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PawedCast Episode 368: OCB-Miami II, Academy Transfer News, and More

The Young Lions draw on the road, an OCB player is sold to a European club, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

We’re still in the limbo between Leagues Cup and the resumption of the Major League Soccer season, so it’s time for the Young Lions to take center stage. Unfortunately, this week that means having to rehash an unsatisfying 1-1 draw against an Inter Miami II side that was down a man for more than half an hour. That draw was followed by an even less satisfying shootout loss. We break down the match and implore Javier Otero to vary his approach a bit more when it comes to spot kicks.

Our mailbagbox asked about European teams and players, as well as what constitutes success for Orlando City in 2023. 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.

Finally, Orlando City B midfielder Alejandro Granados was sold to Belgian side Club Brugge. The club did not release the financial details, but multiple online reports had the Lions making a cool $2 million for the Spanish youth international. We discuss the rare academy business the club wrapped up.

As a programming note, there will not be a second show this week, as there is no Orlando City match. We’ll recap tonight’s OCB game next week, combining it with the Young Lions’ trip to play NYCFC II.


Here’s how No. 368 went down:

0:15 – OCB struggled to score on the road despite opportunities.

18:45 – The mailbagbox beckons and we’ve got answers to all questions.

35:15 – An academy sale!

Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 77: Spirit Rewind, Chicago Preview, and More

A trophy eludes the Pride against the Washington Spirit and Orlando prepares to host Chicago in the NWSL opener.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Well, now we know what it’s like to watch the Orlando Pride play for a trophy and somehow not win it. Let’s not do that again. The Pride and Washington Spirit battled hard in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and a draw was probably the fair result, although an Orlando win would have vastly improved our moods this week. The penalty shootout was fun to watch for about two rounds, and then it wasn’t.

After checking in on the news that Rafaelle and Grace Chanda were removed from the Season-Ending Injury list (which turned out to be important on Friday), we break down the Pride’s game against the Spirit, check back on our score predictions, discuss the key plays, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know how hyped we are about Prisca Chilufya, what we thought of Seb Hines’ substitutions on Friday, how we predict the 14 teams in the NWSL to finish in 2025, 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 Friday’s NWSL season-opening matchup against the Chicago Stars. We don’t know what possessed Chicago to drop the “Red” part that made the team’s name stand out, but we are definitely here to make fun of that franchise for the decision. What we can’t make fun of is the Pride’s record — especially at home — against Chicago. However, Orlando did win its last home game against the then-Red Stars, which was kind of an important step in winning the NWSL Championship. We look at the matchup and history of the series, discuss 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 77 went down:

0:15 – The Pride did not beat the Spirit, nor did they lose. However, the shootout…oh yeah, they lost that thing, big time.

15:50 – The mailbagbox comes suspiciously close to assigning us homework.

41:20 – Our look ahead at the Chicago Stars and how the Pride might do on Friday.

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Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 468: New York City FC Rewind, Red Bulls Preview, OCB-Crew 2, and More

Lions fall on the road in New York and now must head to New Jersey, and the Young Lions beat Columbus.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City couldn’t keep the momentum going from its win over Toronto FC as the Lions opened their road schedule with a 2-1 loss to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. It was a poor start to each half by Orlando and the continuation of too many individual errors at the back that prevented a result, while the offense generated chances but wasn’t as clinical as in the first couple of matches. At least Robin Jansson returned to the lineup and Luis Muriel found the net.

We look back at the first road loss of the season, check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Man of the Match.

The mailbagbox has us naming and guessing favorite players, predicting an over/under on how many Lions will play at least five minutes in 2025, 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 opened the season by salvaging the weekend for the organization with a 2-1 win over Columbus Crew 2 at home. Dyson Clapier and Zakaria Taifi were the offensive stars, and Carlos Mercado made several good saves to protect the lead as the Young Lions held on at the end. We look back at the win and look forward to OCB’s meeting with Atlanta on Sunday.

Finally, we looked ahead to Saturday afternoon, as the Lions return to the New York metropolitan area to face the Red Bulls in New Jersey. Orlando City will have to be sharp defensively against a team that leaves small margins with one of the best defenses in MLS. The Lions haven’t scored a lot of goals against New York recently, so fixing the mistakes at the back is more vital than ever. We make our predictions and discuss our key matchups.

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. 468 went down:

0:15 – The Lions did not continue scoring lots of goals but did continue to concede them.

18:37 – The mailbagbox is full this week with both regular questions and requests for blind guesses.

34:42 – OCB opened the season with a victory over Crew 2 and our key matchups and score predictions for Orlando City at the New York Red Bulls.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 76: New Decennial Kits, Washington Preview, and More

A discussion of the Pride’s new kits and our preview and predictions for the NWSL Challenge Cup.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s match week. The Orlando Pride last played a competitive match in November against the Washington Spirit with a trophy on the line. On Friday, the Pride will play a competitive match against the Washington Spirit with another trophy on the line.

Before we discuss the Pride and Spirit tangling for the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup, we discuss the brand-spanking-new Decennial Kit that the club released since our last show. The design is fantastic, the look is great, and the star and crest are out of this world. There is just one drawback that bothers both of your podcast hosts. It’s not a deal breaker, but that one little detail could have made for one of the best kits in the team’s history — which is saying something, because the Pride have been killing it.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know if we can have a Seb Cam during Orlando Pride matches and asks us to dole out our preferred starting lineup for Friday. 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 look ahead to Friday’s matchup with the Washington Spirit. What we don’t know this early in the week is what the availability report will look like. What we do know is that the Spirit are probably tired of watching Orlando Pride players celebrating trophy wins. Can the Pride do it again? We look at some of the injury factors that could determine which team could get the upper hand, discuss our key matchups, and make our final score predictions.


Here’s how Episode 76 went down:

0:15 – The Pride have some fancy new duds and we want to talk about it.

11:46 – The mailbagbox wants to know about preferred lineups and coach cams.

30:33 – Key matchups and predictions for the Pride vs. the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup.

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