My only fear is they’re not good enough to up the ante like this. By daring opponents to match this frenetic pace, some will crumble, but a few will just do it and win like we saw last night.

Brit Byrd: First half showed clear vision, players were motivated and in good spirits but some of the personnel decisions remain curious.

Mike Battista: Welcome to New York. His sub selections were fine, his tactics showed promise and for the first 60 minutes his team was the better side. However he wasn’t able to coach around that quick breakdown, and we move on to LA.

J.J. Post: The pressing was improved, but the team fell apart after they conceded the penalty and the Red Bulls seemed to have no plan whatsoever in the final ten minutes. Whether the latter is an issue of match fitness or tactics remains to be seen.

What scores would you give for the last New York Red Bulls result? Sound off in the comments below.