Game Grades: Crew at Toronto FC

Columbus Crew SC ended its 2019 Major League Soccer campaign with a loss as the Black & Gold were downed 1-0 by Toronto FC at BMO Field, in Canada, on Sunday.

It was the first setback for the Crew, who were eliminated from playoff contention two weeks ago, in six matches and the team had a frustrating performance against the Canadians on the road.

Here’s how each player fared in the match:

Eloy Room (6.5) – The goalkeeper was one of the team’s best players in the last match of the season as he recorded three saves. Room came up big most noticeably when he denied back-to-back finishes from Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley in the 36th minute, but his lack of reaction on Alejandro Pozuelo’s game-winning goal was somewhat weird.

Harrison Afful (5.5) – The veteran right back had a decent defensive game, recording three tackles, two interceptions and two clearances. His presence wasn’t felt as strongly on the offensive end, though, as Afful had no more than occasional runs forward, denying the Crew what is typically his major contributions.

Jonathan Mensah (5) – The Ghanaian had an unusually shaky game as he seemed hesitant most of the time and made several questionable decisions. None of those costed the team, though, and the World Cup veteran still led the Crew in clearances with five and passes (77).

Josh Williams (5.5) – The center back started for just the second consecutive game after missing some time due to injury and had a discrete outing, which more often than not is a good thing for a defender.

Connor Maloney (6) – The fullback confirmed in the last match of the season the perception that he will definitely become a useful piece for the Crew moving forward. Even though there’s still a lot on his game that needs refining, his defensive effort, illustrated by his two tackles, four interceptions and three clearances, and his versatility alone have proven to be assets for the team.

Artur (5.5) – The Brazilian played a decent game, with good effort to protect the defense (highlighted by three tackles) and effective ball distribution (a team-high 85 percent accuracy), but his foul on Altidore which led to Pozuelo’s game-winning goal was somewhat naïve as the striker had his back to the goal on the play.

Will Trapp © (5) – The captain was less active and less effective than usual, but still had a decent showing, connecting 75 percent of his 48 passes and helping on defense with two tackles, one interception and one clearance. It wasn’t a bad performance, but it left the feeling that it could have been a lot better.

Luis Diaz (6) – The Costa Rican didn’t have his best day despite trying to create chaos with his pacey runs. He wasn’t as effective as usual when crossing or finishing, except, of course, from the rocket that exploded off Toronto’s crossbar in the 64^th minute. He never stopped trying, though.

Pedro Santos (5) – The Portuguese circulated in every spot of Columbus’ offense, but couldn’t really find a position in which he could actively impact the game. He spent the last minutes playing at the left back spot and didn’t do much from there either.

Youness Mokhtar (5.5) – The winger showed good vision on the offensive end of the field, especially when he tucked inside to create, but also turned a ball over in a dangerous spot in a moment in which he had absolutely no pressure. That kind of inconsistency is a good summary of his performance.

Gyasi Zardes (5) – As with Trapp, Zardes did what’s expected from him, as he tried to be an option for his teammates on every play, but couldn’t really impact the game in the way the Crew needed.

Jordan Hamilton (N/A) – The forward came in to face his former club at the 72^nd minute mark and barely participated in the game, connecting two of his three passes.

David Accam (N/A) – The winger was on the field for eight minutes in his last match with the Crew and touched the ball just once.

Caleb Porter (6) – This was a difficult game to coach as his team had nothing to play for while the opponents were looking for the win. The Crew had good moments, but without a goal it was hard to keep the motivation level high and, after the team was behind, it seemed it had no energy to fight for the match, especially with the key players not producing at their normal level.