On Saturday, a wild match ended 2-2 after Solomon Asante scored an 89th minute equalizer for the hosts. But how did everyone play? Read our weekly player ratings to find out.

Note: All players are rated on a 1-10 scale, with 6 being average.

GK Carl Woszczynski- 6  Carl received a very impressive tifo from the Red Fury after this match. Unfortunately for the stalwart keeper, Kharlton Belmar bested him twice.  There was nothing he could do about the second goal, but his positioning and inability to punch the in-swinging corner kick left something to be desired. Arguably should’ve grabbed the deflected shot that he swatted out for a corner moments before Belmar’s equalizer. Look for a strong bounce-back effort on Saturday.

LB Amadou Dia- 7 Dia has been a rock at left-back, and today was no exception. The French-born defender has thrived in his wing-back role, as seen on his heatmap. Not at fault for either goal, and he shut his side down nicely.

CB Doueugui Mala- 7 Mala was once again solid. The Ivorian defender headed balls away, drew fouls, and made numerous clearances. Mala was actually very involved in our first half passing attack, which we don’t see often. He could not catch up to Belmar on the second goal, but in his defense, the run should have never progressed that far.

CB Mike da Fonte- 6.5 Mike da Fonte had a mixed day Saturday. The center back made several important clearances, but Belmar glided past da Fonte’s last-ditch attempted tackle in the 88th minute. His distribution also looked shakier than in previous weeks. It was nice to see the former Rapids defender notch a shot on goal. A decent performance.

RB Devante Dubose- 8 Swope Park tested Dubose often in Saturday’s match. Every time he answered the call. The absolute madman cleared several crosses, made crucial tackles all match, and distributed the ball well. The best defender for Phoenix Rising and my Man of the Match through 65 minutes. His only mistake was a rough yellow card challenge in the 45th minute. Still a phenomenal performance.

MF James Musa- 5.5 Musa made his Phoenix Rising debut on Saturday and it showed. The midfielder gave the ball away at various times,  with most of these passes looking like predictable miscommunications with teammates. Musa picked up a silly yellow card in the 52nd minute after committing a foul and yelling at the sideline referee.  The New Zealander looks very promising with his physical presence and ability to join the attack. However, he needs to control his emotions and play more composed matches moving forward.

MF Kevon Lambert- 3.5 Sheesh! Kevon will NOT want to watch this tape. The Jamaican midfielder became Phoenix’s first player sent off this season for two yellow cards. He left Kharlton Belmar unmarked at the back post for Swope’s first goal, and jogged for a loose ball while Belmar zoomed by to start his run on the second goal. Better days are surely ahead, but Kevon Lambert cost us three points on Saturday with an awful performance.

MF Solomon Asante- 9 Enough with the talk of Solo Asante as team MVP. It’s time to start the Ghanaian midfielder’s USL MVP campaign. In today’s match, he assisted Forbes to open the scoring. Then when all hope seemed lost, he expertly drilled an 89th minute shot into the bottom left corner to salvage the draw. He now has a team-leading four goals this season. Without this man, our squad would be fighting for its playoff life.

MF/F Gladson Awako- 6.5 Awako had another solid performance in the middle of the park. He completed almost 95% of his passes and did not make any significant defensive errors. But it seems clear that Jason Johnson should be starting in Awako’s place. The former TP Mazembe man is a stabilizing force on defense, but he cannot dribble past defenders in the middle of the pitch. Opposing defenses shut down the middle of the field when Awako plays, and we should see Johnson or Devin Vega take his starting role next Saturday.

MF/F Billy Forbes- 8.5  Billy Forbes was our best offensive player yesterday, and scored a deserved 66th minute goal. He could not take two strong chances in the first half, but his runs up the left wing created instant offense throughout the match. Forbes whipped in a delightful cross early in the second half, and notched another assist on Asante’s equalizer. Without Forbes in the lineup, Swope Park would have surely won. An emphatic performance.

F Chris Cortez- 5  Chris Cortez is not a quality starting #9 at the USL level. He has been an excellent teammate and person in the community for years. He will always have the hat-trick against OKC Energy. And he can have a strong physical presence in the air.

But Chris Cortez was invisible in the box during this match. His legs looked heavy once again, and he does not have the speed to make dangerous runs. That Cortez is starting over Kevaughn Frater and Jason Johnson is sheer lunacy. I tried to be patient with this, but enough is enough. Either Frater or Johnson needs to start up top, and Cortez should be used as a late-impact sub. This is simple stuff.

MF/F Jason Johnson- 7.5 Johnson came on in the 65th minute, and instantly provided the spark for Phoenix’s first goal. He ran past two defenders before sliding a perfect ball to Solo Asante in the box, which allowed Asante to make the final pass for Forbes. Johnson could have positioned himself better on Swope’s first goal, but Woz and Lambert were still primarily at fault on the play.

Enough is enough! Jason Johnson needs to start matches for this team, whether it’s in Cortez’s #9 role or as an attacking midfielder. His all-around skills are too strong to be wasted on the bench. Take note Patrice.

F Kevaughn Frater- INC Frater made just his second USL appearance for Phoenix in the 81st minute. He hardly touched the ball during his brief stint on the pitch, but it was nice to see the home crowd give Frater a warm reception as the Jamaican made his home USL debut. At this point, Frater needs to be starting USL matches over Chris Cortez. I’m no sure what Patrice is waiting for.

MF Collin Fernandez- INC Fernandez subbed on in the 86th minute, so he could not make a significant impact. On Belmar’s second goal, Fernandez was late with his attempted tackle in the build-up. It will be interesting to see if Musa takes his starting place in the weeks ahead.