We may be in our off-season schedule here on The Mane Land PawedCast, but as promised, we are back when there is news, so here we are. For this episode, we open with a discussion of Alex Freeman’s year-end awards, with the 21-year-old fullback picking up MLS Young Player of the Year and becoming the first Lion to grace the MLS Best XI. It’s been a phenomenal breakout season for Freeman, who was also just recently called up again by the USMNT, so Orlando fans can hop on I-4 and go see him play in Tampa later this month.

After our Freeman discussion, we chatted about the Lions who were called up for the November FIFA window, including four players at the youth level. There was a time not long abo when Orlando City academy players weren’t getting a sniff by the youth national teams, but those days are in the past. Congrats to Tahir Reid-Brown, Justin Ellis, Colin Guske, and Jacob Ramirez.

David Brekalo and Tyrese Spicer will also be with their national teams in the upcoming window.

This week’s mailbagbox asked about whether Michael Halliday should get another look from Orlando after being let go by Houston, 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.

Finally, we discussed Pedro Gallese’s departure from Orlando City. El Pulpo was one of the faces of the franchise for the past six seasons and it’s hard to imagine anyone else being the No. 1 for the Lions, but that’s the new reality. In addition to reminiscing about Gallese’s play, we talked about how he’s almost certainly going to have his name in the Legends Terrace in the future, and we pontificated about where he’ll turn up next. We also discussed Orlando City being at a crossroads on the backend, as the team not only needs to replace Gallese, but Rodrigo Schlegel and a pair of defensive midfielders are out of contract, Robin Jansson has an option year remaining, and so does Eduard Atuesta. Plus, Freeman will be courted by European teams, so the back half of the lineup could look extremely different in 2026.

Note: we are now in our off-season podcast schedule, which is guaranteed to give you at least one episode per month but we will only be weekly if/when news warrants it.

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. 511 went down:

0:15 – Alex Freeman broke out in just about every way imaginable: MLS All-Star, MLS Best XI, Young Player of the Year, and now getting regular call-ups by the USMNT. Deservedly so.

14:52 – You get a guest voice in this week’s mailbagbox!

29:38 – We will miss your time-wasting antics and your spectacular saves, El Pulpo.

The Orlando Pride hosted the Seattle Reign Sunday on the final matchday of the 2025 NWSL regular season. The Reign spoiled things by scoring just three minutes after Orlando’s late goal, preventing the Pride from finishing third. However, the club still managed to snare a top-four position in the final standings. As a result, these same teams will play Friday in the NWSL playoff quarterfinals.

We discuss the Decision Day matchup, including the last-minute change Seb Hines had to make at the top of his formation, Orlando’s continuing struggle to score goals, and the decisive plays late in the game. We also looked back at our score predictions and make our selections for Player of the Match.

After our Seattle rewind, we dive into our mailbagbox. Our listeners wanted to know about Carson Pickett at striker, which team we don’t want to win the NWSL championship, 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.

After our mailbagbox, we discuss the NWSL playoff bracket, which does not include re-seeding after the quarterfinals. As a result, top seed Kansas City, should it win, will face either the No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the semifinals, even if the Nos. 6 and 7 seeds pull off upsets on the other side of the bracket. Is that fair? We think not. We’re not weeping for the Current, but we know we wouldn’t like it if it happened to Orlando.

Finally, we chat about Friday’s playoff game. The schedule forces Seattle to choose between flying back and forth across the country before Friday or staying on the road in Orlando. We know the teams just played, but we still have your key matchups and score predictions for the match.

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 108 went down:

0:15 – As has been the most common result between the teams, the Pride and Reign split the points. These teams historically haven’t liked picking a winner when they square off. If that happens Friday, it’ll mean a penalty shootout.

22:33 – Our mailbagbox has questions about ChatGPT and other stuff.

32:32 – Pride and Reign Round 3 has much more on the line than the first two rounds.

The Orlando Pride return from the international break looking to close out the regular season strong and win a home playoff match on Decision Day. To finish third, the Pride will need to get past the Seattle Reign on Sunday with Orlando’s international players returning from all over the world, and some will be on short rest.

Before we get to that preview, we looked inside this week’s mailbagbox, which was a light one. Our listeners are curious whether it’s more likely for Orlando to repeat as NWSL Championship winners or that Marta will start for the Pride on Decision Day next year. 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.

After our mailbagbox, we looked at the all-time series between Seattle and Orlando. The two teams enjoy splitting the points against each other, playing to numerous draws over the years. Orlando wants all three points to finish third, but so does Seattle, which sits just one point behind the Pride. We broke down where the teams are and how they’ve fared against one another, provided our key matchups for Sunday, 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 107 went down:

0:15 – We open the show with a little international talk and a brief mailbagbox.

12:35 – Orlando hosts the Reign in a crucial Decision Day matchup.