SkoPurp Soccer Episode 68: Seattle Rewind, Chicago Playoff Preview, and More

The Orlando Pride returned home over the weekend and returned to their winning ways with a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Reign. Although Barbra Banda still isn’t scoring goals, three of her teammates did so, including Marta, who made her mark on the match despite it not being her best outing of the season. The defense is still a bit of a concern, but it did just about enough to get the job done.

We look back at the match and our score predictions to see how well we prognosticated the proceedings.

Our mailbagbox this week included my belated reaction to “Hot to Go” and asked about the worst rule in soccer, broadcasters who don’t seem to favor the Pride, and whether Orlando’s defense can regain its form. 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.

After the mailbagbox, we remembered that we hadn’t selected a Player of the Match against Seattle, so we rectified that.

Finally, we previewed the upcoming playoff game against the Chicago Red Stars. The Pride will have to avoid switching off defensively and will have to be clinical on the attacking end in order to advance. Orlando has historically struggled at home against Chicago, but there’s no better time to start changing fortunes.

Here’s how Episode 68 went down:

0:15 – Orlando is back in the win column, finishing the season without a home loss. The Pride will try to keep that streak alive Friday vs. Chicago.

21:19 – Our mailbagbox is asking about horrible soccer rules and all manner of things.

37:21 – Our look ahead to Friday night’s playoff opener against the Red Stars.