Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 51: Kansas City Current Rewind, Listener Mail, and More
The Pride win the battle of the unbeatens to take pole position in the NWSL ahead of the break in league play.

If people were skeptical about the Orlando Pride before Saturday night, they are probably believers now. The Pride went into a sold-out CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, struck first, withstood the answer from the hosts, lost a player to a second yellow card, and then outplayed the Current the rest of the way to take over the top spot in the NWSL. The Pride beat Kansas City in its own fortress with one player tied behind their backs after Carrie Lawrence’s sending off late in the first half. What we learned from the rest of the game is that Orlando is a team that can deal with adversity.
We break down a tense match that lifted Orlando into first place at the Olympic break, check back on our score predictions, and select our pick for Player of the Match. We also discuss the unlikely talking point of celebration and what constitutes too much of it. If you can’t go crazy after a match like that, there’s no such thing as a regular-season game you can celebrate.
Salt? Salt.
Our mailbagbox was chock full after Orlando’s win in Kansas City, including queries about fouls, celebrations, that Kerry Abello commercial, 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.
The Pride are off this weekend and won’t have another league match for weeks, but the Summer Cup competition between the NWSL and Liga MX Femenil teams ramps up toward the end of the month. We look forward to seeing what those lineups look like and whether Orlando can ride its momentum through the Summer Cup and out the other side while some of the team’s stars are playing in the Olympics in France.
Here’s how Episode 51 went down:
0:15 – The Pride only had 10 players for more than half the game but still finished with twice as many goals as the mighty Current. That was cool.
33:24 – The mailbagbox is busting at the seams this week after Orlando won the battle of the last two undefeated teams in the NWSL.
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 488: Cincinnati Rewind, Charlotte Preview, and More
The Lions drop a tough home match and must regroup on the road at Charlotte.

Orlando City’s offensive consistency continues to be inconsistent. Days after scoring four goals that could have been eight, the Lions scored one that should have been at least two. The team has also shipped multiple goals in consecutive games, although that set piece howler on Saturday can hardly be blamed on the defense as a whole.
We checked our score predictions, broke down the key moments and players from the game, and made our selections for Man of the Match.
The mailbagbox wanted us to predict Oscar Pareja’s comfort level with his roster and how many guys on an MLS roster should be relied upon for significant minutes. 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 touched on OCB’s Monday matinee at Philadelphia, which had not yet been played at the time of our recording (we recorded Sunday afternoon because of some scheduling issues). We also discussed Alex Freeman’s selection to the MLS All-Star Team.
Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando City’s matchup on the road at Charlotte. The Lions will have to play well against a difficult conference opponent to get back in the win column. City doesn’t have a great record against the other teams above the playoff line, so maybe a game against the 10th-place team is what the club needs to get three points to erase the memory of that Cincinnati loss. We provide our key matchups, look at where the teams are in the table, and made our score predictions for the match.
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. 488 went down:
0:15 – The Lions fell at home in a winnable game, and what’s up with these bad goals at home?
22:41– The mailbagbox is small but mighty.
32:59 – OCB hadn’t played yet when we talked about their game Monday afternoon at Philly. Plus, Alex Freeman is an MLS All-Star and the senior side heads to North Carolina.
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 487: St. Louis City Rewind, OCB-Toronto, FC Cincinnati Preview, and More
A look back at the Lions’ win at St. Louis, a preview of the Cincinnati game, and also OCB played.

Orlando City found its shootin’ boots on Wednesday in St. Louis, scoring four goals on the road that could have been double that had a little decision making been better, some shots had been a little more precise, and Roman Burki hadn’t played so well for St. Louis City. As it was, two Lions scored braces, with Ramiro Enrique a bit unlucky not to score his first hat trick for Orlando. The less we say about Ivan Angulo’s failure to give him a tap-in late in the first, the better (but yeah, we discussed it for a bit).
We checked back on our score predictions from earlier this week to see how we did, analyze the key moments and players from the game, and make our selections for Man of the Match. We also talked about which Lions made the MLS Team of the Matchday.
One thing we didn’t discuss was Alex Freeman making the MLS All-Star Team. We’ll get to that later. It’s been a busy week.
The mailbagbox asked about Rafael Santos and bands we’d like to see reunite and go on tour. 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 looked back at another rough outing for OCB against Toronto FC II. The Young Lions were shorthanded, but defensive mistakes handed the visitors a win. We didn’t want to dwell on it too long, but if we had, we would have had to discuss how bad OCB’s pitch looked. What’s up with that?
Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando City’s matchup against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. We provide the series history and the current state of both teams in this six-pointer. We also provide our key matchups and our score predictions for the game.
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. 487 went down:
0:15 – Orlando City should have cruised to an easier win, but the Lions got the job done and why you no pass ball, Ivan Angulo?
22:41– The questions in our mailbagbox are both soccer-related and not soccer-related.
32:59 – OCB’s loss and Orlando City’s date with Cincy.
Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 92: Louisville Rewind, Pride International Call-Ups, and More
The Pride stumble badly on the road just before the midseason break.

The Orlando Pride still haven’t won in Kentucky. The Pride went to Racing Louisville on Friday and struggled offensively, while giving up an easy, uncontested opening goal on a set piece and conceding a senseless penalty kick off a routine throw-in. It was a poor performance from the defending champions and another worrying sign of a team that has taken steps backward after last year’s magical season.
We checked our score predictions from last week, broke down the key moments in the the game, and tried to figure out who to select for Player of the Match.
This week’s mailbagbox wanted to know about Simone Jackson, whether reinforcements should be expected (and when), 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, without a match until August, we discussed Pride players who have been recalled recently by their national teams or youth national teams. It’s going to be a long wait to erase the frustration of the last match of June, but in the meantime, we’ll be keeping an eye on the club’s international players.
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 92 went down:
0:15 – The Pride did not look good on the road at Louisville. Our thoughts.
17:53 – The mailbagbox is a bright spot after a dark weekend.
35:53 – Pride players who will be representing their countries this summer.
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