It’s our 50th episode! When we embarked on our Orlando Pride-centric podcast, we didn’t know if there would be an audience, but we have found one and it continues to grow. Thanks, as always, for your support.

The Orlando Pride went to Los Angeles to play their third road game in four matches and did what they’ve done most of the season — they won. The Pride shut out their third consecutive opponent and earned their seventh clean sheet of the season in a 3-0 win over Angel City and its cast of thousands of former Orlando players. Adriana exploded for two goals in six minutes and Barbra Banda capped the game with her 11th of the season, pulling within two of the club’s single-season record.

We break down the big win, check back on our score predictions (Dave was very close!), and make our selections for Player of the Match.

Our mailbagbox was light this week, but asked us about our favorite Pride jersey so far and what themes we’d like to see in future kits. 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 also discussed the new contract Bri Martinez signed after a good start to the 2024 season. Martinez is now locked down through 2025 and won’t need to be re-signed in the off-season. It’s good to build depth, and Martinez has shown an ability to provide minutes when starters are out or when Seb Hines wants to move some pieces around.

Finally, the Pride will head to Kansas City for a massive match Saturday against the Current. The Kansas City club has kept pace with the Pride’s incredible start — while maintaining the tiebreaker — all season. The Current have the league’s best offense, while the Pride have the NWSL’s stingiest defense. Which will prevail? We provide our key matchups and score predictions for what should be a regular-season match that feels like a playoff game.

Here’s how Episode 50 went down:

0:15 – The Pride won 3-0 but could have had more goals with a little more precision in front of net.

14:44 – The mailbagbox is all about Orlando Pride soccer jerseys, and a Pride defender gets a new deal.

24:22 – The match of the year (so far) is coming. Hopefully, regardless of who wins (or if it’s a draw), it will live up to the hype.

The Orlando Pride did some heavy editing to the club record book on Friday when the Utah Royals visited. In front of nearly 10,000 fans, the Pride put the visitors to the sword, beating Utah 6-0 at Inter&Co Stadium. Led by braces from Barbra Banda and Marta, the Pride set several new team marks, including most goals, biggest margin of victory, largest shutout win, and most-attended game that wasn’t a home opener. Banda set a new record for braces in a season and equaled a club best with four goal contributions in a match. It was a joy to behold.

We break down the match, check our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

Our mailbagbox this week had questions about the international slot limit, the Olympics impacting player availability, and much 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.

Finally, the Pride head west to face Angel City on the Road Sunday. The teams played to a draw in Orlando early in the season, but a lot has changed since that matchup. Can Orlando continue its winning ways in Los Angeles? We’ve got our key matchups for the match and our final score predictions.

Here’s how Episode 49 went down:

0:15 – The Pride take the Utah Royals to the woodshed and it could have been worse than the 6-0 final result.

20:29 – The mailbagbox beckons and one listener assigned us homework that we didn’t do.

39:37 – The Pride get ready to head west to California to take on several ex-Pride players. Our preview.

The Lions took on a fresh Chicago Fire team riding a rare hot streak just a couple of days after playing to a disappointing road draw on turf away from home despite having a man advantage for more than half the game. The situation didn’t appear poised to produce a season high in goals for the Lions, but that’s what happened. Facundo Torres’ brace led the way as Orlando City blasted Chicago 4-2. Despite the continuous leaks in the defense, Mason Stajduhar turned in a heroic effort in goal to help lead the Lions to just their second home win of the season.

We looked back at our score predictions, broke down the match, and made our selections for Man of the Match.

The USMNT kicked off its Copa America campaign with a shutout victory, but it wasn’t the impressive performance we were hoping for. The Yanks must play better against Panama and then brace for Uruguay.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know if a lack of minutes is hurting rookie midfielder Jeorgio Kocevski and what kind of minutes we can expect Duncan McGuire to get at the Olympics. 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 at OCB’s matchup against Atlanta United 2 tonight. The Young Lions will have to go the rest of the season without center back Abdi Salim, who was loaned to USL Championship side Detroit City FC. Salim immediately made an impact in Detroit, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 friendly victory over Pumas.

Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando’s trip to the Bronx to face New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. We already know the field conditions aren’t ideal and that the Lions have a poor record there. But can they get a third straight result? We provide our key matchups and score predictions in our match preview.

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. 428 went down:

0:15 – The Lions scored a season-high four goals and held off a fresher Fire squad.

31:32 – Our mailbagbox asks us about an Orlando City rookie and a USMNT striker.

45:06 – OCB hosts Atlanta tonight and the MLS Lions head north to the baseball diamond.