Player ratings from Atlanta United’s 2-2 draw vs. FC Cincinnati

Player Ratings

GK Rocco Rios Novo 7 - Despite conceding a couple goals, Rios Novo outperformed the expected Goals on Target (xGOT) faced at the game, which tallied 2.95 (xGOT maps the plane of the goal and uses historical data to determine the likelihood of a ball going into the net based upon where it intersects at the goalmouth.) This is due to a couple of sprawling saves that were quite impressive.

RWB Ronald Hernandez 5 - Hernandez made his return to the starting lineup after missing weeks with a lower body injury. He played fine, but in his role as a wingback, you’d ideally like to have a little more final product from the wide areas in the attack. Considering the amount of time he has missed though, you can’t complain too much about the performance.

CB Juanjo Purata 4 - Probably his worst game as an Atlanta United player. He still provides so much for the team even when he doesn’t play optimally in a given game. But it’s clear that he struggles on the ball and can look awkward at time like he did when the ball bounced off of him for Cincinnati’s second goal at the end of the first half.

CB Alan Franco 6 - Good stuff in this one from Franco who has finally turned a corner and is on a solid run of form (imo by virtue of playing alongside Purata). He was very good playing out of the back, particularly with his long balls, where he was 7/8.

CB Andrew Gutman 8 - The complete wild card here was Andrew Gutman playing as a pseudo-CB that had freedom to move up the pitch. He obviously scored the late equalizer to rescue a point, but also gave Atlanta a little more bite and ability to win the ball back when out of possession.

LWB Caleb Wiley 7 - Caleb Wiley looked about how many of us expected with full lisence to go forward and play more like a traditional winger — which is very good. He had a nice dribble and cross into a very dangerous area that found the feet of Luiz Araujo, whose shot was stopped by an unbelievable reaction save by Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano.

CM Santiago Sosa 8 - Sosa has been everything Atlanta United fans would have hoped for since returning to the regular starting lineup under Gonzalo Pineda. His 10 ball recoveries and three interceptions highlight the kind of balance he brings to the team that allows Thiago Almada and Marcelino Moreno to push forward.

CM Marcelino Moreno 7 - Unlucky not to score after hitting the under side of the bar with a scorching shot from the edge of the box. Moreno was tidy with the ball in this one and moved the ball quickly and efficiently.

CM Thiago Almada 9 - Honestly one of the best performances from an Atlanta United player all season. Almada was immense. On top of his goal, he was the most accurate passer in the game for either team at 95 percent — and not playing safe passes either. He created four chances, and took two shots himself — one of which unluckily hit the woodwork and one that was top class.

FWD Luiz Araujo 8 - While Araujo still seems to drift in and out of games and sometimes tries to do too much on the dribble, he was unlucky not to score Saturday night. The numbers say he shoould’ve if not for Celentano, and if he continues to produce the way he did Saturday he will start looking like the All-Star caliber player most of us know he can be.

FWD Ronaldo Cisneros 5 - Cisneros had 15 touches in an hour of play, though four of those touched involved goal attempts with two shots and two chances created. However, in moments like this, you’d hope your striker would be able to convert such an opportunity into a shot on goal.

Here’s how yall voted in the player ratings. Let me know what you thought in the comments.