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PawedCast Episode 332: Duncan McGuire Interview, Philly Rewind, Pride-Thorns, OCB’s Opener, and More

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

We’re in our final week at SBNation and although we’re thankful for all they’ve done for our website and our podcast, we are excited about striking out on our own new adventure. We start this week’s show with an update on our upcoming Independence Day and this podcast has already moved out from under the SBN umbrella as part of that. We also thank a new Founder and put out a plea to those who have not yet emailed us after donating to our GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to let us know if we are supposed to include your name on the new site or not.

Orlando City went on the road without some key players and faced the always-tough Philadelphia Union (also missing some key players) and the Lions managed to snap Philly’s 24-match home unbeaten run. It was an impressive streak but Martin Ojeda’s early goal and assist, and some stalwart defending, combined to give the Lions a critical road victory. We break down the match and discuss Ojeda’s inclusion on the MLS Team of the Matchday (that phrase is never going to sound good).

After that, we welcomed Orlando rookie forward Duncan McGuire to the show to answer our questions and catch us up on his soccer journey as he learns the pro game. Duncan was also kind enough to answer questions from our Founders and a lot of you were interested in his backflip celebration! Big thanks to Duncan for taking some time out for us.

The Orlando Pride opened their season and things did not go well for Seb Hines’ team as the Portland Thorns bullied their way to an easy 4-0 win. The Pride had a tough opening assignment and there aren’t many tougher ones, so it’ll be interesting to see how the team bounces back. A response is crucial in the home opener this weekend against Angel City.

We also discussed the Pride’s new local TV deal and our plan to announce our new Orlando Pride podcast and unveil the logo within the next week. Then it’s just a matter of getting it set up and actually recording shows.

OCB also kicked off the 2023 season and the Young Lions had a successful business trip to Philadelphia, beating Union II by a 3-1 scoreline, despite few people getting to see it due to issues with the MLS NEXT Pro stream. Where were those glitches in some of those lopsided losses a year ago?

Plus, the USMNT and forward Daryl Dike returned to Exploria Stadium Monday night for Concacaf Nations League play. We covered that match and it could have been a bit more aesthetically pleasing, but at least the Yanks won and advanced to the semifinals.

This week’s mailbagbox was chock full on the email side, but light on the Twitter side, so it balanced out. 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 game vs. Nashville, complete with our key match-ups and predictions.

Stay safe and enjoy the show!


Here’s how No. 332 went down:

0:15 – The Lions picked up their first road victory of the season and it was only at the toughest place in the league to win for the traveling side. Our breakdown of a big win in Philly.

34:22 – Duncan McGuire jumps in and tells us all about that backflip, transitioning to the professional game, where he’s gotten help from on the team, and much more.

50:21 – The Pride got pounded, OCB won by multiple goals, the USMNT won again in Orlando, and our key match-ups and predictions.

Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 477: Rowdies Rewind, Revolution Preview, and More

The Lions dismiss the Rowdies from the U.S. Open Cup and the red-hot Revs will visit Orlando.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City took a break from scoreless draws in the MLS regular season to pound a hole in the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Wednesday night at Al Lang Stadium. A 16-year-old kid served as Orlando’s baby-faced assassin, as Gustavo Caraballo took advantage of a first-team start in a competitive match by scoring his first two first-team goals. Caraballo became the youngest player in club history to score for the first team when he converted off a Martin Ojeda pass in the first half. He then became the second-youngest Orlando City player to score a goal for the first team two minutes later off an equally nice pass from Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

The Lions added three more to win comfortably on the road. We break down the blowout, look back at our score predictions from earlier this week, and unanimously select our Man of the Match.

Whether Orlando City can carry this offensive outburst into the weekend against the stifling New England defense remains to be seen.

The mailbagbox gathered up its strength despite the short week and hit us with questions about our most hated rivals, the order the Lions’ Designated Players will finish in goal contributions, whether OCB could beat Tampa Bay, 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.

Finally, we previewed the New England Revolution’s upcoming visit to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday night. The Lions’ recent offensive struggles are problematic, considering the league’s best defensive team is on its way to Central Florida. Orlando City will also need to try to contain the always-dangerous Carles Gil and his teammates, so it’s a big task ahead of the Lions this weekend. We break down the series history, provide our key matchups, and make our final score predictions.

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. 477 went down:

0:15 – The Lions start their 2025 U.S. Open Cup run on the right foot in St. Pete by walloping the Rowdies.

23:42– The mailbagbox is strong, even on short rest.

41:05 – The Lions are unbeaten in eight, but the New England Revolution are on fire right now.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 85: Portland Rewind, North Carolina Preview, and More

The Pride equal last year’s loss total with another bad night in Portland, while the Courage wait in North Carolina.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride have not played well for 2.5 of the last three matches, falling 1-0 on the road at Portland Saturday night. Scoring is an issue, as is breaking out of their own end. The Pride simply aren’t creating enough clear-cut scoring chances, and when they do, they’re not being clinical with those opportunities.

We break down Orlando’s second loss of the season — tying last year’s total already — discussing some of the game’s big moments, looking back at our predictions from last week, and making our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know about NWSL announcers and officials, Pride cohesion, and the season-ending injury list. 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.

Following our mailbagbox segment, we look ahead to the Pride’s trip to North Carolina to take on the Courage. It’s a tough place to get a result and a quality opponent for Orlando, but you have to play everyone in their place at some point. A result against North Carolina might be just what the doctor ordered for the Pride to get back on track and go on a run after falling in two of the last three games. We break down the all-time series, preview the Courage, provide our key matchups in the game, and try to predict the final score.

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 85 went down:

0:15 – The Pride are not in the best form at the moment, but they’re still in first place, so there’s that.

17:26 – A bunch of questions were found in this week’s mailbagbox, so we answered them.

35:30 – The Pride head to another difficult place to get results with a trip to North Carolina on the schedule for Saturday. We preview!

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Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 476: Chicago Rewind, OCB at Fire II, Tampa Bay Rowdies Preview, and More

The Lions are stuck with another 0-0 draw, OCB gets drilled in Chicago, and Orlando heads to Tampa Bay.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City may have found its scoring boots against Atlanta, but the Lions put those away, wrapped them in mothballs, and stuck them in the attic before heading to Soldier Field to play the Chicago Fire. The result was another 0-0 draw, but it was a lack of lethality that plagued Orlando on Saturday night on the road, despite being up a man for more than half the match. Martin Ojeda and Marco Pasalic each hit the woodwork in the second half, but the Lions got no closer, as they refused to put shots on target — where they might create problems for a young goalkeeper who had to step in when Chris Brady was sent off late in the first half.

The Lions put only two shots on target all night in a wasteful effort in Chicago, and the draw felt a bit like a loss, but the upshot is they still ran their unbeaten streak to eight games (3-0-5). We looked back at our score predictions, discussed all the key moments, and made our picks for Man of the Match (honestly, there was no contest for that honor on Saturday, as Pedro Gallese was magnificent). Gallese’s effort earned him a spot on the Team of the Matchday this week.

The mailbagbox asks about what we collect, what’s up with music today, what we might see Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup, 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.

OCB’s leaky defense over the previous two games was nothing compared to Friday night in Chicago, when Fire FC II pounded the Young Lions 5-1. Shak Mohammed scored first, but missed a penalty just before halftime that could have made a big difference. Chicago rode its momentum into the second half instead and simply beat the brakes off OCB. The Young Lions will have to live with that at least until hosting Inter Miami II on May 17.

Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando City’s trip to Tampa Bay Wednesday for the latest iteration of the I-4 Derby. The Lions last met the Rowdies in their first match of the 2022 U.S. Open Cup and now will open the 2025 run against their in-state rivals. The good news is that the 2022 team ended up playing six games in the competition and winning a nice, shiny trophy at the end. We provide our key matchups and score predictions for the midweek USOC 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.


Here’s how No. 476 went down:

0:15 – The Lions kept a fifth straight clean sheet, but also failed to score for the fourth time in five outings. That’s not optimal.

23:38– The mailbagbox is a welcome salve on our souls after another scoreless draw.

42:10 – OCB got pounded again, and the Lions head to Tampa Bay to renew the I-4 Derby rivalry.

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