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PawedCast Episode 474: Montreal Rewind, OCB-Miami, Atlanta Preview, and More

The Lions can’t stop getting scoreless draws, OCB can’t beat Inter Miami II, and Atlanta visits this weekend.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City did not play particularly well against CF Montreal, but the Lions still seemed more likely to take three points from the match than the hosts until Rafael Santos picked up a second yellow card. The lack of discipline on the back line the last couple of weeks has been shocking. Even if a card or two may have been soft, once a player has one, they need to walk the appropriate line to keep from putting their team in a bad situation. Rodrigo Schlegel and Santos have hopefully learned that lesson and shown it to the entire squad the last two weeks.

The sending off of Santos was ironic, considering he was only on the pitch because Kyle Smith had been sitting on a yellow card since the third minute, and Oscar Pareja decided not to risk a second booking for his left back in the second half. Instead, Smith’s replacement picked up two, and as a result, Orlando picked up only one point against what is currently the worst team in Major League Soccer. That’s three consecutive scoreless draws for Orlando, and that simply makes for a terrible stretch of soccer viewing.

We look back at our score predictions, chat about the game’s major talking points, and make our selections for Man of the Match.

The mailbagbox asks about our EPL teams, officiating, holiday treats, potential lineup changes, 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.

OCB once again played Inter Miami II in Bradenton, and again it didn’t go well. The Young Lions were missing a few key players, but it was some uncharacteristically shoddy defending that did them in this week. Orlando City B also didn’t finish enough of its chances and now must regroup at home against New York Red Bulls II.

Orlando City returns home Saturday to face rival Atlanta United. The Lions won’t have Santos, but Schlegel returns from suspension, so it will be interesting to see if David Brekalo returns to left back. However, it’s the offense that has been troublesome of late, and the Lions must start getting something from the striker position again, and it would be optimal if the Designated Players in the attacking midfield would start scoring again. Or a central midfielder. Or even a defender. Goals, please, is I guess what I’m saying. We provide our key matchups for this Southeastern showdown match and offer up our score predictions.

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. 474 went down:

0:15 – The Lions are shut out for the third straight week but also shut out the opponent for the third weekend in a row. You have to continue to take the good with the bad, I guess.

23:08– The mailbagbox is a feisty one this week.

54:57 – OCB can’t solve the Inter Miami II riddle, while the Lions get another chance to remember how to score goals when Atlanta visits on Saturday.

Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 486: Alex Freeman in the Gold Cup, FIFA Club World Cup in Orlando, St. Louis City Preview, OCB-Toronto Preview, and More

The Lions prepare for their first trip to St. Louis while Alex Freeman keeps playing for the USMNT.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was off for the past week, but not all Lions were without games to play. We start this show with a look at Alex Freeman’s group stage performance with the United States Men’s National Team in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. It’s been a good performance for the young fullback, although not everything has gone smoothly, and the team’s tactics and formation aren’t really taking advantage of Freeman’s considerable buildup and attacking skills.

We then briefly touched on the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which came to Orlando for the first time last week with two matches at Inter&Co Stadium. There are more matches to come in the City Beautiful, with some marquee matchups at Camping World Stadium today and Thursday, as well as a couple of knockout games on the horizon. It’s been an interesting couple of games in Orlando and I touch on some of the things that stood out to me.

The mailbagbox asked about this week’s starters and whether Martin Ojeda could see time with Argentina’s national team. 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 have a preview of OCB’s home game Wednesday against Toronto FC II at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions are coming off a poor performance, but they will be hungry to get back in the win column against a young Reds side below them in the table.

Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando City’s first trip to St. Louis City. The midweek matchup will be a good test for the Lions, who will be without Freeman and the suspended Rodrigo Schlegel off the back line. The reshuffled defense will have to contend with Joao Klauss, who is coming off a recent hat trick performance. We provide our key matchups and our final score predictions.

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. 486 went down:

0:15 – Alex Freeman keeps starting for the United States in the Gold Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup shifts from one Orlando venue to another this week.

16:20– The questions never stop, but there aren’t that many of them this time.

24:41 – OCB and Orlando City previews!

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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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