The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Garberbucks, Pressley, and a Lack of Attack

It’s been a week of ups and downs, and as always that gets my brain stirring. Let’s see what caught my attention this week.

The Good

Orlando City sent $136,220 total in 2019 Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) to the LA Galaxy in exchange for $200,000 in 2020 General Allocation Money (GAM). Here’s a quick primer according to mlssoccer.com:

Targeted Allocation Money — funds strategically provided by the league to teams to add or retain players that will make an immediate impact on the field.

General Allocation Money — money that is available to a club in addition to its salary budget. 

It’s all funny money, or Garberbucks, but this was still a good move by Orlando City’s front office. A little bit of quick math will tell you that Orlando made $63,780 in this allocation funds trade. The LA Galaxy are trying to bring in Cristian Pavón, and they obviously needed $136,220 in TAM to do it. Just as obviously, Luiz Muzzi felt fine giving up the TAM for the GAM, especially when you get a greater return on investment. Now we just have to see what Muzzi has planned for the money.

The Bad

Toni Pressley has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is undergoing treatment at the Breast Care Center at Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center. The club, the NWSL, and the community will lend whatever support possible to Pressley as she deals with such a disheartening diagnosis. This is not the first time that cancer has affected the Orlando City organization, with Mason Stajduhar having battled Localized Ewing Sarcoma, which is a form of bone cancer. We at The Mane Land wish her well as she fights this disease, and hope for a speedy return to the club and the pitch.

The Ugly

Have you recovered from Tuesday night yet? I have, well mostly. It sucks that Orlando didn’t advance to the final of the U.S. Open Cup. It sucks that it was Atlanta that beat the Lions. There’s no denying those feelings, however, I think the ugliest part is Orlando City’s inability to finish chances. There were 12 shots with just two on target for the Lions. I don’t think those numbers tell the story, as some of those 12 shots were in areas that should have been on target. Regardless, the Lions’ lack of finishing ability has haunted this team all season, and is the area that needs the most improvement if Orlando City is to make a run at the playoffs.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.