Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 21: San Diego Wave Rewind and OL Reign Preview
One chance for the Pride to climb above the playoff line came and went, but another awaits on Sunday.
Just when we were getting used to the Orlando Pride winning regular-season games, they lost one. What can we say? We’re not allowed to have nice things. You can’t win them all, anyway, and the Pride played quite well in most phases of the game on Friday night. The inability to finish chances was frustrating for all involved but the failure to deal with corner kicks on the defensive end was even worse.
The Pride dropped a 2-1 home decision, falling to the San Diego Wave for the first time in the all-time series (2-1-1). Orlando did a nice job keeping Alex Morgan quiet, but switching off on those set pieces cost the team a chance to leapfrog the Wave into the playoff positions. We break down the game and make our selections for Player of the Match.
This week’s mailbagbox was empty (we think…Twitter was acting up) and we did a little housekeeping. Hopefully you get through the storm OK and send in your questions for next week’s show. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form.
The road ahead for the Pride is a difficult one with five matches to play. We discussed the remaining schedule, the NWSL standings, and how the Pride could finish anywhere from about second to 12th in the league. It’s been a crazy year around the NWSL, with lots of parity.
Finally, we looked ahead to the Pride’s second consecutive opportunity to beat the team in front of them in order to vault into a postseason spot. Can Orlando get its first road win in the series against the Reign? If so, it would be one of the biggest wins in club history. We tell you our key matchups for the game and make our final score predictions.
Here’s how Episode 21 went down:
0:15 – The Pride struggled to finish chances and defend corner kicks. That was a bad combination.
21:55 – A walk through the standings and schedule and our key matchups and predictions for a trip to Washington to face OL Reign.
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 549: Minnesota Rewind, San Diego Preview, OCB, and More
The Lions complete a come-from-behind-from-ahead draw vs. the Loons and will face San Diego for the first time.
Orlando City went to the Land of 10,000 Lakes and somehow found itself up two goals past the hour mark despite only mustering two shot attempts in that time. However, the game normalized as Minnesota United scored three times in a four-minute span and appeared headed to a win that would have been painful for the Lions. Tyrese Spicer had other plans, however, as he scored in stoppage time to snatch a late point for Orlando. We look back at a crazy game against the Loons, reflect on our score predictions, and make our unanimous selections for Man of the Match.
Our mailbagbox asked us new fan questions about rivalries as well as old fan questions about squad rotation during fixture congestion, Orlando City’s insane rate of conceding goals, 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 discuss a surprise victory for an OCB squad that had been floundering and looked completely out of sorts for weeks. The Young Lions may have one more run in them, and they’ll need it as they are below the playoff line with three matches remaining.
Finally, we look ahead to the first-ever meeting between Orlando City and San Diego FC. The blandly named California side has some excellent attacking players and has been a success since entering MLS just two years ago (it feels like longer!). We break down the tale of the tape between the teams, provide our key matchups, and try to predict 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.
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Here’s how No. 549 went down:
0:15 – Orlando City blew a two-goal lead, fell behind late, and then equalized in stoppage time in a crazy game at Minnesota. It’s a draw that should have been a loss that should have been a win.
26:21 – The mailbagbox makes up for last week’s oversight.
48:58 – OCB beats the top team in the conference to snap a five-game losing streak and the senior Lions prepare to face San Diego FC for the first time ever.
Podcasts
SkoPurp 136: Seb Hines Out, Utah Rewind, Houston Preview, and More
The Pride part ways with Seb Hines after a loss to the Utah Royals and the Houston Dash visit Sunday.
The Pride parted ways with coach Seb Hines after losing their fourth match out of five. The Pride have been terrible since the restart after the World Cup break, but somehow beat the two best teams they played (Kansas City and Washington). There’s no rhyme or reason, except perhaps the best teams bring out the best in what’s left of the Pride’s…err…pride.
We discuss Hines’ departure with Yolanda Thomas taking over as interim manager and what that means, as well as whether the roster was overrated and finally caught up with him. Injuries in 2026 obviously didn’t help things, and what comes next? We’ll all find out together.
This week’s mailbagbox asked about which players not named Banda will score five or more goals in a season at some point in the future, the future of Oihane and Luana, 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 behind and ahead. We discussed the Pride’s home loss to Utah on another night in which the team was badly outplayed. We checked our score predictions and made our selections for player of the match. We also looked ahead to Houston’s visit on Sunday, checked out the series history, gave our key matchups (which are unchanged, because obviously), and provided 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 136 went down:
0:15 – The Pride have parted ways with Seb Hines. Was the head coach doomed from the start of the 2026 season?
27:21 – The mailbagbox is always there for us in times of strife.
39:15 – A quick rewind of the Pride’s loss to Utah and a look ahead to the Houston Dash.
Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 135: Washington Spirit Rewind, Utah Royals Preview, and More
The Pride got a badly needed win in Washington despite being dominated and will need improvement to knock off Utah.
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.
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