Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 7: Spirit Rewind, Emily Madril Interview, and Chicago Preview
First-year Pride defender Emily Madril joins us for an exclusive interview.
The Orlando Pride have done what seven other NWSL teams failed to do — beat the Washington Spirit. The Pride’s 2-1 home victory over the Spirit on Saturday night raised eyebrows all over the NWSL, but it is exactly what Seb Hines and his players expected to happen. The Pride have shown a remarkable amount of confidence over the course of the last four games — all without a loss (3-0-1) — and it suddenly doesn’t seem implausible that the team that began the season 0-4-0 could actually make a playoff run in 2023. But then again, it’s the hope that kills you.
For the time being, let’s just bask in the glow of an unbeaten run that at least has Orlando in a respectable position after a poor start to the season. The main difference seems to be a much stouter defense, combined with a reinvigorated Anna Moorhouse in goal. It didn’t hurt that Marta provided some much-needed offensive help on Saturday. We break down a win that we didn’t anticipate against the previously unbeaten Washington side and select our Player of the Match.
One of the players responsible for the Pride’s improved defense joins us for this show. Defender Emily Madril is spending her first season wearing Orlando purple and she has overcome an inconsistent and sometimes shaky start to the season to grow into the team. We spoke to the former Florida State Seminole about her assimilation into the Pride, overcoming that slow start, what she’s learned about the NWSL since joining the league, and more.
After our chat with Emily, we had quite a few mailbagbox questions to answer, and we appreciate all who wrote in. 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 gave our key matchups and score predictions for the Pride’s trip to play the Chicago Red Stars this Saturday night.
Here’s how Episode 7 went down:
0:15 – The Pride stretched their unbeaten streak to four, having had to go through league leaders Gotham and Washington to do so, which is a good sign.
14:06 – Emily Madril joins us and tells it like it is.
30:22 – Our mailbagbox was far from empty, and we provided our key matchups and score predictions for Saturday’s game at the Chicago Red Stars.
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 549: Minnesota Rewind, San Diego Preview, OCB, and More
The Lions complete a come-from-behind-from-ahead draw vs. the Loons and will face San Diego for the first time.
Orlando City went to the Land of 10,000 Lakes and somehow found itself up two goals past the hour mark despite only mustering two shot attempts in that time. However, the game normalized as Minnesota United scored three times in a four-minute span and appeared headed to a win that would have been painful for the Lions. Tyrese Spicer had other plans, however, as he scored in stoppage time to snatch a late point for Orlando. We look back at a crazy game against the Loons, reflect on our score predictions, and make our unanimous selections for Man of the Match.
Our mailbagbox asked us new fan questions about rivalries as well as old fan questions about squad rotation during fixture congestion, Orlando City’s insane rate of conceding goals, 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 discuss a surprise victory for an OCB squad that had been floundering and looked completely out of sorts for weeks. The Young Lions may have one more run in them, and they’ll need it as they are below the playoff line with three matches remaining.
Finally, we look ahead to the first-ever meeting between Orlando City and San Diego FC. The blandly named California side has some excellent attacking players and has been a success since entering MLS just two years ago (it feels like longer!). We break down the tale of the tape between the teams, provide our key matchups, and try to predict 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. 549 went down:
0:15 – Orlando City blew a two-goal lead, fell behind late, and then equalized in stoppage time in a crazy game at Minnesota. It’s a draw that should have been a loss that should have been a win.
26:21 – The mailbagbox makes up for last week’s oversight.
48:58 – OCB beats the top team in the conference to snap a five-game losing streak and the senior Lions prepare to face San Diego FC for the first time ever.
Podcasts
SkoPurp 136: Seb Hines Out, Utah Rewind, Houston Preview, and More
The Pride part ways with Seb Hines after a loss to the Utah Royals and the Houston Dash visit Sunday.
The Pride parted ways with coach Seb Hines after losing their fourth match out of five. The Pride have been terrible since the restart after the World Cup break, but somehow beat the two best teams they played (Kansas City and Washington). There’s no rhyme or reason, except perhaps the best teams bring out the best in what’s left of the Pride’s…err…pride.
We discuss Hines’ departure with Yolanda Thomas taking over as interim manager and what that means, as well as whether the roster was overrated and finally caught up with him. Injuries in 2026 obviously didn’t help things, and what comes next? We’ll all find out together.
This week’s mailbagbox asked about which players not named Banda will score five or more goals in a season at some point in the future, the future of Oihane and Luana, 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 looked behind and ahead. We discussed the Pride’s home loss to Utah on another night in which the team was badly outplayed. We checked our score predictions and made our selections for player of the match. We also looked ahead to Houston’s visit on Sunday, checked out the series history, gave our key matchups (which are unchanged, because obviously), and provided 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 136 went down:
0:15 – The Pride have parted ways with Seb Hines. Was the head coach doomed from the start of the 2026 season?
27:21 – The mailbagbox is always there for us in times of strife.
39:15 – A quick rewind of the Pride’s loss to Utah and a look ahead to the Houston Dash.
Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 135: Washington Spirit Rewind, Utah Royals Preview, and More
The Pride got a badly needed win in Washington despite being dominated and will need improvement to knock off Utah.
The Pride bounced back from a gut punch loss at Portland to swipe all three points on the road from the Washington Spirit. If you saw the game, you’re probably still not sure how the Spirit didn’t at least equalize at some point, given the insane disparity in possession and shots, but no matter how ugly a win is, it’s still a win, and the Pride haven’t had enough of those lately, so savor it. A new face emerged in goal as Anna Moorhouse got a day off and Cosette Morche made her NWSL debut, and although the Spirit (and the woodwork) helped her out quite a bit, as did her teammates by getting in front of shots, she made a gigantic save deep in stoppage time to preserve the victory.
We look back at the Washington match and the tell-tale sign that obviously should have signaled a win (Haley McCutcheon scoring early in a game), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.
This week’s mailbagbox asked about the goalkeeping situation, how we feel about our Barbra Banda vs. everyone prediction, player minutes during the rest of the season, Gabi Nunes, 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 looked ahead to Saturday’s home matchup with the Utah Royals. The Pride will have to be sharper to build on the win in Washington and get a second straight result, especially on set piece defending. We check the series history, look at where the teams stand now, provide our key matchups, 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 135 went down:
0:15 – The Pride got an early blast from McCutcheon and…well, really, what else do you need?
22:58 – The mailbagbox is talking goalkeepers, minutes, and goals.
42:05 – The Utah Royals come to town on Saturday and the Pride need to find a way to get more points.
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