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PawedCast Episode 330: D.C. Rewind, Tigres Talk, Charlotte Preview, Orlando Pride News, and More

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This week’s show again started out with some personalized thank you shout-outs to some of the founding members of our new, independent website, which is under construction. We’ll keep the GoFundMe open until April 1, so if you’re still waiting for payday or on the fence about contributing, you’ve still got time to get yourself immortalized on the new site.

Now, on to why you’re here…

Orlando City is getting you a tie for Father’s Day. That’s pretty obvious after the Lions drew for the third consecutive match, splitting the points in a 1-1 draw at D.C. United on Saturday. Getting a point against Wayne Rooney on the road almost (but not quite) feels like a win, especially when it was achieved with a heavily rotated side. That side included the first Orlando City starts for Rafael Santos and Duncan McGuire.

As fate would have it, McGuire turned out to be the player who finally ended Orlando City’s long, national nightmare of going scoreless in the run of play. The rookie’s first professional goal wasn’t exactly a highlight-reel strike, but he won’t care and neither do we. His back flip, however, was quite gorgeous. The setup by Kyle Smith and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson that led to the goal was also nice to watch.

Unfortunately, Chris Durkin spoiled things by scoring an unstoppable goal that even the stunning form of Pedro Gallese was powerless to prevent. Durkin might not ever score a goal that precise ever again, and it kind of sucks that it came against Orlando City, but a road point in the midst of heavy rotation due to fixture congestion isn’t all bad.

After breaking down the match, we submit our picks for Man of the Match against United. It was not as unanimous as you might expect, despite Gallese’s heroics in the first half. We also talked a little about tonight’s showdown with Tigres, Orlando City’s Leagues Cup bracket, and an honor for El Pulpo.

The Orlando Pride are quickly closing in on both their final preseason match — this Friday against the Washington Spirit — and their first game of the 2023 NWSL season. The team got a jump on its postseason to-do list, however, by signing midfielder Mikayla Cluff to a new three-year deal. Cluff was already under contract for 2023, but the new agreement extends her stay in Orlando through 2025.

We also discussed the announcement of OCB’s 2023 schedule (finally) and some of the quirky new rules in MLS NEXT Pro this season. If nothing else, MLS NEXT Pro is going to get weird. We talk about some of those rule changes and compare them to stuff from another sport going through some twists and turns.

This week’s mailbagbox was small, but mighty. 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.

Finally, we looked ahead to Saturday night’s home game against Charlotte FC, complete with our key match-ups and predictions.

Stay safe and enjoy the show!


Here’s how No. 330 went down:

0:15 – The Lions kept not losing this week but also kept not winning. We talk about the trip to D.C.

46:29 – Pride and OCB news! The Pride locked down a midfielder and the Young Lions are going to have some strange new rules to play by in 2023.

1:07:09 – Our mailbagbox asks us to rate our excitement for the Tigres match and the return of Ted Lasso. Plus, prediction time!

Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 91: Bay FC Rewind, Racing Louisville Preview, and More

The Pride squeak out a gritty road draw at Bay FC and continue their road trip in Kentucky.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride remained unbeaten in the state of California, but it wasn’t easy. Barbra Banda snapped a scoreless tie early in the second half and the Pride held on against a barrage of Bay FC attacks down the stretch to claim another road win. Anna Moorhouse played well to keep the clean sheet in Orlando’s second consecutive 1-0 win and third victory in a row.

We looked back at the key moments and players, checked our score predictions from our last show, and made our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox wanted to know about the Pride’s ideal formation, the Tampa Bay Sun winning the USL title, the recent addition of Simone Jackson, Moorhouse’s performance, 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 previewed the Pride’s trip to face Racing Louisville on Friday in Kentucky, starting with the evenly played series history, Orlando’s struggles on the road against Louisville, and the relative position of the two teams in the table. We provided our key matchups and made 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 91 went down:

0:15 – A look back at a wild finish that prevented a meh 0-0 draw against Houston.

24:17 – The mailbagbox is chock full of questions.

39:48 – Our preview of the Pride’s trip to Lynn Family Stadium to face Racing Louisville.

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Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 485: Rapids Rewind, OCB-Carolina Core, Alex Freeman with the USMNT, and More

The Lions hold off Colorado on the road and OCB doesn’t put up much of a fight in North Carolina.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City returned to action and battled the Colorado Rapids on the road, claiming all three points and snapping a two-match losing streak. The Lions didn’t play their best soccer, but they fought hard and were able to grind out a tightly contested road win. Martin Ojeda provided the game’s only offensive highlight that mattered, showing that if you shoot hard and on frame, good things can, and often do, happen.

We looked back at the key moments and players in the game, checked our score predictions to see how close we came to being right, and made our selections for Man of the Match.

Alex Freeman’s first competitive match with the USMNT came in the Gold Cup against Trinidad & Tobago, and the Orlando City Homegrown fullback was one of the bright spots for the Yanks in a 5-0 win. It just feels like the more he plays, the more he grows.

The mailbagbox asked about whether Orlando City needs to make a change to the starting lineup up top, whether the MLS shutout record will fall this season, 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.

Following the mailbagbox segment, we briefly discussed a forgettable 1-0 OCB loss at Carolina Core FC. The Young Lions didn’t have much bite last week against the Foxes, and it wasn’t much fun to watch. Both OCB and Orlando City are now off until June 25.

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. 485 went down:

0:15 – The Lions went to the Rocky Mountains and brought back all three points. Alex Freeman went to PayPal Park and played well for the USMNT.

23:27– The questions come from our listeners. The answers come from us. Mailbagbox time!

38:57 – OCB didn’t play so well against Carolina Core FC, especially at the offensive end.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 90: Houston Rewind, Pride Call-Ups, Bay FC Preview, and More

A win at the death for the Pride vs. Houston will be followed by a trip to play Bay FC.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride returned to action after the international break and left it late before dispatching the Houston Dash 1-0. Cori Dyke was the improbable hero, scoring deep in stoppage time to snare all three points for the hometown Pride. A goal to win it late is better than no goal at all, especially when that goal is the game winner. It nearly wasn’t, as Anna Moorhouse was saved blushes for a mistake by an offside flag, but in the end, even ugly wins are wins.

We look back at the key moments in the match, check our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

We also discussed Marta and Angelina being selected for Brazil’s Copa America Femenina roster.

Afterwards, we jumped into this week’s mailbagbox, which wanted to know about a listener’s outfit, whether the Pride can just for once make things easy on themselves, 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 previewed the Pride’s upcoming Friday match against Bay FC. We look at both teams’ 2025 seasons so far, break down the short series history, provide our key matchups for the game, 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 90 went down:

0:15 – A look back at a wild finish that prevented a meh 0-0 draw against Houston.

23:17 – The mailbagbox is always a nice cherry on top of a Pride victory.

39:48 – A look ahead at the Pride’s second-ever trip to play Bay FC.

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