Sounders v Bulls - Player by Player Review

KASEY KELLER: Kasey had a quieter night than he could have dreamed of. He clutched one corner confidently out of the air and then made two saves, from Rojas and Kandji, but to his credit he described them later as regulation saves. The smooth performances of Marshall and Hurtado in front of him ensured Angel would not spoil Kasey’s debut for this club with a goal. 7 ZACH SCOTT: Zach did not look out of place at this level. Faced with a five man midfield, Zach stood his ground well and there was no flurry of crosses from his wing to trouble Kasey and the central defenders. The last three weeks must have been like a whirlwind for this player, but yes, Zach is an MLS player, and deserves to be where he is on this performance. 7 JHON KENNEDY HURTADO: “Mr President” would have thoroughly enjoyed giving Colombian legend Juan Angel a torrid night. Given the job of marking the ‘one’ in Osorio’s 4-5-1, Hurtado looked elegant and in control of his task at all times. If tonight is any indication, Hurtado will be a rock at the centre of Sounders defence this season. 8

TYRONE MARSHALL: Marshall took on the role of marshalling (sorry) the defence partly due to Hurtado’s marking of Angel, and partly due to Hurtado’s current lack of English. In bringing two inexperienced full backs through the occasion, Marshall gets great marks. He also took on the role of picking up the midfielder galloping forward to assist Angel. He did both tasks extremely well but New York’s relatively pedestrian offence made it harder to ascertain how well he’ll cope in later games. But so far, so good. 7.5

JAMES RILEY: James coped well with his beat and very little threat came down his wing. He continually harried the Red Bulls midfield and will look back on a job well done. 7

OSVALDO ALONSO: An outstanding MLS debut which earned our Man of the Match Award. Ossie tackled like a tiger, harried the five man Bulls midfield continually and passed the ball creatively to set up attacking options. Alonso was everywhere on the field and thanks to him, many of the players who may have been nervous had very comfortable beginnings. If there was any man who held the bridge between the back four and the front two, it was Alonso. A great MLS debut and a fantastic signing for the Sounders from Charleston. 9

BRAD EVANS: Rest of the Sounders team and rankings