Look, spoiler alert: we’re saving our annual stays/goes segment for next week’s show.

The Orlando Pride had a chance to play spoiler against the Reign in Seattle and to avenge an opening day loss back in March. Instead, they opted to not do those things. Orlando couldn’t even manage a single shot on target out of the few attempted in a game that was always going to end no better than 0-0. We look back at our score predictions, discuss the match, and we both think Player of the Match Cosette Morche deserved better from what she had in front of her.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Morche, Anna Moorhouse, whether the front office could be trusted to make the right signings to right the ship, 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 spent a considerable amount of time explaining why The Mane Land and SkoPurp Soccer will cease operations in a few weeks, what to expect in the meantime, and what this entire experience has meant to us. If we ramble a bit, forgive us. It’s an emotionally charged discussion that deals with something we’d rather not be doing, but we also know it’s the right thing right now. For more on that, check out this post.

Here’s how Episode 145 went down:

0:15 – The Pride closed the season with a toothless performance at Seattle ending in yet another loss.

15:40 – Our mailbagbox isn’t sure the club’s leadership will fix what’s broken.

32:51 – SkoPurp Soccer and The Mane Land will call it a day in the coming weeks. We ramble about why and what we know right now about how it will happen.

Orlando City tried to bounce back from allowing a late goal to New York City FC at home on Oct. 24. The Lions did not bounce back, blowing a two-goal lead at Chicago in the second half in a 2-2 draw before getting shelled at Charlotte and losing 4-0. As bad as it was to bring home only one of six possible points, the teams chasing the Lions had a worse week, as the New York Red Bulls were eliminated after blowing a 2-0 lead and losing to Nashville, while lowly Atlanta beat Toronto FC 3-1 on Sunday to knock the Reds out of postseason contention.

All of that weirdness on Sunday helped Orlando City back into a playoff spot with one game left in the regular season. The Lions can finish seventh, eighth, or ninth, and given the team’s fortunes on the road in 2026, no one is going to feel good about the team finishing ninth.

We look back at a draw that felt like a loss in Chicago, and a loss that felt like the Lions were never in, pointing out the key plays, moments, and players. We looked back at our score predictions as well, and made our selections for Man of the Match from both contests.

We also discuss the various playoff scenarios that might await Orlando City.

Our mailbagbox asks about Martin Perelman’s future with Orlando, how Nashville should approach Decision Day against FC Cincinnati, Ivan Angulo’s legacy as a Lion, 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.

After the mailbagbox, we discussed OCB’s year-end status updates to let you know which Young Lions will, won’t, and might be back in 2027 for the MLS NEXT Pro Sprint Season. We also touch briefly on the 2027 MLS Sprint Season schedule.

Finally, we look ahead to Saturday’s Decision Day match against the New England Revolution. This isn’t a good matchup for Orlando City, though the Lions have been more successful against the Revs at home over the years (except in the playoff meeting). We discuss the series history, the two teams’ relative positions, our key matchups for the game, and 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. 558 went down:

0:15 – The Lions threw away another lead in Chicago and never showed up in Charlotte.

36:08 – The mailbagbox asks us to think like Nashville.

1:02:10 – Sprint Season schedule, OCB’s roster decisions, and Orlando City hosts New England on Decision Day.

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, 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 look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.