The Orlando Pride came back from the road and there really is no place like home. After the obligatory Central Florida weather delay, the Pride went out and beat defending NWSL champion NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 at Inter&Co Stadium. Adriana found her scoring boots and bagged herself a brace, and the Pride kept another clean sheet.

We discussed the highlights from the game, checked the result against our score predictions from last week, and made our selections for Player of the Match.

Our mailbagbox this week had concerns about Haley Carter’s role with her new title, wondered if referees are more lenient with the Pride’s opponents, asked which midfielders and formation might be used in Chicago, and questioned what the final score really was on Sunday. 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. 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.

After the mailbagbox, we dove into some of the recent Orlando Pride news, including Carter’s new contract, Alex Kerr being waived, and the U-20 USWNT not using Ally Lemos in its 1-0 opening loss to Spain. We’re not saying the U.S. lost to Spain because Lemos didn’t play, but no one can prove the Yanks wouldn’t have won if she had.

Finally, we look ahead to Orlando’s trip to face the Red Stars in Chicago. The Pride usually do better against the Red Stars on the road than at home, which is weird, but hopefully that trend continues. We also provide our key matchups and score predictions for this weekend’s game.

Here’s how Episode 59 went down:

13:55 – The Pride got two goals from Adriana and a big W.

14:54 – Our mailbagbox has anxiety issues, and some bits of Orlando Pride news.

33:18 – Our preview of Orlando’s trip to play the Chicago Red Stars.

A good way to bounce back from a 3-0 loss to one of the Western Conference’s worst teams is by beating one of the Eastern Conference’s worst teams by that same score. Orlando City ran back the goal differential beating it took in Kansas City by thumping Nashville by the same score from the first meeting between the teams in Tennessee. Nashville may not be a barometer on how well Orlando is playing right now, but the task is to beat the team in front of you, and the Lions did just that on Saturday.

We break down the victory, look back at our score predictions, and make our selections for Man of the Match.

This episode’s mailbagbox once again pits Ramiro Enrique against Duncan McGuire and asks for some fatherly advice. 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 dove into OCB’s 2-1 home win over Huntsville City FC. It was a vital win for the Young Lions to stay in the playoff hunt with the regular season winding down. The Young Lions made things tough on themselves but they were able to get the result and jump above the playoff line — for now, anyway — with a crucial six-pointer coming up on the road this weekend.

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.

Here’s how No. 443 went down:

0:15 – Orlando City bounced back from a tough 3-0 loss in Sporting Kansas City by a not-as-tough 3-0 win at home against Nashville.

17:30 – The mailbagbox calls and we must answer.

25:58 – The Young Lions got the job done but made things difficult on themselves, as usual.

The Orlando Pride returned to league play on Friday and, despite some difficulties, managed to get a second-half goal and a little bit of luck to beat the Houston Dash 1-0. The Pride established a new NWSL record for consecutive games unbeaten (18), along with a few more club single-season records. We break down the match, speak glowingly of Angelina’s pass and Summer Yates’ goal, check in on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

Our mailbagbox this week was helpful to someone who asked a question last week. In addition, we were asked about which team was the Pride’s biggest NWSL Shield threat and whether we should be concerned about the defensive performance in Houston. 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. 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.

After the mailbagbox, we look ahead to NJ/NY Gotham FC’s visit to Inter&Co Stadium on Sunday. We check the tale of the tape and past history and provide our key matchups and score predictions for the heavyweight battle to come this weekend.

Here’s how Episode 58 went down:

0:15 – It wasn’t easy, but the Orlando Pride finally beat the Dash in Houston for the first time in years.

14:54 – Our mailbagbox revisits old requests and makes new ones.

27:55 – Gotham is playing well, so the Pride have to be sharp on Sunday.