Posted on 27 April 2010 by Nathaniel E. Baker
New York Red Bulls rookie Conor Chinn has reasons to smile. Two of them, in fact, for the number of goals he scored for his team in Tuesday night’s frigid US Open Cup play-in game against the Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls fielded a squad made up almost entirely of second-stringers, but still dominated the match against the Union, who played almost all starters. In the end the 2-1 scoreline did no justice to the team’s performance–probably its best of the season.
Enjoy this photo of Chinn celebrating one of his goals with teammate Andrew Boyens. Listen to Hans Backe’s postgame press conference, if you haven’t already or skip to the player ratings at the bottom of this page.
Player Ratings
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest.
Greg Sutton 5.5
Looked a bit stiff. And there was the goal, which he should have done more to prevent. Bouna Time will return.
Luke Sassano: 7
Played well. The assist was a thing of beauty. Easily the team’s best goal of the season. Clearly has skills. Also did well after being switched to centerback though there were one or two moments late in the match where he was caught flat footed.
Carlos Mendes: 5
Didn’t make any egregious mistakes but did not look at all comfortable out there. Didn’t move well. Clearly not match fit. Would expect him to be the first player cut at this point.
Andrew Boyens: 7
Solid. Didn’t notice any crucial errors (but will probably need to see a replay of Sebastien Le Toux’ goal to be sure. Seemed to move a little better than I remember.
Danleigh Borman: 7.5
Shut his side of the field down and also provided good service to the attack. Made some nice runs. A serviceable left midfielder or left back for sure.
Sinisa Ubiparipovic: 5
Yeah he got an assist on the second goal but it was Stammler and Sassano (and obviously Chinn) who did the heavy lifting. Did a few things right but more often than not seemed to be holding up the flow of the team’s passing game. Also blew what would have been a 3-on-1 in the second half and had several other chances go wanting.
Seth Stammler: 8.5
Provided leadership, poise and serenity to the team’s game. A pillar in defensive midfield and additionally a lynchpin for its attacks. This would have been a completely different game without him–and not in a good way. The man of the match. Now why isn’t he starting again?
Tony Tchani: 8
After a few nervous moments in the opening minutes he came on strong. Dominated the flow of the game at times. This is a guy who has size, strength, but also solid technical ability and vision to boot. A Jozy Altidore of the midfield–if he were five or six years younger. Even so, he could be a dominant player in MLS, perhaps even soon.
Brian Nielsen: 6.5
Had some nice moves in the early going but ran out of gas. Also got a bit sloppy and generally seems to lack creativity. Perhaps that is also due to not knowing his teammates well yet. Needs to get match fit. It’ll come.
Juan Agudelo: 6
Not a bad first start but would have liked to see more of him. Seemed tentative, which it turns out was due to a knock he picked up in practice. “A collision with the goalkeeper” that had him in the hospital for stomach tests Tuesday morning. Turns out it was just badly bruised. Showed excellent ball and body control though. Will be a special player someday. Kid’s only 17, remember.
Conor Chinn: 7
The weird thing about Chinn is he does not stand out for his pace or skill on the ball or even his size–just his ability to score goals. We saw this in the preseason. He simply has a nose for goal and is able to do what it takes, whether by hook or crook, to get the ball into the net. Both goals were examples of this: him making the run, getting himself in position, then seeing the play through. Of course he also missed plenty of chances too, particularly in the second half. Should have ended up with four or five goals.
Subs:
Albright: 8
Looked very solid at right back. Defended very well. Broke up plays and stayed in front of his man. In other words: all the stuff Jeremy Hall is unable to do. Looking forward to seeing him start the San Jose game next week.
Woly: 4
Looked a bit lost. Did nothing to contribute to the team’s attack and was tentative when he did have the ball. Perhaps still nursing injuries.
Da Luz: 4
That backheel was nice but otherwise disappointed. Didn’t even seem to keep his position. Misplayed several balls. It’s hard to come into a game cold but was expecting more from him.
Garcia: N/A
Kid has pace though. Could be a good player some day.
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Match Facts
Philadelphia Union at New York Red Bulls, April 27, 2009
Lamar Hunt US Open play-in game
Scoring Summary
NY — Conor Chinn (unassisted) 16
NY — Conor Chinn (Sassano, Ubiparipovic) 41
PHI — Sébastien Le Toux (Arrieta) 68
Misconduct Summary
PHI — Jacobson (yellow card) 31
NY — Borman (yellow card) 66
NY — Boyens (yellow card) 81
Lineups
Philadelphia: Seitz, Salinas, Orozco, Califf, Stahl (Arrieta), Torres (Moreno), Jacobson, Okugo, Zimmerman (Miglioranizi), Mwanga, McInerney (Le Toux).
New York: Sutton, Sassano, Mendes (Albright), Boyens, Borman, Ubiparipovic (García), Stammler, Tchani, Nielsen (da Luz), Agudelo (Wolyniec), Chinn.
Attendance: 3,015
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