LOUD SILENCE
Lions say they would have boycotted too if they had more time to prepare
Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja said he believes the team would have joined the leaguewide boycott if there had been more time to prepare before kickoff.
The Lions were one of the few professional sports teams to continue play as usual on Wednesday night, as boycotts swept through MLS as well as the NBA, WNBA and MLB in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisc.
“I understand maybe some people who think that we should have not played,” Pareja said Thursday after his team’s 3-1 win over Nashville SC. “I think we would have done it. I think we would have not played the game if we had all the information and good timing. We didn’t know the whole thing.”
As the only MLS game to play as planned on Wednesday night, Orlando City and Nashville SC were thrown into the national spotlight and criticized for playing.
Nashville focused its postgame news conference on racism and the league-wide movement against police brutality.
“Soccer takes a backseat,” said Nashville captain Dax McCarty, a Winter Park native. “Quite frankly, I don’t really care about
what happened on tonight.”
Orlando City did not issue a club statement in response to the
the
field
boycotts elsewhere, leaving Pareja and Lions captain Nani to answer questions about it during their postgame news conferences. A handful of players also shared their thoughts on social media.
LAFC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye called out Orlando City players for a perceived lack of action.
“Disappointed with the Orlando City players tonight,” Kaye wrote in a post on Twitter. “Who thinks they can post black lives matter when it’s easy, but when it’s tough care more about 3 points. There’s no excuse it doesn’t matter what country you are from, we are fighting for everyone to be seen as equal. Yes we are footballers but don’t forget we are humans first. You let us down.”
Orlando Pride striker Sydney Leroux also criticized the team on social media for missing the mark on “a historic day combating racism in the sports world.”
While many fans in attendance were supportive of the decision to play at Exploria Stadium for the first time in six months, others were critical of the decision to play on a day when other teams made a powerful statement by halting play. The Lions, who had two U.S.-born players in their starting lineup Wednesday night, also were admonished when Nani was the only starter who chose to kneel during the national anthem.
Pareja said he accepted the criticism of the team, but he added the club still supports the league-wide anti-racism movement.
“I understand if somebody thinks that it should have been handled differently,” Pareja said. “The thing is we support that reaction. I totally agree with the point that the teams didn’t want to play to raise their voices. We support that and we’re part of that, too.”
The questions about whether the game should have been played cast a shadow over an otherwise celebratory night for the Lions. The team brushed off a shaky start and early goal cession to rumble back for a 3-1 victory, highlighted by a pair of goals from rookie Daryl Dike.
The brace marked Dike’s second and third goal during the last two matches, which were also his first two professional starts. Striker Chris Mueller kicked off scoring with a highlight-worthy header while sprawled on his stomach in the box, netting his fifth goal of the season to continue to leading the Lions in scoring.
While Orlando City reiterated its support for Black Lives Matter and against racial injustice, Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen drew extensive criticism after saying he was upset by RSL players’ decision not to play Wednesday night.
“[It’s] like somebody stabbed you and you’re trying to figure out a way to pull the knife out and move forward,” Hansen said during a radio interview. “That’s what it feels like. The disrespect is profound to me personally.”
The owner also said he will not invite fans back to the stadium following the boycott and will lay off 40 to 50 employees as a result.
“It’s taken a lot of wind out of my sails, what effort I want to put into recruiting players and building a great team,” Hansen added. “It just seems that’s not a very good path to take.”
Hansen’s comments earned immediate backlash throughout the league, with Toronto FC star Jozy Altidore calling for him to sell the team.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber issued a statement Thursday night denouncing Hansen’s comments.
“I strongly disagree with comments he made today and the way they were expressed,” Garber’s statement read. “They do not reflect the view of MLS.
“This is a time for all of us to work together in the pursuit of racial equality and social justice. Major League Soccer and all of its clubs will continue to support and create initiatives that enact real change.”
The Real Salt Lake owner said in a follow-up radio interview Thursday afternoon that he spoke with Garber and the commissioner decried his language, particularly the use of the word “stabbed.” Hansen apologized, adding “the players’ intentions were probably misinterpreted on my side.”
Orlando City is currently slated to travel to play Atlanta United Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Lions’ match is the second of the weekend, with Montreal Impact set to host Toronto FC on Friday night.
ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle reported the league and players spoke throughout Thursday about the possibility of postponing this weekend’s matches.
Atlanta United was one of the first teams to call off its Wednesday match, jointly deciding with Inter Miami not play the match with support from their coaches and ownership.
The match was not scheduled to be played in front of fans.
Pareja said as of midday Thursday, the Lions have not discussed skipping Saturday’s match. The team held a recovery workout early Thursday morning and began preparation for the quick turnaround to Atlanta. Pareja said the team was “in good spirits.”
NBA players who inspired the wave of boycotts have agreed to resume play, which could inspire others to again follow their lead.
For now, Pareja is getting his team ready for its third game in seven days.
“We are aware and we want to be part of that support, but other than that, we’re just doing our job and just trying to prepare for the next game,” Pareja said.