Wasatch Soccer Sentinel

Defense

Zac MacMath: 7.75

Goalkeeper

Without much say in the point-blank header that sailed passed him in the 24th minute, Zac was solid and reliable all game. His biggest test came only a minute after conceding when he was left 1v1 with Vancouver winger Dajome, an effort which he promptly dismissed. It's hard to understate the value of that save, where a quick 0-2 scoreline certainly could have been lethal. In addition to that he had good distribution and accurate positioning through the night.

WhoScored Rating: 7.6 | SofaScore Rating: 7.9

Andrew Brody: 6.5

Right-back

The typical effectiveness and dynamic runs we've come to expect to Brody never really got going in this match. When deployed as a left back, its much easier to cut inside and create havoc, but from the right side your easy path is the one that runs directly down the touch line. He had the worst passing accuracy on the night of any RSL player, and never really created much going forward. Still, Brody did a lot of his defensive duties reasonably well.

WhoScored Rating: 6.4 | SofaScore Rating: 6.9

Justen Glad: 8.25 (MVP)

Center-back

On a night our defense conceded only one big chance alongside the corner goal, Glad was at the center of that performance. The homegrown player blocked an astounding five shots, as well as managing to score himself to turn the tides of that game. Yes, he had a pair of pretty bad giveaways (a common theme on the night). But those are the only things holding back a performance like this from great to elite. It was not elite, but overall Justen did a lot of good things on the night, greatly nullifying Vancouver's attack.

WhoScored Rating: 7.9 (MVP) | SofaScore Rating: 8.0 (MVP)

Marcelo Silva: 7.5

Center-back

Alongside Glad, Marcelo put in a good shift of work today. What was a bit surprising from Silva was his contribution to possession. High passing numbers are common for a center-back, (which he did lead the team in successful passing), but more impressively, he was accurate on 7 of his 8 long balls on the night. Having our defenders able to spring attacks is vital to the way this team operates, so if he can maintain those numbers, it would be quite the boon.

WhoScored Rating: 7.3 | SofaScore Rating: 7.5

Bryan Oviedo: 7

Left-back

The Costa Rican was active on the left side, and from time to time created some nice combination play with Savarino. If you believe in the legendary MLS hockey assist, he did play through Savarino on the go-ahead goal late in the game. Still, his crossing was very underwhelming, unable to pose much of a threat when he did manage to work into decent positions. Defensively he was caught forward a few times, but nothing unreasonable, and for the most part was positionally strong.

WhoScored Rating: 7.5 | SofaScore Rating: 7.5

Midfield

Braian Ojeda: 6.75

Defensive Midfielder

Like most of the team, his performance certainly varied after halftime. Even so, few struggled as much as Ojeda in the opening 45. Braian was more often than not the more attacking of the two holding midfielders. The risk of his forward positioning led to very little reward, as he never really played an integral part in attack, nor produced any key passes. That said, he was generally good in possession, and didn't leave the defense out to dry too many times. It was a tame display from one of the more exciting players at season's end last year.

WhoScored Rating: 6.8 | SofaScore Rating: 6.8

Jasper Löffelsend: 7.5

Defensive Midfielder

Jasper had a very solid, under the radar game. As we've come to expect from the German draftee, he lead the team in a variety of stats that shows how versatile he is when on the field. Tackles won, duels won, most touches, and most fouls received just some of the categories he led in on the day. He wasn't immune to the first half blunders that plagued the team, but all in all his box-to-box effort kept the team alive and functioning well

WhoScored Rating: 7.4 | SofaScore Rating: 7.2

Damir Kreilach: 7.75

Center Attacking-Midfielder

O Captain, my Captain, how we've missed you. Damir put on a performance that RSL fans have come to expect, playing to the flow of the game and being in the right places when it mattered. The 90-minute performance was an unexpected result for a player returning from injury, but one that sparks a bit of optimism for good health. His passing wasn't too sharp on the night, nor did he really fashion any chances despite his advanced position. But he made his mark with defensive effort and a well-placed curling shot to seal the game.

WhoScored Rating: 7.5 | SofaScore Rating: 7.2

Attack

Maikel Chang: 7.75

Right-winger

Speaking of classics, Chang rather silently put on another performance that if you're not paying attention, makes you wonder why we still start Maikel Chang. Not only was he extremely productive in possession and passing (the best among attacking players), but he was once again, the only reliable source of crossing we had. Notably he assisted Glad's goal in the 70th, but he had several other moments of service that very easily could have led to goals. While tracking back more than Savarino, he matched him with three key passes.

WhoScored Rating: 7.6 | SofaScore Rating: 7.7

Jefferson Savarino: 8

Left-winger

Savarino started the season on a good foot, being without a doubt our most dangerous player on the night. Along with his three key passes, he also managed a few chances for himself along with some good combination play along the left wing. His assist on the second goal was worthy of a DP tag, a beautiful run and display of what Sava can do in good form. If Savarino stays on the left-wing season long, this was an encouraging start.

WhoScored Rating: 7.8 | SofaScore Rating: 7.5

Anderson Julio: 6.5

Advanced Forward

Julio was limited in the touches, having to venture out wide frequently to find the play. That was of little fault of his own, as central build up play was more or less nonexistent, but nine passes in 80 minutes is still... lacking. Playing striker for RSL often doesn't give you much to work with, but Julio could've been more involved. Even so, he managed a couple of key passes from those nine, so it wasn't a totally benign outing.

WhoScored Rating: 7.1 | SofaScore Rating: 6.9

Substitutions

Bode Hidalgo: No Rating

Right-back

Came on as a sub in the 88th.

WhoScored Rating: 6.1 | SofaScore Rating: 6.5

Scott Caldwell: No Rating

Defensive Midfielder

Came on as a sub in the 88th.

WhoScored Rating: 6.0 | SofaScore Rating: 6.4

Carlos Andrés Gómez: 5.5

Right-winger

It wasn't the debut 16 minutes that fans or Gómez had hoped for, but these things happen. There are a lot of excuses one could give, likely his first time doing all of these three things; playing in cold weather, playing on artificial turf, playing for RSL. Hopefully we'll see him gel quickly over the next few weeks and acclimate well.

WhoScored Rating: 6.1 | SofaScore Rating: 6.3

Justin Meram: 6.5

Left-winger (inverted)

Meram put in some decent defensive work after coming on in the 79th.

WhoScored Rating: 6.4 | SofaScore Rating: 6.6

Danny Musovski: 6.0

Advanced Forward

During those same 11+ minutes, Musovski was on an island at center forward while the other 10 defended the lead. Three touches total, not much to analyze here.

WhoScored Rating: 6.0 | SofaScore Rating: 6.5