PawedCast Episode 439: Orlando City Signing Rumors, Cruz Azul Preview, OCB-Crown Legacy Preview, and More

[Editor’s note: Big thanks to WJ Dog Treats (wjdogtreats.com) for sponsoring the mailbagbox segment of The Mane Land PawedCast. WJ Dog Treats is a small, family-run company of Orlando City fans who are committed to producing healthy, high-quality dog treats with just five ingredients, including their own home-made peanut butter. Give them a try. If you use the code TML at checkout, you’ll get a dollar off a bag of treats for your pooch!]

Since we already discussed Orlando City’s match last weekend against Atletico San Luis, we focused the first part of this episode on internet rumors. The Lions have been linked with Norwegian youth international midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth, who is currently with Kristiansund BK in Norway’s top flight. This might be an MLS U22 Initiative signing, it may not happen at all, or it could be something in between. We discuss the position and the possible upside of the move. Orlando is also rumored to be signing OCB winger Yutaro Tsukada to a first-team deal for the 2025 season with a couple of option years. That’s possible, but the Lions have no shortage of first-team wing players, so this could be a matter of liking what the club sees in Tsukada’s development and playing a waiting game to see if he can continue his upward trajectory.

Following our internet rumors discussion, we look ahead to OCB’s match Sunday at home against Crown Legacy. This is a proverbial six-point game, and the Young Lions can’t afford to drop points at home against teams that they’re chasing in the playoff race. It’ll be interesting to see what the lineup looks like and how OCB handles the pressure situation.

This episode’s mailbagbox, presented by WJ Dog Treats, asks us about Michael Halliday’s status and which Lions we enjoyed during the club’s USL days. 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 tonight’s matchup between Orlando City and Liga MX side Cruz Azul. It’s a tough second-place team for the Lions to have drawn, and speaking of draws, Cruz Azul has two of them so far in this competition, losing the penalty shootout to Charlotte, but besting the Philadelphia Union from the spot. We provide our key matchups and score predictions for what is sure to be a nervy match.

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Here’s how No. 439 went down:

0:15 – Orlando City may or may not sign a young central midfielder and/or a winger that plays for its reserve side. Plus, OCB has a big match this weekend.

15:37 – The mailbagbox (presented by WJ Dog Treats) asks about an injured fullback and gets nostalgiac for the pre-MLS days.

30:25 – A battle awaits against Cruz Azul. We preview it.