Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 45: Portland Rewind, Barbra Banda on Fire, and Listener Mail
The Pride set a new NWSL record as they keep surging in 2024 behind Barbra Banda and a strong defense.

The Orlando Pride got a signature win Friday night in the club’s 2-1 home win over the Portland Thorns. While Sophia Smith’s absence was a blow to the visitors, the Thorns have plenty of talent, and it’s not like the Pride aren’t dealing with some key absences. The end result was an NWSL-record eighth win on the bounce. The Pride have now gone 11 games this season without a loss, and with four of the next five on the road, it’s time to find out if Orlando can get through a crucial part of the schedule unscathed.
We break down the win over Portland, check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match. Beating the Thorns isn’t something that the Pride have done often, so it feels like this year’s team has found a new level of confidence that we haven’t seen in the team’s history — even in the playoff year of 2017.
We had a brief side discussion of Barbra Banda, who has a chance to completely rewrite the Orlando Pride record book (and possibly the league’s) if she can keep up her torrid form (or even improve upon it).
Our mailbagbox this week asked us about scorers beyond Banda, our favorite non-goal-scoring moment of the win over the Thorns, 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.
Without a game this weekend, we held off on our next Pride preview. Enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Here’s how Episode 45 went down:
0:15 – The Pride denied the Thorns a seventh win in a row while picking up a new league record of their own.
20:13 – The mailbagbox is always fun after a win, and this episode was a perfect example of that.
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.

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!
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.

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.
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.

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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