SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast

The Mane Land
  • 5.0 (17)
  • Soccer
  • Updated Weekly

News and analysis about the Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

  1. 7h ago

    SkoPurp No. 138: Current Rewind, Portland Preview, and Barbra Banda

    For a good chunk of Friday night, it seemed as though the Orlando Pride would make it two wins in two matches under interim head coach Yolanda Thomas. Barbra Banda produced two moments of brilliance to stake Orlando to a 2-0 road lead. But the leaky Pride defense re-emerged, giving up two quick goals that indicated the hosts might come back to claim all three points. However, Orlando did just enough to get over the finish line, hold onto a point, and remain unbeaten in the Current's stadium. We break down the road draw, check back to see what our predictions were, and make our picks for Player of the Match. We also discussed Banda's new contract that will keep her in the City Beautiful through 2029. It's a big fish for Caitlin Carducci to land (and to build around), and it should be the first domino to fall in Orlando's rebuild as the club tries to return to competing for trophies. This week's mailbagbox asked about the Pride's best back line, coaches, 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 showdown with the Portland Thorns. The Pride return home to face one of the league's bluebloods, and every point is precious with as much ground as Orlando has to make up to try to keep its playoff streak alive. We give you the series history, the tale of the tape, our key matchups, and 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 138 went down: 0:15 – It's a road point against a good team but the way it unfolded felt like more of a loss than a win when the Pride drew Kansas City. Plus, three more years of Bandamonium! 21:01- The mailbagbox asks about coaching search philosophies, and who else might lose their jobs around the NWSL. 31:59 - The Pride and Thorns prepare for battle on Saturday.

  2. Sep 8

    SkoPurp No. 137: Houston Rewind and Current Preview

    For one night (at least) the Orlando Pride resembled the 2024 team. The Pride played with energy, grit, and purpose in a 3-1 win over the visiting Houston Dash in a weather-delayed Sunday night tilt over Labor Day weekend, with interim head coach Yolanda Thomas getting a victory in her first match in charge. It was far from a perfect performance, but just playing with the spirit the team displayed on Sunday would keep this team in most games and give it a chance to win. Barbra Banda was a major factor in all three Orlando goals, forcing an own goal, scoring a penalty, and setting up Haley McCutcheon's impressive strike. Cosette Morche came up with a few huge saves on the other end to preserve the lead. We break down the match as fully re-energized spectators and podcasters after seeing that performance, look back at our score predictions, and make our picks for Player of the Match. This week's mailbagbox asked about coaches, points necessary for Thomas to get the full-time job offer, a women's U.S. Open Cup, 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 visit to Kansas City as the Pride play the return fixture against the Current. Prior to Houston, the Current were the last team Orlando had scored multiple goals against. If the Pride can play with the fire they showed against the Dash, they could be a threat to be the first visiting team to win in CPKC Stadium in 2026. 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 137 went down: 0:15 – The Pride win their first game under Yolanda Thomas and play like they have something to prove, which...they do. 21:56 - The mailbagbox advises against putting any one person over the club. 43:52 - The second meeting with Kansas City is Friday, and the Pride will hope to play as well as they did in the first meeting.

  3. Sep 1

    SkoPurp No. 136: Seb Hines Out, Utah Rewind and Houston Preview

    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.

  4. Aug 26

    SkoPurp No. 135: Spirit Rewind and Utah Preview

    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.

  5. Aug 19

    SkoPurp No. 134: Portland Rewind and Spirit Preview

    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.

  6. Aug 12

    SkoPurp No. 133: Racing Rewind and Portland Preview

    We've known for quite some time that the Orlando Pride have not been playing well. Ever since the restart after the World Cup break, the Pride have been nearly unwatchable, and with Barbra Banda first injured and then off with Zambia for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, there haven't even been many goals to celebrate, let alone wins. Despite knowing that going in, your hosts attended Friday's Pride match against Racing Louisville — the very first time the two of us have been at a game as a fan at the same time. With one of us living in Tallahassee and the other one of us working the equivalent of about three jobs, including being at Orlando City games to cover those for The Mane Land, it just hadn't happened yet. That changed Friday, and although we did not enjoy the game much at all, we did enjoy being at the stadium, hanging out, and commiserating about how badly the team was playing (misery loves company). The food and beer were good. The soccer was not. We look back at the Pride's latest difficult outing, check our oh-so-close score predictions, and I think we picked a Player of the Match, but honestly we should not have. We also discussed the additions of Zoe Matthews and Gabi Nunes to the roster. This week's mailbagbox was incredibly robust, and it takes up a large chunk of the middle of the show. Our listeners wanted to know about goal of the week, long intros/outros in songs, the Pride's most urgent need, 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 night's Pride match in Portland. (Please note that we had not known the full extent of Olivia Moultrie's injury at the time of recording.) We're not holding out a lot of hope for a result for Orlando on the road, although the Thorns are in poor form. That's usually immaterial, as the Pride's recent trip to North Carolina showed us. We checked on the history of the series, looked at the teams' relative position in the table, provided our key matchups, and tried to predict the final score. 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 133 went down: 0:15 – The Pride were bad on Friday, but the company, food, and beverages were great. 17:42 - The mailbagbox is bursting at the seams, and it was more fun than watching the game this week. 48:08 - Orlando heads to the Pacific Northwest. We think we know what will happen, but we hope we're wrong for all the right reasons.

  7. Aug 4

    SkoPurp No. 132: Courage Rewind and Louisville Preview

    Just when you think the Orlando Pride have bottomed out and things might start to turn around, the team shows you there's a new, lower level possible. The Pride played an apathetic and inept brand of soccer on the road against a struggling North Carolina Courage team, which put Orlando on full blast. The 5-0 loss could have been even worse, and the attack rarely created much threat for the Courage back line to deal with. If this is what life is like without Barbra Banda, the Pride are literally a one-player team, and that's simply not good enough. We look back at a lopsided loss for as long as we could bear it, checked our score predictions, deferred our selections for Player of the Match to any fan who sat through the entire game, and pondered what the club's general manager is doing, whether the players have tuned out Head Coach Seb Hines, and what exactly the plan is to fix the mess that the 2024 double winners have quickly become. This week's mailbagbox is understandably bitter and cynical, although we did get to reminisce about shopping for school supplies and Trapper Keepers. 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 home game against Racing Louisville. Both of your hosts will be in the stadium as fans for that one (our first time seeing a match together), and we're curious whether Orlando will show some...err...pride...after such a dreadful showing at North Carolina. We look at the series history, the teams' relative positions in the standings, and who has been creating danger for Louisville. Then we provide our key matchups and 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 132 went down: 0:15 – The Pride were awful on Friday against the Courage. 14:40 - The mailbagbox has had it. 33:47 - Orlando prepares for Racing Louisville at home.

  8. Jul 29

    SkoPurp No. 131: Chicago Rewind and Courage Preview

    This week, we learned that it is possible to pepper a goal without making the goalkeeper have to do anything, as the Orlando Pride sent dozens of shots at Chicago Stars FC netminder Katie Atkinson, who barely had to move to stop any of the ones on target. Sure, there was a step and a half to her right to stop Marta's penalty, but other than that, her toughest save came off the face of her own teammate, which she swatted off the crossbar with a desperate, flailing lunge. Aside from that, the Pride were content to fire shot after shot right at Atkinson's torso. Eventually, Julie Doyle managed to hit the target without hitting Atkinson, saving the Pride from wasting a dominant performance in almost nearly every other aspect of the match. We look back at a frustrating win (victories are not supposed to be frustrating!), review our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match. We also touched on Seven Castain's new contract and subsequent loan to Dallas Trinity. Hopefully, Castain will get minutes and develop her skills to be able to contribute at an NWSL level while Orlando has her under contract. This week's mailbagbox pitted the Pride against Barbra Banda, asked how the Pride won the double two years ago, 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 road battle against the North Carolina Courage. The Pride may need to find the net twice to beat North Carolina in its own stadium, and that has proven to be difficult even when Banda isn't playing in international tournaments with Zambia. Where the goals will come from is anyone's guess, but we reviewed the series history, provided our key matchups for the game, and tried our luck at predicting the final score. 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 131 went down: 0:15 – The Pride snapped their two-game losing streak, but it wasn't pretty, and it wasn't nearly as easy as the number of shots suggest it should have been. 21:44 - The mailbagbox rarely complains after a win, but... 42:24 - Orlando heads north to play the Courage. We preview!

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News and analysis about the Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

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