Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 278: Pato Returns to Orlando City, Orlando Pride Departures, and More

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Orlando City still has yet to replace three key departures in the attack — Daryl Dike, Nani, and Chris Mueller — but the Lions did retain Alexandre Pato. The Duck returns for 2022 and can hopefully stay healthy long enough to display some of his considerable talent as the club vies for a third consecutive playoff appearance. That might not happen without offensive reinforcements and the news has been light on that front. There have been some reports and a feeling that Facundo Torres isn’t far from being announced, but that’s only one corner of the triangle. Orlando has a lot of work to do and now that the preseason is here, the window for integrating new players in time to make a difference once the regular season arrives is closing.
The club also announced its preseason schedule, which is kind of meaningless if no one is allowed to attend, but that’s beside the point. Scrimmages will be held behind closed doors and we’ll just have to take whatever news we can get when it comes to that.
The Orlando Pride have had a very cost-effective week. The Pride saw top draft pick Mia Fishel sign with Tigres in Mexico’s top flight, so that’ll save the team some money on not having to sign the No. 5 overall selection. Also, the Pride sent Taylor Kornieck and the rights to midfielder Emily van Egmond to San Diego for a nice chunk of allocation money. The Pride is flush with funds, and maybe the strategy is to distract the other team with cash while Sydney Leroux and Marta score goals? We’re sure there will be players added to Amanda Cromwell’s roster. Could be any minute.
…any minute now.
…just at any moment in time.
Anyway, while we wait, we had time to answer this week’s questions. This week’s mailbag was curious to know what we were streaming these days, whether Orlando City has time to make some significant signings, whether the current roster is good enough to make the postseason, 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.
Stay safe and enjoy the show!
Here’s how No. 278 went down:
0:15 – Orlando City has its Duck back but so far, not much else on the offensive end.
33:09 – The Pride keep bleeding players and are apparently trying to staunch that bleeding with allocation money.
50:51 – Mailbag time! Is Peacemaker any good? What are we watching now? And when will reinforcements arrive? We opine!
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 488: Cincinnati Rewind, Charlotte Preview, and More
The Lions drop a tough home match and must regroup on the road at Charlotte.

Orlando City’s offensive consistency continues to be inconsistent. Days after scoring four goals that could have been eight, the Lions scored one that should have been at least two. The team has also shipped multiple goals in consecutive games, although that set piece howler on Saturday can hardly be blamed on the defense as a whole.
We checked our score predictions, broke down the key moments and players from the game, and made our selections for Man of the Match.
The mailbagbox wanted us to predict Oscar Pareja’s comfort level with his roster and how many guys on an MLS roster should be relied upon for significant minutes. 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.
Following the mailbagbox segment, we touched on OCB’s Monday matinee at Philadelphia, which had not yet been played at the time of our recording (we recorded Sunday afternoon because of some scheduling issues). We also discussed Alex Freeman’s selection to the MLS All-Star Team.
Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando City’s matchup on the road at Charlotte. The Lions will have to play well against a difficult conference opponent to get back in the win column. City doesn’t have a great record against the other teams above the playoff line, so maybe a game against the 10th-place team is what the club needs to get three points to erase the memory of that Cincinnati loss. We provide our key matchups, look at where the teams are in the table, and made our score predictions for the match.
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. 488 went down:
0:15 – The Lions fell at home in a winnable game, and what’s up with these bad goals at home?
22:41– The mailbagbox is small but mighty.
32:59 – OCB hadn’t played yet when we talked about their game Monday afternoon at Philly. Plus, Alex Freeman is an MLS All-Star and the senior side heads to North Carolina.
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 487: St. Louis City Rewind, OCB-Toronto, FC Cincinnati Preview, and More
A look back at the Lions’ win at St. Louis, a preview of the Cincinnati game, and also OCB played.

Orlando City found its shootin’ boots on Wednesday in St. Louis, scoring four goals on the road that could have been double that had a little decision making been better, some shots had been a little more precise, and Roman Burki hadn’t played so well for St. Louis City. As it was, two Lions scored braces, with Ramiro Enrique a bit unlucky not to score his first hat trick for Orlando. The less we say about Ivan Angulo’s failure to give him a tap-in late in the first, the better (but yeah, we discussed it for a bit).
We checked back on our score predictions from earlier this week to see how we did, analyze the key moments and players from the game, and make our selections for Man of the Match. We also talked about which Lions made the MLS Team of the Matchday.
One thing we didn’t discuss was Alex Freeman making the MLS All-Star Team. We’ll get to that later. It’s been a busy week.
The mailbagbox asked about Rafael Santos and bands we’d like to see reunite and go on tour. 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.
Following the mailbagbox segment, we looked back at another rough outing for OCB against Toronto FC II. The Young Lions were shorthanded, but defensive mistakes handed the visitors a win. We didn’t want to dwell on it too long, but if we had, we would have had to discuss how bad OCB’s pitch looked. What’s up with that?
Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando City’s matchup against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. We provide the series history and the current state of both teams in this six-pointer. We also provide our key matchups and our score predictions for the game.
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. 487 went down:
0:15 – Orlando City should have cruised to an easier win, but the Lions got the job done and why you no pass ball, Ivan Angulo?
22:41– The questions in our mailbagbox are both soccer-related and not soccer-related.
32:59 – OCB’s loss and Orlando City’s date with Cincy.
Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 92: Louisville Rewind, Pride International Call-Ups, and More
The Pride stumble badly on the road just before the midseason break.

The Orlando Pride still haven’t won in Kentucky. The Pride went to Racing Louisville on Friday and struggled offensively, while giving up an easy, uncontested opening goal on a set piece and conceding a senseless penalty kick off a routine throw-in. It was a poor performance from the defending champions and another worrying sign of a team that has taken steps backward after last year’s magical season.
We checked our score predictions from last week, broke down the key moments in the the game, and tried to figure out who to select for Player of the Match.
This week’s mailbagbox wanted to know about Simone Jackson, whether reinforcements should be expected (and when), 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, without a match until August, we discussed Pride players who have been recalled recently by their national teams or youth national teams. It’s going to be a long wait to erase the frustration of the last match of June, but in the meantime, we’ll be keeping an eye on the club’s international players.
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 92 went down:
0:15 – The Pride did not look good on the road at Louisville. Our thoughts.
17:53 – The mailbagbox is a bright spot after a dark weekend.
35:53 – Pride players who will be representing their countries this summer.
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