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PawedCast Episode 279: Facundo Torres Signs, Pride Hire Assistant Coaches, and More

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Orlando City had a busy week off the pitch even as the Lions were getting down to business in preseason training. The long-awaited signing of winger Facundo Torres became official this week but fans will need to wait a little longer for him to arrive after the international window. Torres signed as a Young Designated Player and will be expected to make a big impact in 2022. The wing position also got a departure this week as news broke out of Ecuador that Alexander Alvarado will go on loan to LDU in Quito. Orlando hasn’t made that official but the Ecuadorian club announced that there’s also a purchase option.

Austrian striker Ercan Kara seems the likeliest next move to get over the finish line as reports had him headed to the U.S. for his physical as of yesterday. If Orlando City can complete the transaction, the Lions will have their replacements for both Nani and Daryl Dike, with a potential Gaston Gonzalez addition in May providing coverage for the departed Chris Mueller. The Lions are getting younger and could be a hungrier team for the 2022 season.

Finally, the Lions did a little roster compliance housekeeping by acquiring an international roster slot from Montreal for some General Allocation Money and a draft pick. And young Lions Michael Halliday and Thomas Williams got a call-up to the U-20 USMNT.

We break down all the Orlando City news and talk about what could be coming next.

The Pride added three assistant coaches and now only need to replace departed goalkeeping coach Lloyd Yaxley. One of those assistants is USWNT legend Michelle Akers. We discuss the new staff and boy are we ready for some Orlando Pride signings.

Exploria Stadium will again host a USMNT World Cup qualifier against Panama. We discuss that news and take a quick look at the upcoming FIFA window, which is a pivotal — and probably cold — one for the United States.

This week’s mailbag wants to know if Orlando City’s technical staff are playing FIFA, whether sponsorship garlic can keep the monsters at bay, and whether a former Lion killer would make a good Lion. 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. 279 went down:

0:15 – Orlando City adds a YDP, looks to have lost a backup winger, and all other manner of off-season rumor mongering.

30:47 – The Pride round out Amanda Cromwell’s coaching staff, the USMNT face a huge qualifying window, and we coin the term “mailboxbag.” Or is it “mailbagbox?”

Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 390: Columbus Rewind, Orlando City’s Off-Season Priorities, and More

We hate it when a plan doesn’t come together.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welp, the season is over. It seemed like this was an Orlando City built to do the darn thing, but you can’t do the darn thing if you don’t score any goals. It’s also difficult to do the darn thing when one of your center backs gets sent off and your team has fewer players than the opposition. These are the things the Lions had to contend with on Saturday and there were still opportunities there to take the game. We discuss all of those chances that went wanting and select our unanimous pick for Man of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox only had one submission, but 10 (!) questions. Don’t worry, they went quickly, as it was a rapid-fire trivia game for your hosts. We got some right. We got many wrong. 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.

Finally, we broke down Orlando City’s off-season priorities, in order of importance. Obviously there are three key figures who either need to be re-signed or replaced with someone of equal or higher quality — it’s not going to be easy to find someone who fits that description, let alone three someones, so we are hoping for the re-signing thing to happen. There are Designated Player slots to consider, guys who have their loans ending, and others who need to have their options picked up or sign new contracts entirely.


Here’s how No. 390 went down:

0:15 – We open the show with our recap and breakdown of Orlando City’s 2-0 loss to Columbus after extra time. The Lions could have used some goals, quite frankly.

20:24 – We dip into our mailbagbox, only to find out it’s trivia night!

34:29 — Orlando City’s off-season priorities are pretty straightforward.

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SkoPurp Soccer Episode 30: Pride Protected from Expansion Draft, Off-Season Roster Status Updates, and More

The Pride are marked safe from Bay FC and Utah, roster decisions announced, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

We’re back for our November monthly episode and so far it’s been a quiet off-season for the Orlando Pride. However, business should be picking up soon and just within the last week there has been plenty of news to chew on.

The Pride made a couple of trades to stay safe during the upcoming NWSL Expansion Draft. We break down what Orlando sent to Bay FC and the Utah Royals, including draft picks and one regular player from the lineup, and it looks like the club is compiling Allocation Money again, which can only be a good thing. The club sent a clear message that management and the coaching staff are confident in the way the roster is shaping up and they don’t want to see anyone plucked away, only to develop for a new team. It will be interesting to see how that pays off.

We had some good questions in our mailbagbox, aksing about the prospects of the Pride’s free agents returning for 2024 as well as the likelihood of whether Orlando will be going after one particular well-known free agent. 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.

Finally, we discussed the Pride’s end-of-season roster announcements to let you know which players are seemingly gone, which have had their options picked up, and more. The club has recently done a good job of locking up players across multiple years, so there was not as much to get done this off-season, but it will be interesting to see which free agend


Here’s how Episode 30 went down:

0:15 – The Orlando Pride won’t have any players plucked from their roster in this year’s NWSL Expansion Draft. Here’s why.

9:30 Mailbagbox time! We answer our listeners’ questions.

19:45 – A look at the Pride’s off-season roster decisions and pending free agents.

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PawedCast Episode 389: USMNT, Ricardo Moreira Interview, Columbus Crew Preview, and More

We chat with Orlando City Technical Director and Assistant GM Ricardo Moreira and preview the Crew.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After an unbelievably long gap in the playoff schedule, Orlando City is back this weekend with an Eastern Conference semifinal match at home against the Columbus Crew. And because it’s a special week, we’ve got a special show for you.

We open our discussion this week with a quick look at the United States Men’s National Team’s two-leg performance against Trinidad & Tobago. The games couldn’t have been more different and, although the second leg went off the rails when Sergino Dest lost his mind and got himself sent off for no good reason, the Yanks at least survived and advanced.

After that, we welcomed Orlando City Technical Director and Assistant General Manager Ricardo Moreira back to the show to talk about the team he and Luiz Muzzi put together for the 2023 season. We also asked him about his future plans beyond this season, the club’s unusual season in terms of Designated Players, whether Ivan Angulo and/or Wilder Cartagena might be back next year, and much more. Big thanks to Ricardo for taking time out to talk with us.

The mailbagbox only had one question in it this week, but it was a doozy. 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.

Finally, we looked ahead to Saturday’s showdown with the Columbus Crew, making our score predictions and giving our thoughts on where the match could be won or lost.


Here’s how No. 389 went down:

0:15 – We open the show with a short discussion of the USMNT’s series against Trinidad & Tobago and Sergino Dest losing his mind.

9:26 – Ricardo Moreira joins us and we ask him about his future, team building, and a bunch of other stuff.

31:55 — A quick dip into the mailbagbox and our key match-ups and predictions for Saturday’s match against the Crew.

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