The Lions went to North Carolina, went up a man, scored twice, and all they got was one lousy point. It wasn’t an ideal trip to Charlotte but given recent fortunes, Orlando City will no doubt take the point on the road as Oscar Pareja continues searching for a way to get the best out of a team that has underachieved throughout 2024. The performances have been better in some respects, but there are still unusual defensive issues plaguing the team.

We break down the 2-2 draw at Charlotte, look back at our score predictions, and make our picks for Man of the Match (we were unanimous).

OCB’s game at New York City FC II was canceled without an explanation given on Tuesday. No makeup date had been given as of this recording. OCB’s Wilfredo Rivera got the call to replace Ramiro Enrique (personal matter) this week. He didn’t get into Wednesday’s match but Alex Freeman did and had a bit of an impact.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know if we know our Orlando City key pass trivia, what makes us smile, 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.

After the mailbagbox, we looked ahead to Saturday’s matchup against Chicago, providing our key matchups and score predictions for the Lions vs. the Fire. Don’t forget to listen to the episode to find out where you can meet your PawedCast hosts on Saturday afternoon in downtown Orlando!

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. 427 went down:

0:15 – The Lions had more guys but not more goals in Charlotte. OCB didn’t play.

33:00 – Our mailbagbox asks us regular questions and trivia questions.

48:05 – We preview the second meeting of the season against the Fire.

The Orlando Pride got some players back and lost some others, as the revolving door continues. Seb Hines would probably love to have his entire squad available at some point, but so far it’s worked out fine, with the team remaining unbeaten after a scoreless draw at North Carolina. Sometimes the ball doesnt’ go in, sometimes the opposing goalkeeper plays well, and sometimes both of those things happen together. So it was on Saturday, but Orlando kept the door shut on its own end to become the first road team to take any points from the Courage.

We break down the match, discuss the handball call that wasn’t given, look back at our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

Following our breakdown, we also tell you where you can find your friendly neighborhood SkoPurp hosts downtown from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday prior to Orlando City’s match against Chicago. David Rohe is coming down from Tallahassee and we’ll be getting together (hopefully with you!), as we’d like to thank you in person for your support of this show and our website.

Our mailbagbox this week asked us a lot of questions, and we spent some time discussing the fact that the referee allowed North Carolina to play while Orlando’s goalkeeper was down with an injury. 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.

Finally, the Pride will host the Utah Royals Friday night. The Pride squeaked past the Royals in Utah in the first meeting. Can Orlando return to its winning ways? Find out in our preview, as we give you our key matchups, and score predictions for the game.

Here’s how Episode 48 went down:

0:15 – The Pride have gone two matches without a win, but it’s meaningful to be the first team in six tries to take any points away from a road match in North Carolina.

22:22 – There are a lot of Pride birthdays this week, just like there is a lot of mail in this week’s mailbagbox.

42:03 – The Pride will look to get back on track against the Utah Royals on Friday. Our preview.

We start this episode with a quick announcement that you can hang with your PawedCast hosts on Saturday before the Lions take on the Chicago Fire. That’s right. Dave’s down from Tallahassee and we’d love to thank you in person for listening to the show and reading our website. Give the episode a listen to find out where we’ll be in downtown Orlando from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Orlando City’s time off did not fix the offense. Well, that’s not fair. It’s fair to say that the offense is better at generating shots. However, if the shots aren’t getting to the target or are missing it, that’s a problem. Is it better to get only four shots and put one on frame or to get 19 and only put one on target? That’s a terrible set of options. We break down a frustrating result despite a good performance against one of the league’s best teams. We also look back at our predictions and make our selections for Man of the Match.

OCB was drunk in the bad way last week in a 2-2 home draw against Chattanooga. The Young Lions continue to defy the odds with some horrible postgame penalty shootout performances, however, and it’s cost the team points. In this case, OCB went from three points in hand in stoppage time to just one lousy point. Look, only insane people care about soccer teams, because they’re designed to hurt you for caring.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know about some of the young players. 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.

After the mailbagbox, we touched on the USMNT’s good performance against Brazil in Orlando. It was weird being back at Camping World Stadium, but it was good to see the U.S. bounce back for a good result against a tough team. We also discussed David Brekalo’s cameo at the Euros on Sunday.

Finally, we provide our key matchups and score predictions for the Lions’ midweek trip to Charlotte. The North Carolina side is a good defensive club, which is not what the Orlando offense needs. But hey, you have to play them all.

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. 426 went down:

0:15 – The Lions can’t shoot. The Young Lions can’t shootout. It’s not a fun season on the men’s side.

28:04 – Our mailbagbox, a quick discussion of the USMNT vs. Brazil in Orlando, and David Brekalo gets (a few) minutes at the Euros.

45:17 – We go again Wednesday in Charlotte. Maybe the team will score. Maybe not.