PawedCast Episode 256: Philly & NYCFC Rewinds, Pride-Reign, Skinner Out, Atlanta Preview, and More

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Orlando City snapped a three-game winless skid on Thursday at home against the Philadelphia Union and then went right back to not winning on Sunday at New York City FC. A triumphant night against a good Eastern Conference opponent left everyone feeling good but those vibes evaporated quickly with an utter beatdown in the Bronx. A lot of that was the lineup that took the field Sunday due to rotation, injuries, and international absences but not all of it can be adequately explained. We broke down both games and selected our Man of the Match for each.

The Orlando Pride had a tumultuous week with the resignation of Marc Skinner as head coach and his departure, followed by a 2-0 loss to OL Reign at home — the team’s fifth non-win in a row — under the also-departing Carl Green. The Pride finally named Becky Burleigh as the interim coach to see out the 2021 season with the team in free fall from first to seventh in the league in just five matches.

Both U.S. national teams were in action this past week. The women bounced back from their Olympic loss to Sweden by destroying New Zealand and then playing a frustratingly conservative 0-0 draw against Australia to get through the group. Alex Morgan scored twice — once in each game — but only one of them counted. The high-powered offense of the Netherlands awaits on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, the men survived a tussle with Jamaica in the Gold Cup quarterfinals and will now face invited nation Qatar in the semifinals. The USMNT hasn’t played its best in this tournament yet but has done enough to survive and advance. Let’s hope Gregg Berhalter gets this young team going and perhaps set up yet another showdown against rival Mexico (or rival Canada).

Plus, Florida Cup is finally underway.

This week’s mailbag wants to know about Orlando City’s fullbacks, the future of Ali Krieger, and more. If there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the next show, just ask by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC.

We close the show with our key match-ups and score predictions for Atlanta United on Friday night.

That’s all for this week.

Stay safe and enjoy the show!

Here’s how No. 256 went down:

0:15 – Orlando City had a mixed bag in its two matches. We enjoyed talking about the first one but not so much the second.

37:00 – The Orlando Pride continue to play their worst soccer of the season, although this week it was understandable. Plus, the USWNT and USMNT are doing enough at the moment, but only just.

1:02:45 – Our mailbag, and prediction time for Orlando City against Atlanta.