Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 198: Group Training Returns, Piped-In Crowd Noise, MLS Leaks, and More
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Small group training has returned to the NWSL and the Orlando Pride are among the teams that have already implemented that and will soon be able to train as a full team. There’s still a lot of discussion about the reported NWSL tournament in Utah and with players able to train together now, we ramp up some of those discussions here. We’re not sure if United States Women’s National Team players will take part or boycott this and a lot of other things remain up in the air as well at this point.
England’s men will return to complete the 2019-2020 season but the women won’t. That doesn’t sit well with me and obviously money plays a role.
The Bundesliga came under fire on social media for piping in crowd noise. I defend the move and we discuss whether canned crowd is better than no noise at all. Either way, VAR is still a mess in Germany.
And then there’s MLS Leaks. People aren’t happy that news keeps finding its way out of the Major League Soccer offices and into the virtual pages of The Athletic. But things get funnier when the memo about the leak to The Athletic is subsequently leaked to The Athletic. It’s all very meta and we talk about how/why there are news leaks and how spending money to hire leaks of which you already are aware is kinda dumb.
I also gave in and watched an Orlando City Classic this week and it was delightful. I’m not typically a dude who rewatches soccer games but this one was well worth it. (Check out the 2016 game vs. Portland here.)
We would have answered our listeners’ questions after that but this week we surprisingly had none. If there’s anything — and we do mean anything —you want us to address on our next show, just ask by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC.
Finally, we spent more time rambling than we should during discussion of our continued rewatch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This week, we broke down two of the lower rungs on the MCU ladder — Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. Better films (and better villains) are ahead but we still have to talk about what didn’t work (and what did).
Stay safe and enjoy the show.
Here’s how show No. 198 went down:
0:16 – The Orlando Pride are training together and full team training isn’t far away. Plus, what’s going on in England and Germany, along with the MLS battle to keep info quiet.
39:30 – I rave about this week’s Orlando City Classic match between the Lions and the Portland Timbers in 2016 at the Citrus Bowl.
50:17 – We dive into this week’s MCU movies: Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. Not two of the best but definitely two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films that exist.
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 549: Minnesota Rewind, San Diego Preview, OCB, and More
The Lions complete a come-from-behind-from-ahead draw vs. the Loons and will face San Diego for the first time.
Orlando City went to the Land of 10,000 Lakes and somehow found itself up two goals past the hour mark despite only mustering two shot attempts in that time. However, the game normalized as Minnesota United scored three times in a four-minute span and appeared headed to a win that would have been painful for the Lions. Tyrese Spicer had other plans, however, as he scored in stoppage time to snatch a late point for Orlando. We look back at a crazy game against the Loons, reflect on our score predictions, and make our unanimous selections for Man of the Match.
Our mailbagbox asked us new fan questions about rivalries as well as old fan questions about squad rotation during fixture congestion, Orlando City’s insane rate of conceding goals, 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.
After the mailbagbox, we discuss a surprise victory for an OCB squad that had been floundering and looked completely out of sorts for weeks. The Young Lions may have one more run in them, and they’ll need it as they are below the playoff line with three matches remaining.
Finally, we look ahead to the first-ever meeting between Orlando City and San Diego FC. The blandly named California side has some excellent attacking players and has been a success since entering MLS just two years ago (it feels like longer!). We break down the tale of the tape between the teams, provide our key matchups, and try to predict the final score.
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. 549 went down:
0:15 – Orlando City blew a two-goal lead, fell behind late, and then equalized in stoppage time in a crazy game at Minnesota. It’s a draw that should have been a loss that should have been a win.
26:21 – The mailbagbox makes up for last week’s oversight.
48:58 – OCB beats the top team in the conference to snap a five-game losing streak and the senior Lions prepare to face San Diego FC for the first time ever.
Podcasts
SkoPurp 136: Seb Hines Out, Utah Rewind, Houston Preview, and More
The Pride part ways with Seb Hines after a loss to the Utah Royals and the Houston Dash visit Sunday.
The Pride parted ways with coach Seb Hines after losing their fourth match out of five. The Pride have been terrible since the restart after the World Cup break, but somehow beat the two best teams they played (Kansas City and Washington). There’s no rhyme or reason, except perhaps the best teams bring out the best in what’s left of the Pride’s…err…pride.
We discuss Hines’ departure with Yolanda Thomas taking over as interim manager and what that means, as well as whether the roster was overrated and finally caught up with him. Injuries in 2026 obviously didn’t help things, and what comes next? We’ll all find out together.
This week’s mailbagbox asked about which players not named Banda will score five or more goals in a season at some point in the future, the future of Oihane and Luana, 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 behind and ahead. We discussed the Pride’s home loss to Utah on another night in which the team was badly outplayed. We checked our score predictions and made our selections for player of the match. We also looked ahead to Houston’s visit on Sunday, checked out the series history, gave our key matchups (which are unchanged, because obviously), and provided our final 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 136 went down:
0:15 – The Pride have parted ways with Seb Hines. Was the head coach doomed from the start of the 2026 season?
27:21 – The mailbagbox is always there for us in times of strife.
39:15 – A quick rewind of the Pride’s loss to Utah and a look ahead to the Houston Dash.
Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 135: Washington Spirit Rewind, Utah Royals Preview, and More
The Pride got a badly needed win in Washington despite being dominated and will need improvement to knock off Utah.
The Pride bounced back from a gut punch loss at Portland to swipe all three points on the road from the Washington Spirit. If you saw the game, you’re probably still not sure how the Spirit didn’t at least equalize at some point, given the insane disparity in possession and shots, but no matter how ugly a win is, it’s still a win, and the Pride haven’t had enough of those lately, so savor it. A new face emerged in goal as Anna Moorhouse got a day off and Cosette Morche made her NWSL debut, and although the Spirit (and the woodwork) helped her out quite a bit, as did her teammates by getting in front of shots, she made a gigantic save deep in stoppage time to preserve the victory.
We look back at the Washington match and the tell-tale sign that obviously should have signaled a win (Haley McCutcheon scoring early in a game), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.
This week’s mailbagbox asked about the goalkeeping situation, how we feel about our Barbra Banda vs. everyone prediction, player minutes during the rest of the season, Gabi Nunes, 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 Saturday’s home matchup with the Utah Royals. The Pride will have to be sharper to build on the win in Washington and get a second straight result, especially on set piece defending. We check the series history, look at where the teams stand now, provide our key matchups, and make our final 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 135 went down:
0:15 – The Pride got an early blast from McCutcheon and…well, really, what else do you need?
22:58 – The mailbagbox is talking goalkeepers, minutes, and goals.
42:05 – The Utah Royals come to town on Saturday and the Pride need to find a way to get more points.
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