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

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.