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PawedCast Episode 403: Tigres Rewind, Leagues Cup Schedule, Atlanta Preview, and More

Lions bounced from Champions Cup competition, northern rival Atlanta awaits, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Lions are out of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. It was always a tough ask to go into El Volcan and come home with a result. The reality was even tougher, as Orlando City failed to match the hosts’ energy early, conceded twice, and never fully battled back into the match. The Lions lost 4-2 in Mexico and at least the fixtures won’t come quite so fast and furious for a while.

We discuss a difficult night on the road and what went wrong. Not much went right, but the Lions did manage their first two away goals in Mexico, although both of them had to come from the penalty spot. We make our Man of the Match selections and look back at our predictions from the match. Plus, a lot of stuff went wrong for me that night, even deep in the night after the match, so it’s an evening I will want to quickly forget.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us to make a comparison with a key Orlando Pride signing and wanted to know about goal cameras and goal-line technology. We also had a follow-up from a question from our last episode, complete with a recording of the friend of a listener giving us his responses to our musical suggestions. That’s a first. We’ve never had the recording of a friend of a listener on the show before. 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.

Following the mailbagbox, we discussed Orlando City’s group stage schedule in the 2024 Leagues Cup. The Lions got a decent draw for the group and will take on CF Montreal and San Luis in late July/early August, with both games coming at home.

Finally, we turn our attention toward a road match against an Atlanta United side that is scoring in bunches. Can Orlando City batten down the defensive hatches against an attack that features Giorgos Giakoumakis and Thiago Almada? We provide our key matchups and score predictions, but we’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out of the Lions can get a road result in Georgia.

We closed with a five-star rating and review and a quick mention of OCB’s MLS NEXT Pro opener on Saturday, as well as the news that Zakaria Taifi has signed a two-year deal to play with the Young Lions.

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. 403 went down:

0:15 – It was a difficult (and very late) night in Monterrey, and no good came from it. Also, my phone died and my laptop crashed.

27:05 – Our mailbagbox was a lot of fun and features a guest voice of a listener’s friend. Plus, Orlando City’s Leagues Cup group stage opponents.

45:08 — A trip to Atlanta to play on the indoor fake plastic grass looms over the weekend.

Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 486: Alex Freeman in the Gold Cup, FIFA Club World Cup in Orlando, St. Louis City Preview, OCB-Toronto Preview, and More

The Lions prepare for their first trip to St. Louis while Alex Freeman keeps playing for the USMNT.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was off for the past week, but not all Lions were without games to play. We start this show with a look at Alex Freeman’s group stage performance with the United States Men’s National Team in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. It’s been a good performance for the young fullback, although not everything has gone smoothly, and the team’s tactics and formation aren’t really taking advantage of Freeman’s considerable buildup and attacking skills.

We then briefly touched on the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which came to Orlando for the first time last week with two matches at Inter&Co Stadium. There are more matches to come in the City Beautiful, with some marquee matchups at Camping World Stadium today and Thursday, as well as a couple of knockout games on the horizon. It’s been an interesting couple of games in Orlando and I touch on some of the things that stood out to me.

The mailbagbox asked about this week’s starters and whether Martin Ojeda could see time with Argentina’s national team. 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.

Following the mailbagbox segment, we have a preview of OCB’s home game Wednesday against Toronto FC II at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions are coming off a poor performance, but they will be hungry to get back in the win column against a young Reds side below them in the table.

Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando City’s first trip to St. Louis City. The midweek matchup will be a good test for the Lions, who will be without Freeman and the suspended Rodrigo Schlegel off the back line. The reshuffled defense will have to contend with Joao Klauss, who is coming off a recent hat trick performance. We provide our key matchups and 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.

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. 486 went down:

0:15 – Alex Freeman keeps starting for the United States in the Gold Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup shifts from one Orlando venue to another this week.

16:20– The questions never stop, but there aren’t that many of them this time.

24:41 – OCB and Orlando City previews!

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 91: Bay FC Rewind, Racing Louisville Preview, and More

The Pride squeak out a gritty road draw at Bay FC and continue their road trip in Kentucky.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride remained unbeaten in the state of California, but it wasn’t easy. Barbra Banda snapped a scoreless tie early in the second half and the Pride held on against a barrage of Bay FC attacks down the stretch to claim another road win. Anna Moorhouse played well to keep the clean sheet in Orlando’s second consecutive 1-0 win and third victory in a row.

We looked back at the key moments and players, checked our score predictions from our last show, and made our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox wanted to know about the Pride’s ideal formation, the Tampa Bay Sun winning the USL title, the recent addition of Simone Jackson, Moorhouse’s performance, 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 previewed the Pride’s trip to face Racing Louisville on Friday in Kentucky, starting with the evenly played series history, Orlando’s struggles on the road against Louisville, and the relative position of the two teams in the table. We provided our key matchups and made 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 91 went down:

0:15 – A look back at a wild finish that prevented a meh 0-0 draw against Houston.

24:17 – The mailbagbox is chock full of questions.

39:48 – Our preview of the Pride’s trip to Lynn Family Stadium to face Racing Louisville.

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Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 485: Rapids Rewind, OCB-Carolina Core, Alex Freeman with the USMNT, and More

The Lions hold off Colorado on the road and OCB doesn’t put up much of a fight in North Carolina.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City returned to action and battled the Colorado Rapids on the road, claiming all three points and snapping a two-match losing streak. The Lions didn’t play their best soccer, but they fought hard and were able to grind out a tightly contested road win. Martin Ojeda provided the game’s only offensive highlight that mattered, showing that if you shoot hard and on frame, good things can, and often do, happen.

We looked back at the key moments and players in the game, checked our score predictions to see how close we came to being right, and made our selections for Man of the Match.

Alex Freeman’s first competitive match with the USMNT came in the Gold Cup against Trinidad & Tobago, and the Orlando City Homegrown fullback was one of the bright spots for the Yanks in a 5-0 win. It just feels like the more he plays, the more he grows.

The mailbagbox asked about whether Orlando City needs to make a change to the starting lineup up top, whether the MLS shutout record will fall this season, 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.

Following the mailbagbox segment, we briefly discussed a forgettable 1-0 OCB loss at Carolina Core FC. The Young Lions didn’t have much bite last week against the Foxes, and it wasn’t much fun to watch. Both OCB and Orlando City are now off until June 25.

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. 485 went down:

0:15 – The Lions went to the Rocky Mountains and brought back all three points. Alex Freeman went to PayPal Park and played well for the USMNT.

23:27– The questions come from our listeners. The answers come from us. Mailbagbox time!

38:57 – OCB didn’t play so well against Carolina Core FC, especially at the offensive end.

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