Orlando City has had a busy week since our last show. As things ramp up to this weekend’s season opener, the Lions released their new home kit just a few days ago. We discuss the “Perfect Storm” kit, what we like about it, and what could have been better. Overall, we both think the new shirt looks nice and as long as it doesn’t suck, I’m pretty easy to please.

OCB has a pair of new academy signings for the 2025 season (and beyond), as Bernardo Rhein and Justin Ellis have inked MLS NEXT Pro contracts. Both should feature quite a bit more in 2025 with the Young Lions than they did in 2024 as they develop their game.

Speaking of signing, draft pick Joran Gerbet became an official member of the team on Monday. We talk about the Clemson product’s preseason and how he fits into Orlando City’s plans.

Finally, there were reports Monday (which may even be official by the time this post drops) that Nico Lodeiro and Michael Halliday are both heading to the Houston Dynamo, where they will be reunited with Junior Urso. Lodeiro is an expensive player who was in the final year of his deal, while Halliday has dropped on the depth chart and must find somewhere to get more minutes. We break it down.

The mailbagbox wants to know what soccer person we’d like to have a beer with and which Orlando City player the Lions can least afford to lose. 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.

Finally, we handed Lionel Messi a new nickname, talked about the weird Messi love that doesn’t quite translate to Inter Miami fandom, and broke down Friday’s preseason Tropic Thunder rivalry match at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

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. 464 went down:

0:15 – We’ve got lots of news and reports from the last week to discuss as well as Orlando City’s new Perfect Storm home kit.

16:20 – The mailbagbox beckons and we can only heed it.

26:29 – All the relevant happenings from the Lions and the Herons Friday in Tampa.

Orlando City finally started signing some players over the past few weeks since our last show — recently, anyway — and between that and a few preseason friendlies open to fans, we have some things to talk about.

We discuss Thomas Williams’ new contract and the signings of Marco Pasalic and Eduard Atuesta and what they mean for the team. We also break down what Atuesta’s arrival means in terms of Orlando City’s midfield and the prospects of Wilder Cartagena playing before the end of the 2025 season.

The mailbagbox is fixated once again on Apple TV+ shows and which ones we recommend. The short answer is that we recommend all the ones we’ve seen so far, but you can find some titles in this episode. We also got asked about some things that are a bit out of date now, but did that stop us from answering? Of course not. 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.

Finally, we broke down Orlando City’s lack of scoring despite some strong play in the home friendlies against Atletico Mineiro and CF Montreal. With a little more time, Pasalic may be able to provide some offense, but the Lions also need Ramiro Enrique and Luis Muriel on the pitch.

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. 463 went down:

0:15 – Since our last show, the Lions released their preseason schedule and made a few signings.

28:14 – It’s a robust mailbagbox after three weeks off.

53:02 – The two open preseason friendlies each featured a serious-looking injury and saw the Lions look good doing everything except scoring goals.

One international forward departs and another arrives as the Orlando Pride lost a bigtime player with Adriana’s transfer to the Saudi Women’s Premier League. While the Brazilian attacker will be missed, the club acted quickly in snapping up Prisca Chilufya from Juarez. The Zambian forward will hopefully fit right into Seb Hines’ system as the Pride look to defend their NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship in 2025.

Speaking of Hines, we have an exclusive interview with the Pride’s head coach in our second segment. The gaffer took time out right after a meeting with his team over at IMG Academy during preseason preparations to talk to us about the team’s championship run, how he’s spent his off-season, how he plans to motivate his team to repeat, what to expect from some of the players we didn’t see (much or at all) last season, and much more. It’s always great to talk with Seb, as he’s seemingly always in a good mood and positive.

Following our interview, we checked in with some of Orlando’s other off-season transactions, with a goalkeeper moving to Canada and an Argentine loaned out to her home country. We discuss the moves and dive into the Pride’s 2025 preseason roster.

After that, it’s time for us to check our mailbagbox, which asks us about free agents, sports cliches, and more. 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. 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.

We’re in our off-season schedule, so we’re not sure if our next show is a week from now or perhaps early March, but we’ll let the news dictate that. For now, we’re monitoring things and we’ll be back before you know it.

Here’s how Episode 74 went down:

0:15 – We open the show with our breakdown of Adriana’s departure and the arrival of Chilufya.

10:14 – Seb Hines jumps on with us to talk about winning trophies, preparing to defend the team’s title, and more.

30:09 – More off-season Pride transactions, the team’s preseason roster, and our mailbagbox.