The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A New Owner, another Concussion, and More!

It’s that time again, Mane Landers, where I present my selections for the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the previous week. There was no Orlando City game this past week, so that could have been both good and bad, but I decided that would be too easy. Instead, I present the following for your reading and commenting pleasure.

The Good

There’s new money in town! Flávio Augusto da Silva has been the majority owner of Orlando City since 2013. That isn’t changing, but there is a new minority owner of the Lions organization. Yesterday it was announced that Albert Friedberg from Friedberg Mercantile Group Ltd. has bought a nearly 9% stake. This is most definitely good news for Orlando City. Recently there has been a lot of chatter that Flávio must be having money problems since Orlando City B wasn’t playing this year, the swag for season ticket holders wasn’t as cool as before, and a host of other reasons. I don’t particularly think that’s true (except for the swag not being as cool), but whether or not any of it is true doesn’t really matter. What matters is an influx of cash and business expertise can only help the organization. If it relieves any stress off of Flávio, that can be good as well.

The Bad

This week, the Orlando City family lost another member when Miguel Vasquez was killed in a single-car accident. The 25-year-old was a capo for the Iron Lion Firm, and had been a supporter since the beginning. It is always tragic when a life is lost too soon, and it hits harder when it is someone who can be considered a part of one’s own tribe. This is the second supporter group member killed in a car accident in less than six months. Last November, Joseph Campo Jr. (Purple Deadpool) of The Ruckus was killed. There is very little to say, other than condolences to the family and friends of these men, and to hope that it doesn’t happen again anytime soon.

The Ugly

For a second week in a row we are addressing concussions. Last week it was Jonathan Spector who was the recipient of a concussion, and it was our “Bad” selection since he wasn’t taken out of the match immediately. This week it was Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan. Fortunately, the same mistake wasn’t made, and Morgan was taken off the field right at the end of the half when the injury occurred. Alex was on a break towards the goal with the ball coming forward from the left side, when Utah Royals keeper Abby Smith came out to get the ball and essentially head-butted Morgan. There was no foul given on the play with both players going for a 50/50 ball. Morgan did not return in the second half, and is day to day as far as returning to the lineup. Hopefully, Morgan has a speedy and complete recovery after going through the concussion protocol, and is available to play as soon as it is safely possible. The actual “Ugly” is the hit itself. You can see it at the 34-second mark in the video below.

Those are my picks for this week. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and feel free to suggest your own selections. Both Orlando City and the Pride play this Saturday, so there’s plenty of soccer to watch, which is definitely a good thing.