Chicago vs. Columbus (Grades)

It was a truly disappointing result in Chicago. The team got behind early as it appeared that they weren't quite ready to play. It's not the kind of performance that you would expect from a playoff team.

Gruenebaum (6): His defense gave the Fire a short field and he really couldn't do much with the goals.
Miranda (5): Very active on offense to provide some width as the Crew pressed for a tying goal.
James (4): Looked slow mentally and physically as he played his first league game of the season. Tired as the game went on.
Williams (4): He struggled early as the Fire pressed early. One of his few shaky games this season.
Vukovic (5): Agressive in getting forward along the left and served in a couple of good crosses.
Birchall (5): Calmed the team as they faced the early onslaught. He performed better on the right, faded when swapped to the left.
George (3): He gave away far too many passes and didn't track Grazzini very well. It's terrible combination.
Tchani (7): He played his best game in a Crew shirt. He was mobile and an offensive threat all night. He also found quite a bit of the ball.
Meram (5): Uneven game, but he did show off some individual skill. He really didn't look comfortable when pushed out wide and left most of the crossing to Vukovic.
Gaven (5): Seemed to be playing a half step slower than usual. Really struggled to find space to work in.
Renteria (3): Another disappointing game as he flubbed serveral entry passes and became more marginalized as the Fire bunkered.
Schoenfeld (4): Tasked with creating chances, he didn't get a shot off in over 30 minutes.
Vargas (4): He had less time that Schoenfeld, but again didn't get a shot off. Much like Schoenfeld, he didn't have great service.
Finlay (4): Ran fast, but seemingly without purpose.

Coaching (3): Warzycha had several odd tactical choices. He kept Renteria in far longer than he should had. Meram certainly had a better night, but was withdrawn much earlier. Birchall was moved the the left later on rather than in the center to test the Fire defense with long shots.

Note on Grades: I have set 5 as an average performance. The player had both good and bad events on the field. Under 5 is a disappointing performance. Above 5 is a notable performance.