Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 125: Bay FC Rewind, USWNT Friendlies in Brazil, and More
The Pride enter the summer break on a high note but it comes at a cost as Barbra Banda leaves the game injured.
The Orlando Pride hosted Bay FC and made it two straight wins for the first time in 2026. Orlando continued its successful ways against California-based teams with another standout performance by striker Barbra Banda. The Zambian international scored two goals and set up another to lead the Pride to another big three points on the cusp of the World Cup break. Jacquie Ovalle and Zara Chavoshi came off the bench, taking the Pride two steps closer to having a healthy roster.
It wasn’t all good news, however. The game was fun until Banda picked up an injury late in the game and now we wait to see what the severity is. Losing Banda for any length of time is not ideal for a team reliant on her for goals and hovering near the bottom of the playoff places.
We break down the Pride’s 3-1 win at home, look back at our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.
This week’s mailbagbox asked about Nicole Payne, Tallahassee-based side TLH Reckoning, Orlando Pride players as USWNT starters, 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 the mailbagbox, we look ahead to the USWNT heading to Brazil for a pair of friendlies. These games should be good tests for Emma Hayes’ side, and it will be fun to watch Orlando’s Brazilians play for their national team.
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Here’s how Episode 125 went down:
0:15 – Orlando has its first winning streak of the season with a victory over Bay FC.
19:04 – The mailbagbox takes us into the summer break.
32:45 – The USWNT heads to Brazil to face a good team with several Pride players on it.