Orlando City was off this week but Orlando City B was not. The Young Lions went on the road against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and, despite being dominated for much of the match, turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 away win. We broke down the team’s second straight victory in stoppage time. We also looked ahead to OCB’s midweek match at Carolina Core.

We also spoke about Alex Freeman’s first USMNT cap. The Yanks didn’t play poorly most of the time, but the two goals they conceded against Turkey were poor, and it’s not assuring to see the team playing like this just before the Gold Cup. However, we’re happy for Alex, who acquitted himself well in his first match for the U.S. senior team.

The mailbagbox asked about the team’s striker situation, players returning to Orlando from international duty, sleeve sponsors, and more. We forgot one question, but in a surprise move, we remembered at the end and stuck in a bonus question late in the show. 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 the mailbagbox segment, we discussed Duncan McGuire’s shoulder surgery, which is a big blow to both the big striker and the Lions. Hopefully McGuire will heal as quickly this time as he did with his other shoulder surgery.

Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando City’s trip to face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. The Lions will have to battle a decent Rapids side as well as the altitude this weekend in a difficult place to get a result. We look at the series history and both teams’ trajectories, provide our key matchups, and make our final score predictions.

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Here’s how No. 484 went down:

0:15 – The Young Lions are the new Cardiac Cats and Alex Freeman is a new USMNT fullback.

15:42– Our listeners ask questions both personal and not-so-personal in our mailbagbox segment.

32:35 – Duncan’s shoulder woes continue and we look ahead to the Rapids. Oh, and bonus mail!

The Orlando Pride had the weekend off for the international break, but that’s the team as a whole. Nine players from the roster were away with their national teams as we recorded this week’s episode, and we talked a bit about the first match from each player’s perspective to kick off the show.

Afterwards, we dove straight into this week’s mailbagbox, which provided a clarification from last week, asked about McKinley Crone getting some starts, and more. 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.

Finally, we discussed the Pride’s game Saturday against the Houston Dash. The Houston-based club has been better away from home than in its own stadium this season, and Orlando can’t be complacent, because the NWSL is unforgiving. So, the returning internationals have to recover as quickly as possible and get ready to face a Dash side that has been problematic over the years. We discuss the all-time series, the tale of the tape, our key matchups for the game, and our score predictions.

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 89 went down:

0:15 – A look at the Pride players on international duty and then straight into the mailbagbox!

20:57 – The Houston Dash visit this weekend and they are better on the road than at home this season. We preview!

Orlando City’s 12-game unbeaten run came to a screeching halt just minutes after a silly red card on Cesar Araujo in Atlanta that turned a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 loss. Araujo may not be completely at fault for the loss, but the Lions seemed in control until the sending off of their best defensive midfielder, and once Atlanta got level, the Five Stripes smelled the blood in the water. Oscar Pareja was also shown the door before the end of that match, and the club’s lack of composure was frustrating to watch.

That loss stung, but things got worse when the hangover continued into Saturday’s home game against the Chicago Fire, in which Pedro Gallese allowed his worst goal in his Orlando City career, then the defense fell asleep for a span of less than two minutes to give Chicago complete control of the game. The Lions fought hard until the end, but could get no closer than 3-1.

We hit the major talking points of both losses, looked back at our score predictions from last week, and made our selections for Man of the Match for each of the two games last week. Orlando City is mercifully off until June 14, when the Lions will take off for the Rockies to face the Colorado Rapids.

We also touched on the Lions who will represent their countries during the current men’s international window.

The mailbagbox asked about the atmosphere and attendance at Inter&Co Stadium, Apple TV’s Your Friends and Neighbors, Rodrigo Schlegel’s future, 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.

Following the mailbagbox segment, we looked back at OCB’s strong performance against Eastern Conference-leading Chattanooga FC on Sunday night. The Young Lions were without several regular starters who are away on international duty, but they fought hard and played a good Chattanooga side to a standstill for more than 90 minutes before finding a late winner in stoppage time to take all three points. We previewed OCB’s match Friday night at Huntsville City and discussed the Young Lions who are away representing their countries.

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. 483 went down:

0:15 – Orlando City was its own worst enemy in the final 15 minutes at Atlanta and the first 32 minutes against Chicago. We’re recapping, but we don’t have to like it.

27:49– Mailbagbox, take us away!

52:18 – With no senior team match this weekend, we give OCB deserved props for its win over Chattanooga FC and look ahead to the Young Lions’ trip to Huntsville City.