It feels like months since the Orlando Pride last took the field, but the calendar says otherwise. If you believe calendars, it’s only been a little less than three weeks, but time moves strangely in the post-pandemic apocalyptic world.

Anyway, we don’t have a match to recap, so we touched on a couple of Pride players putting the ball in the net during the international break and chat a bit about the United States Women’s National Team’s three-game friendly series against Japan. Emma Hayes used a lot of players, and the team looked solid for two of the three matches, but the rotated middle game seemed a bit disjointed. Hayes has greatly expanded the player pool and will have plenty of options when the World Cup approaches.

Our mailbagbox had questions about a potential change in the NWSL schedule, as the league explores adopting the fall-to-spring slate, and opposition own goals. 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.

After the mailbagbox, we turned our attention toward Friday’s late afternoon tussle with Racing Louisville in Kentucky. The Pride have never won on the road against Louisville, and it’s about high time they did. This match begins a congested push to the June World Cup break, and although Friday’s hosts aren’t high in the table, the Pride must be at their best to get a road result in this fixture. We look back at the series history, compare the two sides, provide our key matchups in the game, and make our final score predictions.

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Here’s how Episode 119 went down:

0:15 – We open the show with a little banter about the Pride in the international break and the USWNT’s series vs. Japan.

9:03 – The mailbagbox features questions via both eletronic mail and social media. We welcome all modes of delivery.

19:59 – The Pride travel to Louisville to face Racing. They’ve never won in Kentucky, but we inform them how to do so.

We are less than enthused about talking about Orlando City’s games this season, but that’s only because they continue to not win games. And even though the team did win one since our last show — a 1-0 nailbiter against USL League One side FC Naples in the U.S. Open Cup — it’s not always enjoyable to watch.

We open this episode with a breakdown of Orlando City’s 1-0 home loss to the Houston Dynamo. The Lions were wasteful with the few chances they created and although the defense has improved since Robin Jansson’s return, the offense has fallen off a cliff. There were even more injuries to deal with, literally adding injury to insult. We discuss the key plays and moments of the match, look back at last week’s score predictions, and make our selections for Man of the Match.

We also spent a few minutes discussing the 1-0 win at FC Naples that could have been different with better camera angles and video review, but it was a win, and those are difficult to come by these days, regardless of the competition. The Man of the Match was obvious in that one.

Our mailbagbox was short and sweet, as our listeners wanted to know about 25-year-old U.S. strikers playing abroad, our favorite Disney theme parks, 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.

After the mailbagbox, we touched on OCB’s 2-2 draw against Carolina Core FC, in which the Young Lions threw away a late 2-0 lead and blew a big chance to retake the lead in stoppage time. In the end, OCB managed to take two points and only drop one by winning the penalty shootout.

Finally, we looked forward to Wednesday’s home game against Charlotte FC. Wednesday’s visitors are much better than Saturday’s, so Orlando City will have to be much better just to get the same result, which is not a result we liked. Can the Lions win? Maybe, but it just doesn’t seem like this team is putting it together quite yet. We break down the series history, provide our key matchups for the game, and make our score predictions.

We’ll be back later in the week to break down the Charlotte game and preview Saturday’s trip to play D.C. United.

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. 528 went down:

0:15 – The Lions lost again. Orlando is not playing great soccer and it would be better if it was.

27:17 – Our mailbagbox is an oasis in the middle of talking about this 2026 Orlando City season.

37:39 – OCB dropped a point at home and we look ahead to the Charlotte game during the midweek.

The Lions finished off their three-game road trip, and while the 1-1 draw against the Crew in Columbus wasn’t a rousing success, it was light years ahead of the 5-0 loss at Nahsville and the 6-0 loss at LAFC. Returning players made a big difference and scoring the first goal was helpful as well, allowing the Lions to stop some of the bleeding and earn their first road point.

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

Our mailbagbox was loaded up with questions about Ricardo Moriera, Orlando City’s roster needs, a Freaky Friday-type life swap situation, and much 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.

After the mailbagbox, we touched on OCB’s 3-1 loss at Chattanooga FC and looked ahead to the Young Lions’ matchup Sunday against Carolina Core.

Finally, we looked ahead to a pair of upcoming Orlando City games this week. The Lions will play USL League One opponent FC Naples on the road Wednesday to start their 2026 U.S. Open Cup run. We’re not going to pretend to know a lot about the club, but it is currently first in the table and it’s both a winnable and loseable game. The second match takes place Saturday at home, when the Houston Dynamo visit. We look back at the series history, check out how the two sides measure up in the league, discuss our key matchups for the game, and make our predictions for the final score.

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. 527 went down:

0:15 – Robin Jansson’s return was noticeable and so was his departure from the match on Sunday in Columbus.

24:45 – Our mailbagbox is chock full this week. We’re up to the challenge.

56:08 – OCB happenings, the Lions head south to take on FC Naples in U.S. Open Cup play, and the Houston Dynamo visit on Saturday.