Orlando City sent out a whole bunch of press releases the day our last episode dropped, so we start this show by recapping that news and those notes. Nico Lodeiro and Michael Halliday are off to Houston, while Wilder Cartagena will watch the entire 2025 season from the sidelines as he has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury list. We break down what all of that means for the Lions.

First-round 2025 SuperDraft pick Joran Gerbet joined us to discuss his arrival in Orlando, what it’s like going from college to pro soccer, how he fits into what Oscar Pareja’s system works, and much more. Big thanks to Joran for taking time out of his opening night preparations to spend some time with us, and we can’t wait to see what his goal celebrations are like.

The mailbagbox wants to know about international slots, what we’d wear on the bench if we were coaching the Lions, if David Brekalo can displace Rodrigo Schlegel, and much 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 looked ahead to Saturday night’s opener against the Philadelphia Union. Philly may have missed the playoffs, but the Union still have some terrific (and dangerous) offensive weapons. Orlando City will need to be on point defensively to start the season off right. We offer up our key matchups and score predictions.

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.

Here’s how No. 465 went down:

0:15 – A few news items regarding Orlando City since our last show a few days ago.

10:11 – Joran Gerbet jumps on with us to discuss the adjustment from college soccer to MLS.

25:51 – The mailbagbox is pretty full for there only being a few days between shows.

51:12 – Our key matchups and score predictions for Orlando City’s opener vs. the Philadelphia Union.

Orlando City has had a busy week since our last show. As things ramp up to this weekend’s season opener, the Lions released their new home kit just a few days ago. We discuss the “Perfect Storm” kit, what we like about it, and what could have been better. Overall, we both think the new shirt looks nice and as long as it doesn’t suck, I’m pretty easy to please.

OCB has a pair of new academy signings for the 2025 season (and beyond), as Bernardo Rhein and Justin Ellis have inked MLS NEXT Pro contracts. Both should feature quite a bit more in 2025 with the Young Lions than they did in 2024 as they develop their game.

Speaking of signing, draft pick Joran Gerbet became an official member of the team on Monday. We talk about the Clemson product’s preseason and how he fits into Orlando City’s plans.

Finally, there were reports Monday (which may even be official by the time this post drops) that Nico Lodeiro and Michael Halliday are both heading to the Houston Dynamo, where they will be reunited with Junior Urso. Lodeiro is an expensive player who was in the final year of his deal, while Halliday has dropped on the depth chart and must find somewhere to get more minutes. We break it down.

The mailbagbox wants to know what soccer person we’d like to have a beer with and which Orlando City player the Lions can least afford to lose. 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 handed Lionel Messi a new nickname, talked about the weird Messi love that doesn’t quite translate to Inter Miami fandom, and broke down Friday’s preseason Tropic Thunder rivalry match at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

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.

Here’s how No. 464 went down:

0:15 – We’ve got lots of news and reports from the last week to discuss as well as Orlando City’s new Perfect Storm home kit.

16:20 – The mailbagbox beckons and we can only heed it.

26:29 – All the relevant happenings from the Lions and the Herons Friday in Tampa.

Orlando City finally started signing some players over the past few weeks since our last show — recently, anyway — and between that and a few preseason friendlies open to fans, we have some things to talk about.

We discuss Thomas Williams’ new contract and the signings of Marco Pasalic and Eduard Atuesta and what they mean for the team. We also break down what Atuesta’s arrival means in terms of Orlando City’s midfield and the prospects of Wilder Cartagena playing before the end of the 2025 season.

The mailbagbox is fixated once again on Apple TV+ shows and which ones we recommend. The short answer is that we recommend all the ones we’ve seen so far, but you can find some titles in this episode. We also got asked about some things that are a bit out of date now, but did that stop us from answering? Of course not. 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 broke down Orlando City’s lack of scoring despite some strong play in the home friendlies against Atletico Mineiro and CF Montreal. With a little more time, Pasalic may be able to provide some offense, but the Lions also need Ramiro Enrique and Luis Muriel on the pitch.

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.

Here’s how No. 463 went down:

0:15 – Since our last show, the Lions released their preseason schedule and made a few signings.

28:14 – It’s a robust mailbagbox after three weeks off.

53:02 – The two open preseason friendlies each featured a serious-looking injury and saw the Lions look good doing everything except scoring goals.