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PawedCast Episode 460: Facundo Torres, Orlando City and OCB News, and More

The Torres transfer saga, surgery for Duncan McGuire, Kyle Smith’s return, a new Homegrown Player, and OCB news.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Our off-season podcast schedule is off to a slow start, as we didn’t even take a week off, but if the news doesn’t sleep, neither do we. This week’s show opens with a discussion of the Facundo Torres transfer saga as of the time we recorded, which we fully expect to be ruined by the time this post drops (because that’s just podcast life). Torres was off to Brazil, then Mexico, then back to Brazil, and it seems that we’re just waiting for the official word at this point. While it’s never fun to lose a likeable and productive player, the club stands to turn a good profit on his three years in purple and will have some cash to splash on an attacking replacement.

In also-bad news, we chatted about Duncan McGuire’s shoulder surgery and the recovery time needed not only from the procedure itself, but also the requisite time to regain his match fitness. McGuire is going to be unavailable for a while, and we think the club needs to add a striker to start the season as either the starter or someone who can at least push Ramiro Enrique and provide a different look up top.

There’s even more bad news to talk about, as the Lions lost MLS U22 Initiative midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth before he’d even played a game for Orlando City. It may have been a gamble to leave him unprotected — or maybe it was intentional —and it could have been necessary due to contract language and greater needs with those 12 protected spots in the MLS Expansion Draft. Either way, Bruseth is gone after doing not much more than training with the Lions and warming up on a few match days.

In better news, the Lions re-signed Kyle Smith to a one-year deal, and we are here for it. Speaking of signings, the club added a Homegrown Player, signing OCB midfielder Colin Guske to the first team. We discuss Guske’s game a bit, then transition into OCB’s season-ending roster status update. There were 10 players on MLS NEXT Pro contracts in 2024. One of them was Guske, six are out of contract (but some could return), and three are still under contract.

This week’s mailbagbox asked a pretty good “what if” question, sought our thoughts on MLS free agents, wondered if Felipe is coaching material, 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.

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. 460 went down:

0:15 – We break down the Torres transfer saga and discuss what McGuire’s surgery recovery means for 2025.

16:02 – Losing Bruseth, Smith’s return, a new Homegrown Player, and OCB contract statuses.

32:27 – Something we love as much as the mailbagbox is finding loopholes to make some of the questions easier to answer.

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.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

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.

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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.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 90: Houston Rewind, Pride Call-Ups, Bay FC Preview, and More

A win at the death for the Pride vs. Houston will be followed by a trip to play Bay FC.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride returned to action after the international break and left it late before dispatching the Houston Dash 1-0. Cori Dyke was the improbable hero, scoring deep in stoppage time to snare all three points for the hometown Pride. A goal to win it late is better than no goal at all, especially when that goal is the game winner. It nearly wasn’t, as Anna Moorhouse was saved blushes for a mistake by an offside flag, but in the end, even ugly wins are wins.

We look back at the key moments in the match, check our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

We also discussed Marta and Angelina being selected for Brazil’s Copa America Femenina roster.

Afterwards, we jumped into this week’s mailbagbox, which wanted to know about a listener’s outfit, whether the Pride can just for once make things easy on themselves, 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 upcoming Friday match against Bay FC. We look at both teams’ 2025 seasons so far, break down the short series history, provide our key matchups for the game, and make 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 90 went down:

0:15 – A look back at a wild finish that prevented a meh 0-0 draw against Houston.

23:17 – The mailbagbox is always a nice cherry on top of a Pride victory.

39:48 – A look ahead at the Pride’s second-ever trip to play Bay FC.

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