SkoPurp Episode 40: San Diego Wave Rewind, Spirit Preview, and More

The Orlando Pride suddenly find themselves on a winning streak to go with their unbeaten streak to start the season. Orlando dispatched the San Diego Wave 1-0 in a game that should not have finished that close, as the Pride dominated long stretches of the match, but largely wasted a 20-4 advantage in shots. We break down the match, check on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

Barbra Banda made her long-awaited Pride debut against the Wave. She didn’t score, but she had her chances, and she showed how adept she is at getting into dangerous areas. Banda should be a great addition to Orlando’s roster.

Our mailbagbox this week asked us about Brianna Martinez, former Pride players who might make good coaches, NWSL expansion, the biggest challenges on Orlando’s schedule, 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 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 finished the show with our preview of Orlando visiting the Washington Spirit on Friday night. The Pride swept the regular-season series last year but didn’t fare as well in the Challenge Cup. Can Orlando keep things rolling in the regular season against a talented Washington squad? We provide our key matchups for the game and our score predictions.

Here’s how Episode 40 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finally got their first home win over a California team. We discuss.

18:15 – The mailbagbox has many questions.

37:37 – Previewing the Spirit ahead of the Pride’s trip to Washington.