SkoPurp Soccer Episode 79: Gotham FC Rewind, San Diego Wave Preview, and More

The Orlando Pride apparently won’t win every game as easily as they did the season opener, but a 2-0 road win at NJ/NY Gotham FC is a good result every time. The Pride struggled with turning the ball over and had difficulty creating clear-cut scoring chances, but an own goal and a Marta penalty at opposite ends of the first half turned the tide in Orlando’s favor.

We discuss the key moments in the match, look back to see how we did with our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know if the salary cap will go away when the next NWSL collective bargaining agreement is reached and whether a Gotham own goal was preventative medicine designed to stop the fatality opponents suffer when Haley McCutcheon scores the first Pride goal. 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, the Pride get set to welcome the San Diego Wave to Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Wave have been a thorn in the Pride’s side when they’ve visited Orlando in the past, while things have been easier for the Pride in San Diego in the brief series history. We look at the two combatants, provide our key matchups, and make our score predictions.

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Here’s how Episode 79 went down:

0:15 – The Pride were not the better side in the run of play but still come home with a 2-0 victory. That’s a good sign.

23:19 – The mailbagbox believes the Gotham own goal was a player playing three-dimensional chess instead of checkers.

36:53 – The Wave come to town and have been a tough out at home for the Pride. We preview!