PawedCast Episode 4: Talking Orlando City’s Opener with Hudson River Blue

We’re just days away from finally witnessing our beloved Orlando City SC playing in a Major League Soccer match!

The Lions will take on fellow expansion club New York City FC in the Citrus Bowl on Sunday, March 8, but it almost didn’t happen. That contentious labor dispute, which raged on in recent weeks, finally came to an end and there will be no strike. Andrew Marcinko, Austin David and I talk about how worried we were about whether the season would start on time. We also talked about Orlando City’s Media Day and how the starting XI is shaping up for opening day.

Then we move on to our opponents. Here to help us break down New York City FC is Rafa Noboa y Rivera, the managing editor from SB Nation's NYCFC blog, Hudson River Blue. Rafa was gracious enough to rise from his sick bed (he's just recovering from the flu) and give us his projected starting XI for New York, as well as a brief overview of the team's shape, rumors of a summer transfer deal for Barcelona's Xavi, and more.

And we give you our final score predictions, just so you can come back later and tell us all how silly we were.

Here's how it all went down:

0:27- Michael, Andrew and Austin breathe a collective sigh of relief over the CBA deal, chat it up about all the excitement of media day, and tell you who likely starts among those last position battles.

24:17- Rafa Noboa y Rivera gives us the inside scoop on NYCFC and provides us with the mindset of New York fans about the whole Lampard thing.

47:26- Our final score predictions! Take them to your local bookie at your own peril.

That'll do it for this week, and yes, we're moving into a weekly schedule now that the season is upon us. See you next time.