Lion Links: 3/2/20

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! Here we are on the first Monday of the new season. Now that you’ve had some time, how are you feeling about the draw against Real Salt Lake? Does it help that Orlando is tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference following Week 1? While you mull it over, let’s get to the links!

Orlando SeaWolves Fall at Home

The Orlando SeaWolves returned home for the first time in nearly a month hoping to get a win. Turns out, it didn’t matter where they played the match, the result was the same. The SeaWolves fell 14-7 to the Turlock Cal Express on Sunday. The loss leaves Orlando one spot above the Rochester Lancers in the Eastern Conference at 1-16 on the season. The SeaWolves kept it close in the first half with a 4-2 score, but it all fell apart in the second half.

Josef Martinez Injured

In the 67th minute of Atlanta United’s match against Nashville SC, Josef Martinez went down defending a set piece and had to be taken off on a stretcher. It turns out that he tore his ACL on the play. He might have initially been injured in the 63rd minute when he collided with a Nashville player. Martinez went off briefly, but then returned before finally coming off a few minutes later. This obviously has an impact on Atlanta’s season, considering Martinez was its top scorer last season with 27 goals and has been a top goal scorer ever since entering the league.

PRO Explains Lack of Red Card in Nashville-Atlanta Game

The biggest officiating controversy of the weekend involved Nashville SC goalkeeper Joe Willis stopping a shot with his hands. The reason it’s a big deal is that he was almost at midfield when he did so. Willis was immediately given a yellow card, but many thought he should have been given a straight red for either denial of a goal-scoring opportunity or denial of a goal. The game referee decided that the play did not meet the conditions of a straight red and PRO backed up their referee’s decision with this explanation. Here’s the play:

Serie A Postpones Matches

The coronavirus is certainly an international concern — so much so that the Italian Serie A league postponed five matches this weekend. These weren’t even open matches, but closed-door matches. As of now, the matches have been rescheduled for May 13, and the final has been bumped to May 20. The decision wasn’t without controversy though as the final decision was made just hours before kickoff.

Free Kicks

• United States Men’s National Team player Tyler Adams signed an extension with RB Leipzig though 2025.
• Tyler Adams isn’t the only American playing abroad. Geoff Cameron, Matt Miazga, and Tim Ream were all in action in Europe this weekend. Check out how the Yanks overseas did this weekend.
• We didn’t get to see Dom Dwyer in the opener, so here’s a look at Cassius scoring a goal instead.

I can’t do a front flip, let alone as well as Cassius, so I’m just going to leave it after that. Go Orlando City!