The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Reverse Order Edition

I know that thanks to this global pandemic almost everything is ugly or bad, but I’m generally an optimist. As such, I’ll try to find the good in this mess that is affecting everything, including our beloved sport. In that spirit, I’m going to limit the bad and the ugly and pump up the good. I’m also going to present everything in reverse order, so we end on a positive note.

The Ugly

This is simple. COVID-19 has mostly ground the soccer sports world to a halt, and rightly so. You can expect the Major League Soccer season to be delayed even longer than it currently is, the NWSL will mostly likely also be delayed, and seasons might be shortened. There’s every reason to believe that some players might be affected by the virus, and that could have ramifications depending on how well they recover. I hope I’m wrong.

The Bad

Orlando City, with its large roster turnover, will be impacted on the field more than teams that didn’t replace as many players. The thing that makes a team work is training time together. With a new coach, new players, and a new system, Orlando needs playing time to get it all to gel. Now with the shutdown, and the players social distancing, that type of training is not available. Once things are back to normal, all the clubs will need time to get back to optimum fitness levels, but the Lions will once again be behind the curve on the other stuff compared to some of the competition.

The Good

We have no idea how long Dom Dwyer would have been out with his dreaded lower body injury. Now, thanks to the delayed season, we can expect him to be fully recovered whenever the season resumes. I get that this is a silver lining kind of thing, but I’m doing my best. This also goes for Mauricio Pereyra and any other players dealing with a knock.

For making it through to the end, here is your reward. Scott Sutter is the king of soccer Twitter, and everyone knows it. Do yourself a favor and read the replies.

I’m really hoping that he’s kidding about not engaging with Chris Mueller, otherwise, I’ll have to move this up to the bad section. Don’t do it, Scott!

Please let us know how we can continue to provide the content you want as we muddle through this soccer desert. I will also ask that you pay attention to the CDC recommendations, and do your best to practice social distancing. You might be young and healthy, but even if you have the virus you might be asymptomatic. However, the person you run into might be older, not as able to resist the virus. This only works if we all do everything we can. I know it’s an inconvenience, but I also know you can do it, and possibly save someone’s life in the process. Be safe and go City!