Our off-season podcast schedule is off to a slow start, as we didn’t even take a week off, but if the news doesn’t sleep, neither do we. This week’s show opens with a discussion of the Facundo Torres transfer saga as of the time we recorded, which we fully expect to be ruined by the time this post drops (because that’s just podcast life). Torres was off to Brazil, then Mexico, then back to Brazil, and it seems that we’re just waiting for the official word at this point. While it’s never fun to lose a likeable and productive player, the club stands to turn a good profit on his three years in purple and will have some cash to splash on an attacking replacement.

In also-bad news, we chatted about Duncan McGuire’s shoulder surgery and the recovery time needed not only from the procedure itself, but also the requisite time to regain his match fitness. McGuire is going to be unavailable for a while, and we think the club needs to add a striker to start the season as either the starter or someone who can at least push Ramiro Enrique and provide a different look up top.

There’s even more bad news to talk about, as the Lions lost MLS U22 Initiative midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth before he’d even played a game for Orlando City. It may have been a gamble to leave him unprotected — or maybe it was intentional —and it could have been necessary due to contract language and greater needs with those 12 protected spots in the MLS Expansion Draft. Either way, Bruseth is gone after doing not much more than training with the Lions and warming up on a few match days.

In better news, the Lions re-signed Kyle Smith to a one-year deal, and we are here for it. Speaking of signings, the club added a Homegrown Player, signing OCB midfielder Colin Guske to the first team. We discuss Guske’s game a bit, then transition into OCB’s season-ending roster status update. There were 10 players on MLS NEXT Pro contracts in 2024. One of them was Guske, six are out of contract (but some could return), and three are still under contract.

This week’s mailbagbox asked a pretty good “what if” question, sought our thoughts on MLS free agents, wondered if Felipe is coaching material, 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.

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. 460 went down:

0:15 – We break down the Torres transfer saga and discuss what McGuire’s surgery recovery means for 2025.

16:02 – Losing Bruseth, Smith’s return, a new Homegrown Player, and OCB contract statuses.

32:27 – Something we love as much as the mailbagbox is finding loopholes to make some of the questions easier to answer.

Orlando City’s end-of-season roster update undercut our annual stays/goes segment, but that’s OK. What it lacks in drama, it makes up for in us being able to say we were right more often. But we’ll get to that.

We open the show with an MLS NEXT scoreboard check and it turns out the Orlando City SC Development Academy is doing just fine.

After that, we bid former OCSC captain Nani an extremely enjoyable retirement. The flashy and fiery Portuguese winger has called it a career and left an indelible mark on the city of Orlando in his couple of years with the Lions. We also debate whether he could end up in Orlando City’s ring of honor at Inter&Co Stadium.

This week’s mailbagbox asked about stuff Alexi Lalas said and what kinds of things we prefer to put off until later. 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 address some breaking news (as we recorded) that Orlando City and Palmeiras had reached an agreement on a transfer that would send Facundo Torres to Brazil. The report from Tom Bogert at the time mentioned the deal was contingent on Torres reaching an agreement with the club, and we debated how the deal makes sense (or doesn’t) for the Uruguayan winger.

That was the perfect segue into our annual stays/goes segment, in which we go through the Orlando City roster to figure out which Lions will still be on the team next year. As mentioned, the roster decisions release kind of makes things clear, but there’s a lot that can happen in an off-season, and if a domino falls (say…the transfer of the team’s leading offensive weapon), it could change the math. The MLS Expansion Draft also could throw a wrench into the works.

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. 459 went down:

0:15 – Some Orlando City academy scores and Nani’s retirement.

12:53 – Our mailbagbox is light but mighty.

31:02 – Addressing the breaking news report that a transfer might be in place to send Facundo Torres to Brazil and our annual walk through the Orlando City roster.

Still basking in the glow of an NWSL Championship, we reconvene this week without a match to recap and little news to share. However, there was one development over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, as defender Carrie Lawrence announced her retirement from the game on Black Friday. We discuss what Carrie’s retirement means for the Pride.

After the brief Pride news portion of the show, we dive straight into our mailbagbox, which is much shorter this week. During this poetic edition of the mailbagbox, we answer questions about whether we can imagine sitting next to one of our regular listeners at an NWSL Championship and if Marta could have an opportunity to right a wrong. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. 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 the mailbagbox, it’s our annual “Stays/Goes” segment, in which we go through the entire Orlando Pride roster, looking at each player’s contract situation and trying to determine which players we expect to be in purple again next season (and which ones will move on). Haley Carter and company will want to build on the best season in league history, so there are bound to be a few more departures if the club can lure even more talent to Central Florida.

Here’s how Episode 72 went down:

0:15 – Carrie Lawrence calls it a career and our mailbagbox is much more manageable this week.

20:11 – Our annual Orlando Pride roster review and projections for 2025.