Doug Roberson's ratings for Atlanta United's players in Tuesday's 2-0 win against Orlando in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup at Exploria Stadium.
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan, 7: Had just two relatively easy saves to make and his distribution was solid. ... Very good on commanding the box on corner kicks.
Centerback Franco Escobar, 7: He's always thought of himself as a centerback and he's starting to show why in the past two games. ... Also picked up an assist on the second goal. ... Moved to left wingback in the second half in what could be a preview of things to come in a congested schedule.
Centerback Miles Robinson, 8: His second consecutive massive game. ... Other than Don Dwyer's one missed shot, Robinson had him in his pocket the rest of the time. ... Won almost all of his aerial duels and had three headers off his team's corner kicks in the first 40 minutes. ...
Centerback Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, 7.5: He walks a tightrope every game and this time he survived.
Defensive midfielder Eric Remedi, 8: On his third shot, Remedi scored Atlanta United's opening goal. ... Earned an assist on Emerson Hyndman's goal. ... Negated Sacha Kljestan's dwindling influence on games.
Defensive midfielder Darlington Nagbe, 8: Fantastic on defense and got involved in the offense as much as possible
Wide midfielder Justin Meram, 7.5: A constant threat down the left, easily skipping past whichever Orlando player tried to defend him. ... Big moments for him in playing against his former team.
Wide midfielder Julian Gressel, 7: Assisted on Remedi's opener. ... Took Nani mentally out of the game with a tough tackle in the first half. ...
Midfielder Emerson Hyndman, 7.5: Industrious throughout, his first goal for the team gave it a 2-0 lead. It was one of his two shots on goal...
Striker Ezequiel Barco, 6.5: Worked hard for 50 minutes to win fouls and put himself in scoring positions. ... Should have done better with his shot just before the end of the half.
Striker Pity Martinez, 6: He made some good runs to open spaces for his teammates. ... Lost the ball a lot, particularly on a misplayed pass in the second half when he blew a 2-on-1 opportunity and rarely worked to get the ball back.
SUBS
Andrew Carleton (on for Barco, 50), 6: He showed passion and energy, if not always quality, in his first extended minutes in a long time. ... A good first start.
Flo Pogba (on for Meram, 66), 6: Came on as the left centerback and put in another solid performance.
Hector Villalba (on for Martinez, 80), 5: His first minutes since mid-May. ... Didn't look like his old self, which is expected considering his long layoff.
X
Southern Fried Soccer Podcasts
Follow me on twitter @DougRobersonAJC
On Facebook at Atlanta United News Now
Atlanta United coverage on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Have a question? Email me at droberson@ajc.com
About the Author
