FIFA 15: Sporting KC Player Ratings

The FIFA video game series is, arguably, the greatest ever. EA Sport's best seller generates about $1 billion and 25% of the company's revenue. It has turned haters of the sport into die hard fans. It feels real. It feels personal.

Obscenities fly from my mouth in a manner that would make Jacob Peterson blush. I celebrate with more enthusiasm (and for a longer duration) after scoring a goal in FIFA than I ever did in real life. But who are we kidding... FIFA is life.

It has come a long way from the good ol' N64 and now the intricacies of the game are stunning. So to be fair to EA Sports and the developers of the game, it is impossible to get every player in every league rated properly. Let's take a look at how Sporting KC is represented in FIFA 15.

This is not a bad rating except that Omar Gonzalez is a 74. He did not get the love he deserves for his interceptions or his long passes. His highest rated ability is the Standing Tackle at 78. I do feel however that his pace at 76 is a bit generous when looking at other players.

___________________________________________________________

No surprise, the two golden boys are the highest rated players for SKC. When playing the game, it does look like  Graham Zusi running around the pitch. His shot power is his highest at 88 and his crossing is 80, but they missed on some of his key abilities. He is slower than Besler apparently, his agility is at 66, and his aggression is down at 64....WTF? But Zusi is really fun to play with.

___________________________________________________________

Benny Feilhaber is pretty solid but naturally I think he is sold pretty short in this game. Agility (83) and balance (80) are his only features over 80. Click on the advanced ratings, most of his shooting and passing ratings are laughable. Shot power, volleys, and free kick accuracy are at a mere 70. Long shots are at 62? Come on FIFA.

___________________________________________________________

Aurelien Collin got the respect he deserves for strength at 90 and aggression at 85. But they show him zero love anywhere else. His sliding tackle as a lowly 60 and he Collin runs way, WAY faster than a 63 when someone has gotten in behind him. Positioning rating of 39... thats funny...

___________________________________________________________

Obviously after watching him set the scoring record, KC fans will want to see Dom Dwyer shown a little more love.  The pace at 80 is ridiculous, especially when you see Ike Opara is at 86! Heading accuracy at 59 and volleys at 63 make me think they haven't watched him. When I look at how he compares to Bradley Wright-Phillips (rated 72) in the physical section, it just doesn't make sense. Dom is on the left, BWP is on the right:

___________________________________________________________

Ike Opara - 67 - his jumping rating is 93, the highest rating for any SKC player
Toni Dovale - 66 - generously accurate
Igor Juliao - 61 - no love for the Brazilian yet
Jorge Claros - 67 - if he is that good, we haven't quite seen it yet
Soony Saad - 63 - long shots at 67? I'm over here like..
Seth Sinovic - 66 - ya got robbed Seth!
Paulo Nagamura - 64 - his aggression is at 70.. hmmm
Claudio Bieler - 68 - overall rating is about right, but the finishing at 68 is terrible
C.J. Sapong - 65 - all good physical ratings, really bad everywhere else
Erik Palmer-Brown - 57 - dude is a character in a video game who cares

You can find the whole squad RIGHT HERE. The numbers may not look pretty, but with the right person on the sticks it doesn't matter. Bring it on, Real Madrid.

*** If you haven't tried the Ultimate Team game play... do it.