SkoPurp Soccer Episode 19: Gotham FC Rewind, Chicago Red Stars Preview, and More

Offense was again an issue for the Orlando Pride in the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup. Despite scoring first — and second, only to have the second one overturned — the Pride once again allowed a stoppage-time goal and had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Gotham FC last Wednesday night. Messiah Bright got things off on the right foot for Orlando but a Haley McCutcheon goal was overturned and shoddy defending allowed the hosts to escape with a draw, which left both teams outside the knockout stages of the competition.

We break down the game and make our selections for Player of the Match.

We then turned our attention to the two new Pride players who will be debuting soon with the club. Where do they fit? How will they be used? Is Seb Hines thinking of a shape change? These are the things we’re pondering.

This week’s mailbagbox asked about referees and it probably was coincidental that these questions came in this week, right? 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.

Finally, we looked ahead to the return of the regular season and how the Pride are going to cope with the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday. We’ve got our score predictions and key matchups.

Here’s how Episode 19 went down:

0:15 – The Pride played a good road game but allowed a tying goal in stoppage time…again.

27:36 — The mailbagbox has questions about officiating.

38:39 – The Chicago Red Stars visit Sunday and we’ve got predictions and key matchups.