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Thoughts From the End Line: How 2017’s Frustration Turns to Excitement for the 2018 Season

Published

9 years ago

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Why are these thoughts coming from the end line? The answer is very simple: that is where I sit. My friends and I — a group that has been sitting together to watch Orlando City matches dating back to deep into the USL days — enjoy our perch staring straight down the end line right in front of The Wall. They are not the most glamorous seats, they do not get us on TV (even though you may have seen me on the jumbotron trying to get the folks around me to sing “More Than a Feeling” as it resonated throughout the stadium as halftime ended), but we have all come to love the view, and the new friends we have made who got stuck next to us.

As the curtain closed on the tumultuous 2017 season, we at The Mane Land tried to help you understand the gamut of emotions we as fans were all feeling in one way or another by examining the Five Stages of Grief. It has been a little over a month, and from discussions, posts, tweets, and blogs from around the internet, it looks like most of us, myself included, have settled into something other than acceptance as the final stage. As fans, the overwhelming feeling I am gleaning is frustration. It surely has not helped that the USMNT missed its flight to Russia, but the light at the end tunnel may not be a train at all. It could possibly be something great, and maybe, just maybe, we can shed some light on it.

Frustrations

How much of this do we really need to to rehash? Orlando City started so strong, started on such a high, and then once again fell just into the event horizon (for those not familiar, the event horizon is the threshold distance away from a black hole that not even light can escape) and the Lions never seemed to be able to pull themselves back out. OCSC’s preseason acquisitions helped, its mid-season acquisitions helped, but it seemed as though constant injuries, off-pitch issues, and a seemingly random starting XI throughout never allowed to the team to find that full-blown attitude we saw for a few matches.

Trying to discuss all of this added to the frustration at times. When times are bad, everything goes sour, especially peoples’ attitudes. Trying to have civil conversations can easily be derailed by that one friend we all have, blitzing into the chat with hashtags like #lazysoandso and #insertnameout. Someone is bound to come in with some unrealistic video of some player who we can’t afford, vomiting their stats, and screaming about how the club will be $^@$% without this player or that player. I have even been a bit guilty of this at times, and I think we all have.

The Point of Change

For me, this happened just recently. I have been trying to figure out what exactly triggered the change for me. The club roster announcement stung me a bit. I have not been shy about my backing of Antonio Nocerino, and hearing that his option was not exercised was a bit painful. That was the moment of reset for me. I found myself pivoting and looking forward to what may come. I looked at what was left in front of us, and began to envision what the front office may be trying to do.

Change also came in the form of becoming the keyboard cowboy for change. The internet was swarming with negativity, with angst, and with vitriol that was becoming toxic. Reading some of the comments that were being posted eventually made me want to try to bring a ray of sunshine to some peoples’ otherwise toxic lives. Sure, some folks troll just to troll, and that is fine and there is nothing anyone can do to change their minds. I think if we see a dramatic shift in the roster, we make the playoffs, and get to the conference championship, the trolls would still be screaming and yelling and shaking their fists at the sky screaming for someone to be forced from the Ivory Tower and have their head on a pike by sundown.

Excitement

How can you not be excited? Our second season in the new stadium. New additions to the roster are imminent. The pressure is on, and I mean the pressure is on everyone. This fan base is rabid, it is hungry, it is at the boiling point. We need to finally “defy expectations” and I think 2018 is the year we will all bear witness to this. If you paid any attention this season, there were so many lessons to be learned. I will not mention any names, because I do not want that juju on me, but there was a pretty good example set this season on roster building. Can Orlando City learn from this? I am pretty sure notes were taken and extensively reviewed as the season wound down.

The rumors started to fly pretty early this season. Jo Inge Berget from Malmo FF (Yoshi’s previous club) is just one name that has been thrown around. Personally, I love the idea of signing him; I mean, the Lions need all the beards they can get (#beardluck). All beard humor aside, just look at his reels from the past two seasons. Other names — some familiar, some not so familiar — have crept up from the darkest of places, or been linked out of some obscure website that somebody’s brother’s uncle’s sister’s best friend heard about from some bloke at the pub. This is what creates excitement, trying to peer through the smoke and mirrors and reach beyond the internet hyperbole and do our best, with our own personal codex of notes and scribbles, to unravel what the starting XI will look like on day one of 2018.

Just think, Mane Landers, one day we will all be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy a tasty beverage (in case you were wondering, I prefer IPAs or Rye Whiskeys) while we gaze upon the trophy cabinet and say, “do you remember that !#$^ season in 2017 that started so well? Those were trying times, but we learned, and we grew, and we struggled, and we bled, and we picked ourselves up out of the mire of ineptitude, took our destiny in our hands, and forged a dynasty that other clubs emulate, but will never be as good as us. Hey, kid. Get off my lawn!”

All jokes aside, it truly feels like the dark days and growing pains are behind us. We still have holes to fill, but now is the time to do it. The club should have some money to go out and bring in some core pieces to help solidify areas of concern (cough cough attacking midfield cough cough) and set this team up to be successful in 2018. The expectation, ladies and gentlemen, has been reset. Long gone are the days of the USL, although that history will forever be a metric that many of the fans measure the club by. The Lions have three seasons in MLS to be judged upon, which means we can start to group together data and look for trends. They have completed a year at home. If we look at the current expectation, it should not be difficult for the 2018 Lions to not only defy it, but to smash it to pieces on the way up.

This is how I see it from the end line. How are you trying to stay positive about 2018? Leave a comment!

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 144: Gotham Rewind, Seattle Preview, and More

The Pride finished their home schedule with a loss to Gotham and hope to finish their road schedule with a win in Seattle.

Published

1 week ago

on

October 28, 2026

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Image of Solai Washington running onto a ball behind the Gotham defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, 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 look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More

The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.

Published

1 month ago

on

September 30, 2026

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Image of Jacquie Ovalle dribbling toward the Bay FC defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.

We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, 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 looked ahead to Friday, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.

Here’s how Episode 140 went down:

0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.

20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.

33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 months ago

on

July 22, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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