The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Orlando City Wins, World Cup Ticket Fiasco, and More

Welcome back, Mane Landers! What a week it’s been. Game of Thrones has ended, Chernobyl is really good, and we’re less than 10 days away from Good Omens on Amazon Prime. But, enough about excellent television, let’s talk about excellent soccer since we actually get to do so this week.

The Good

It should be obvious that Orlando City’s 5-1 win over FC Cincinnati gets my “good” vote for this week. The Lions started out the way they have so many times at home this season, going down 1-0 in the first half. I’m not certain if it was the tongue lashing they most certainly had from Head Coach James O’Connor prior to this match, or if some things finally clicked, but equalizing before halftime and going on a four-goal romp in the second half was just the scoop of palate-cleansing orange sherbet this club needed. Yes, it was FC Cincinnati. Yes, they’re probably not used to the heat of Central Florida. So what? It was the type of performance where there were several players putting in good shifts, scoring goals, and making plays. Hopefully, it is the type of game that can help a club get going in the right direction. After all, the LA Galaxy is coming to town.

The Bad

Are you going to the Women’s World Cup? Are you going with family or friends? If so, you’d better check your tickets, because grandma might be sitting in a different part of the stadium, surrounded by hooligans! Basically, fans who purchased multiple tickets found out this week that those seats were not necessarily in the same location. Let’s assume that grandma will be OK, because she’s actually quite a tough lady — are you sure your children will be safe sitting with strangers? Fans rightly called out FIFA on the issue, and to their credit said they will make accommodations to ensure parents will get to be with their children. However, they told your grandma to suck it up and make friends with the people that she’ll be sitting next to. As of this writing, FIFA is still working on a solution. I will say this: I can always count on FIFA to provide me with writing material.

The Ugly

Many of you know that I’m based in Tallahassee. As such, I watch Orlando City matches on the ESPN+ app on my Apple TV. Each and every match I’ve seen this season (and many of the previous few seasons), I am forced to listen to the opposing team’s television stream. Other sports on the platform will offer you a choice of which feed to watch when you start streaming. I know that ESPN has access to the Orlando City feed, so why do they not give me (and everyone else) the option?

It’s one thing when it’s a nationally televised match with the general ESPN commentators, but it’s entirely something else to listen to the opposing team’s rightly biased commentating. This should be an easy fix for ESPN, since they offer it for other sports. I actually called customer support during the FC Cincinnati match because I’d had enough. Obviously, the nice guy that answered the phone couldn’t do anything and I didn’t blame him. He made a note and elevated it to his superiors. I didn’t expect anything more from that call. But, if hundreds or thousands of such calls were made from subscribers, well that might get their attention.