The preseason is behind us and the time has come for the games to matter. That is usually heralded with a great deal of excitement from fans, but the final preseason game the Lions played against Colorado may have instilled a bit more apprehension than hope.

We open this week’s show with thoughts about Saturday’s preseason loss to the Rapids from the lineup, to the inexperienced bench, to Ivan Angulo as a fullback, to the back line problems, to Eduard Atuesta’s magical free kick goal, and so on. Orlando City may have lost a lopsided game on the scoreboard, but the Rapids simply paid off the few chances they generated, while the Lions controlled the play of the match but could not find the same success at the final moment that Colorado found.

I also gave some thoughts on the discussions we had postgame with Marco Pasalic, Eduard Atuesta, and Oscar Pareja. The players didn’t seem any less confident or show any less belief in the team after the loss, handling it as you’d expect from veteran professionals. Pareja was candid about the need for improvement and the challenge of letting Iago play while he’s still learning the Orlando City system and the expectations of his teammates. We also provided an update on some of the injured Lions who did not make the match day squad on Saturday.

Our mailbagbox asked about potential changes to the starting lineup, which player’s jersey to buy, who would play us in a biopic about this podcast, and more. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.

Finally, we wrap up the show with a brief discussion of Saturday’s opening night matchup against the New York Red Bulls. There’s not a lot to go on after preseason, but we do manage to unanimously give our key matchup of the game and we try our hand at score predictions. It’s never an easy thing to do in the first game of the season.

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Here’s how No. 517 went down:

0:15 – The Lions got battered on the scoreboard, but the game didn’t play out as badly as all that. Still, Orlando City has work to do and is dreadfully thin.

27:42 – The mailbagbox shows we’ve got decent overall taste in player jerseys and unrealistic expectations about who should play us in a movie about us.

50:25 – The Red Bulls are visiting on Saturday. Can the Lions handle them? We try to prognosticate.

It’s been a month since our last episode of this show, and Orlando City’s preseason is winding down. The Lions will start their 2026 regular season in less than two weeks, and there seem to be a lot more questions this year as opening day approaches.

We start this show with some of the bad news, beginning with the sale of Alex Freeman to Villarreal in Spain’s La Liga. While we’re happy Alex is chasing his soccer dreams, it’s a bitter pill to swallow getting only one season out of a kid we’ve watched grow up with OCB and blossom over the course of one fantastic MLS season.

Speaking of bitter pills…Facundo Torres is back — but not with Orlando. Torres will play for Austin FC just a year after leaving the Lions to return to South America to play in Brazil.

Sticking with the bad news theme, we discuss Robin Jansson’s foot surgery and when we might see him back on the pitch. Not only do the Lions need their captain, but there’s precious little top flight experience at the center back position, especially with the signing of Dusan Stojinovic falling through due to a failed medical. We discuss the problems with depth along the defense and what Orlando might be doing about it. It is not what we would do about it.

But it isn’t all bad news. There is plenty of good news in the preseason as well, and we start that with a discussion of Orlando City re-signing Martin Ojeda through the 2028-2029 season. Ojeda is one of the league’s more humble and likeable star players, and we hope he’s building his professional legacy here in the City Beautiful.

Additionally, the Lions signed first-round 2026 MLS SuperDraft picks Harvey Sarajian and Nolan Miller. If both players end up having decent careers, this year’s draft will be one to remember for City fans. But there was another big signing as well. Brazilian center back Iago joins Orlando City on an MLS U22 Initiative deal, and it looks like he’ll be pressed into service sooner rather than later.

Finally, we discuss some of the best news of all: Wilder Cartagena and Yutaro Tsukada have both been participating fully in preseason after suffering season-ending injuries during the 2025 preseason. It’s great to see them back on the pitch and they’ll hopefully be able to contribute throughout the 2026 season.

Our mailbagbox asked us to rank potential Polish international signings, pick our (and Oscar Pareja’s) Orlando City midfield starters, and run through the depth chart. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.

Following our mailbagbox, we discussed the club’s new Sunken Treasure kits. The Lions will be adorned in gold for the first time and we like the look. We break down some of the features about the kits and some of the things that we’re not as happy with. Overall, it’s another solid design for OCSC.

We wrap up with a brief discussion of the 2026 OCB schedule release and what to expect from the Young Lions’ MLS NEXT Pro opponents this year. There was also another one of our patented digressions in the middle of that, but you expected it, right?

Be sure to rate and review our show wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, we’ll read any five-star reviews we get on Apple Podcasts on the next show.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how No. 516 went down:

0:15 – We’ve got some bad news, Orlando City fans, and we’ve got some good news. We start with the bad so we could end on a high note.

35:43 – The mailbagbox is still trying to sign Polish internationals and is interested in the midfield.

55:19 – The Sunken Treasure kits and OCB’s 2026 slate is out.

We’re back with our first show of the 2026 calendar year and there’s a lot to talk about. We start things off with the bad news: Emily Sams has played her last game with the Orlando Pride (barring some wacky future return). The Pride traded Sams — at her request — to Angel City, and even though the club got a pile of intraleague transfer funds in return, it just doesn’t feel like enough. We discuss the disarray now prevalent in the center back position group with the Sams departure and Kylie Nadaner’s pregnancy.

We also discussed two new arrivals who can play center back even though they should probably stick to fullback. The Pride brought in Hailie Mace and Hannah Anderson to help on the back line. Both are versatile, but neither is Sams at center back.

Our mailbagbox is a short one this time out, as we’re asked if more Pride players will depart or arrive between now and the start of the season. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

After our mailbagbox, we spend slightly less time discussing Grace Chanda’s departure than Chanda spent on the pitch for the Pride. That’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but not as much of one as you’d think.

Finally, we discussed the big news: Orlando has found a new vice president of soccer operations and general manager to replace Haley Carter. Stepping into the role is former Kansas City Current GM Caitlin Carducci, who brings a wealth of experience in various disciplines to Orlando in much the same way Carter did. If it also makes the Current weaker, it’s twice as good of a hire as it appears to be on the surface.

We’re in our off-season schedule now, so we’ll be back at least monthly, and as often as news requires.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how Episode 112 went down:

0:15 – Sams is gone, as we start the show on a down note for the second consecutive episode.

19:41 – Our mailbagbox seems nervous about players leaving.

28:05 – Grace Chanda departs but the Pride have a new GM, so perhaps a replacement on the roster won’t be far away.