The Orlando Pride loved setting all those records last year so much that they decided to add some more in Friday night’s 6-0 drubbing of the Chicago Stars. Orlando’s six goals and six-goal win tied club marks and set new league records for setting an opponent on fire on opening day. Haley McCutcheon decided she liked being the first Pride player to score a goal in playoff games, so she brought that into the regular season and scored Orlando’s fastest goal from the start of a new season just seven minutes in. The Pride seized complete control before halftime, found some breathing room just after the restart, and then unleashed Barbra Banda on an unsuspecting Stars back line which…maybe should have suspected.

We looked back at our meager predictions of winning by two and scoff at their naivete as we broke down the match and made our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox came with visuals we don’t think our listeners can see (so we describe them). It also asks about focusing the early attack through McCutcheon, the Pride’s attendance so far, Morgan Gautrat having to face her husband’s team this year, and predictions for Banda’s goal contributions in 2025. 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 the Pride’s trip to Gotham FC on Sunday and whether Orlando can exact revenge for one of only two losses in 2024. The Pride will need to break down a good defense and beat a top-notch goalkeeper in addition to holding some excellent attacking players at bay. We break down the history, provide our key matchups, and try to predict the final score.

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Here’s how Episode 78 went down:

0:15 – The Pride played the Chicago Stars as if they were punishing them for their terrible rebrand.

19:00 – The mailbagbox is feisty this week.

39:15 – Our look ahead at the Pride’s trip to Gotham with revenge on their minds.

Orlando City got a decent road result at the New York Red Bulls, but it felt like a missed opportunity to take all three points. The offense continues to get the job done, but a questionable controversial penalty and a defensive lapse allowed the hosts to get something from the match. The good news is that Duncan McGuire is back in the lineup, and the offense could be even better as he gets stronger and finds his form.

We look back at a hard-fought road draw, check our score predictions to see how we measured up, and make our selections for Man of the Match. We also discuss Gustavo Caraballo’s new Homegrown Player contract.

The mailbagbox asks about Orlando playing a three-man back line late in New Jersey, billboards, former Lion Josue Colman, 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.

OCB remained unbeaten with a 2-2 draw at home against Atlanta United 2. Javier Otero got the start, but he could do nothing about either Atlanta goal. However, he stopped a penalty in the postgame shootout, which helped the Young Lions claim an extra point in the standings. We discuss OCB’s second game of the season-opening homestand.

Finally, we looked ahead to Saturday night’s matchup between Orlando City and D.C. United. The Lions may have to rely on Otero as Pedro Gallese figures to be with the Peruvian Men’s National Team over the weekend. Is the Homegrown goalkeeper ready to face the aerial prowess of Christian Benteke? Can the Lions become the first team to hand D.C. a loss in 2025? We break down the tale of the tape, select our key matchups, and make our score predictions.

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Here’s how No. 469 went down:

0:15 – The Lions continue to score goals, but they also continue to concede too many of them.

24:40 – The mailbagbox is teeming with questions this week.

46:18 – OCB remains unbeaten on the young season and we preview the matchup with D.C. United.

Well, now we know what it’s like to watch the Orlando Pride play for a trophy and somehow not win it. Let’s not do that again. The Pride and Washington Spirit battled hard in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and a draw was probably the fair result, although an Orlando win would have vastly improved our moods this week. The penalty shootout was fun to watch for about two rounds, and then it wasn’t.

After checking in on the news that Rafaelle and Grace Chanda were removed from the Season-Ending Injury list (which turned out to be important on Friday), we break down the Pride’s game against the Spirit, check back on our score predictions, discuss the key plays, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know how hyped we are about Prisca Chilufya, what we thought of Seb Hines’ substitutions on Friday, how we predict the 14 teams in the NWSL to finish in 2025, 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 Friday’s NWSL season-opening matchup against the Chicago Stars. We don’t know what possessed Chicago to drop the “Red” part that made the team’s name stand out, but we are definitely here to make fun of that franchise for the decision. What we can’t make fun of is the Pride’s record — especially at home — against Chicago. However, Orlando did win its last home game against the then-Red Stars, which was kind of an important step in winning the NWSL Championship. We look at the matchup and history of the series, discuss 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 77 went down:

0:15 – The Pride did not beat the Spirit, nor did they lose. However, the shootout…oh yeah, they lost that thing, big time.

15:50 – The mailbagbox comes suspiciously close to assigning us homework.

41:20 – Our look ahead at the Chicago Stars and how the Pride might do on Friday.