A Summer Catharsis

I’ve been told that it’s not healthy to hold in negative emotions. Doing so leads to resentment, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. As such, I’m going to take this opportunity to let out some frustrations I currently have about the soccer I care about in my life. Perhaps you share some of these frustrations? I’m hoping that doing so will allow me to let go of the negative and move into a healthier head space. Here we go.

The World Cup

I have mostly enjoyed this World Cup. There have been amazing matches and interesting stories. However, there are some things that have frustrated me. The whole Folarin Balogun red card situation was a debacle from the start. The card shouldn’t have been given and FIFA should have corrected it within 24 hours if it was going to do so. One ridiculously corrupt person shouldn’t have called another ridiculously corrupt person in an effort to make it “better,” because it ended up having the opposite effect.

The USMNT had all the good vibes. The team was playing free-flowing, beautiful football. The rest of the world didn’t have the animosity toward our team or our fans as much as in the past. That all changed after FIFA’s decision. I want to be clear that all of this was decided well above Balogun, the other players, the coaches, and even U.S. Soccer. Despite that, the people harmed were the players and the coaches. I believe it galvanized a Belgium squad that wasn’t playing as well before the controversy. I’m not saying the U.S. would have won the match, but the vibes were off and it showed in the way the team played.

The other thing that is bothering me is the disparity of decisions resulting in potentially game-changing penalties and disciplinary decisions between smaller countries and traditional powerhouse nations so far this World Cup. By disparity I mean 9-0 in favor of the traditional powerhouses. A disproportionate number have been in matches featuring Argentina, but I’m sure everything is on the up and up. After all, we’re talking about FIFA, right? I need to go get my tinfoil hat.

The Orlando Pride

We’re less than two years removed from the Orlando Pride winning the double in 2024. There are plenty of players from that squad still on the team, yet you would be hard pressed to think it’s the same team. To be fair, there are a lot of factors as to why, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Kylie Nadaner is rightly taking time to give birth to future Orlando City player Nolan. We also saw the departures of Haley Carter from management and Emily Sams from the back line. Rafaelle has mostly been an excellent player at center back, but the team didn’t go get someone to play with her. I still believe Hailie Mace was brought in to be a center back despite not really being a center back. The club dropped the ball in not getting an actual center back after Sams left and Nadaner went on maternity leave.

Jacquie Ovalle was brought in to complete an attack that would have included Barbra Banda and Marta. Thanks to injuries, we have yet to see that trio together. The Pride don’t have a viable backup striker, and Banda will soon be gone for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Not adding an additional striker was another personnel failure for the club.

So many of the players who played above their heads in 2024 have regressed since. Julie Doyle and Summer Yates have all but disappeared. Angelina hasn’t looked like her best self, and the same can be said about many others. The Pride lead the league with 14 free agents, meaning there is an opportunity for a rebuild. I don’t like that it comes so soon after winning everything, but here we are.

I mentioned above about Carter leaving. The club did have one notable acquisition in bringing on Caitlin Carducci as her successor. I’m hopeful that the Pride can turn things around, though I think it will mean a lot of turnover in the roster. The issue is what happens while we’re waiting on Carducci to implement her vision. This team is barely hanging onto a playoff spot, and I don’t have a lot of confidence the Pride can grind out enough results to get over the line.

I know that was a lot of negativity, but I feel better after writing it all down. I remain a dedicated supporter of both the Pride and the USMNT. If you’re wondering why I didn’t include my frustrations about Orlando City, it’s because I’m waiting to see what Martin Perelman can do after what is effectively a preseason, thanks to the World Cup break and the arrival of Antione Griezmann. If things don’t get better I’ll revisit that in the future.

Thank you for going along on my mental health journey. Hopefully, you found some peace as well. Vamos Orlando!