The Pride bounced back from a gut punch loss at Portland to swipe all three points on the road from the Washington Spirit. If you saw the game, you’re probably still not sure how the Spirit didn’t at least equalize at some point, given the insane disparity in possession and shots, but no matter how ugly a win is, it’s still a win, and the Pride haven’t had enough of those lately, so savor it. A new face emerged in goal as Anna Moorhouse got a day off and Cosette Morche made her NWSL debut, and although the Spirit (and the woodwork) helped her out quite a bit, as did her teammates by getting in front of shots, she made a gigantic save deep in stoppage time to preserve the victory.

We look back at the Washington match and the tell-tale sign that obviously should have signaled a win (Haley McCutcheon scoring early in a game), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked about the goalkeeping situation, how we feel about our Barbra Banda vs. everyone prediction, player minutes during the rest of the season, Gabi Nunes, 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 looked ahead to Saturday’s home matchup with the Utah Royals. The Pride will have to be sharper to build on the win in Washington and get a second straight result, especially on set piece defending. We check the series history, look at where the teams stand now, provide our key matchups, and make 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 135 went down:

0:15 – The Pride got an early blast from McCutcheon and…well, really, what else do you need?

22:58 – The mailbagbox is talking goalkeepers, minutes, and goals.

42:05 – The Utah Royals come to town on Saturday and the Pride need to find a way to get more points.

Orlando City again played a pair of matches in between episodes of our podcast (sorry, PawedCast), and they both ended in the same scoreline but with different results. The Lions hosted the Chicago Fire in the midweek before welcoming Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

The Lions fought back from 1-0 deficits in both matches, but whereas an ill-advised and poorly timed challenge by Robin Jansson handed Robert Lewandowski the chance to put Chicago ahead in the second half, which he did, Orlando City completed the comeback Saturday against RSL, with Antoine Griezmann scoring his first MLS brace en route to an MLS Player of the Matchday award and a spot on the MLS Team of the Week. That win came after an opening 45 minutes that saw the Lions bang their heads against Real Salt Lake’s low block, but the second-half subs and a more aggressive approach was the difference over the weekend.

We discussed both matches, looked back at our score predictions (one of us got Saturday’s match exactly right), and made our selections for Man of the Match.

Our mailbagbox (Dave’s birthday edition) asked us about TV shows, movies, substitutes off the bench, 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 mention OCB’s lopsided loss at Atlanta United 2 and move on quickly out of a commitment to self care.

Finally, we look ahead to the Lions’ trip to Minnesota on Saturday. Orlando City will need to sharpen up a bit to get a road result against the Loons on the road, and it will be nice to see what some of these players can do with a full week’s rest between games for a change. We looked back at the history of the series, check out where the teams are in the standings, provide our key matchups, and try our hand at predicting the final score.

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. 548 went down:

0:15 – Orlando City loses 2-1 and wins 2-1 in a span of just a few days. There were highs and lows.

31:52 – The mailbagbox wants to avoid jump scares.

43:45 – OCB loses again and the senior Lions head north to face Minnesota United.

The Pride put up a fight on Saturday in Portland, which was a nice change from some of the team’s recent results, and just moments away from a hard-earned road point, disaster struck. Orlando and Portland exchanged…let’s say fortunate goals in the second half after a scoreless first period, but in the end, the Pride could not avoid snatching defeat from the jaws of a draw.

Your despondent hosts discussed the match, looked back at our score predictions, and begrudgingly made our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked about Anna Moorhouse conceding first goals of players’ careers, where the 2026 Pride’s goal differential will wind up, 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 looked ahead to Sunday’s Pride trip to Washington to face the Spirit. Orlando is looking to avoid a season series sweep, but recent results have been none too promising. While the Spirit haven’t been in their best run of form this season, neither had North Carolina or Portland when the Pride visited those teams, so…let’s just stay positive and see what happens. We discussed the all-time series history, looked at the teams’ relative positions in the table, provided our key matchups, and made our 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 134 went down:

0:15 – The Pride battled in Portland but ultimately lost on an extremely late golazo.

16:31 – The mailbagbox cites anecdotal evidence that Anna Moorhouse is having a tough year.

27:54 – The Pride head to Washington and things won’t be any easier against the Spirit.