SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride played without Adriana and Rafaelle and got only a half out of Marta and Barbra Banda, but still managed to bring home a hard-fought road point after a 1-1 draw against the Wave in San Diego. The Pride remain unbeaten in Southern California and on the 2024 season thanks to an acrobatic goal from Julie Doyle. We break down the match, check back on our score predictions (one of us nailed it), and made our selections for Player of the Match.

Banda and Emily Sams made the NWSL Team of the Month for May, and the Pride's Zambian striker was also the league's Player of the Month. Both are well-deserved honors for Banda, and it's nice to see Sams recognized for her outstanding efforts.

Our mailbagbox this week asked us about the Pride's unsung hero, Sophia Smith's silly sending off, Anna Moorhouse's performance Friday night, and more. 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. 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, the Pride will visit the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. The Pride blasted the Courage the first time the teams met, but North Carolina has a perfect home record in 2024, so Orlando will have to be better than it was in San Diego. We hit you with our preview, key matchups, and score predictions for this week's game.

Here’s how Episode 47 went down:

0:15 – The Pride didn't win for the first time in a while, but still got a good road result. Plus, some Orlando players gained league recognition.

17:34 – The mailbagbox gives us a chance to provide much-needed answers to our listeners' most penetrating questions.

35:58 – The Pride head to North Carolina to take on the Courage.

The Orlando Pride were off this week, but that doesn't mean there wasn't something significant to discuss. The club announced the signing of Zambian international attacking midfielder Grace Chanda last week, and we break down the signing, what it means for the Pride, and (perhaps more importantly) what it might mean for star striker Barbra Banda. Could she be even more effective with her Zambia teammate playing alongside her? We'll see!

Speaking of Pride internationals, Brazil's first match of the international window was a showcase for Orlando players Marta, Adriana, and Rafaelle. All were factors in a win over Jamaica, and it's great that they're finding form that they could bring back to Orlando with them.

Pride rookie Ally Lemos started for the U-20 USWNT over the weekend but things didn't go quite as well against South Korea as they did for the senior team.

Our mailbagbox this week asked us about the quality of the NWSL and the rules surrounding international players. 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. 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.

The Pride's home game against the Kansas City Current in September had a change in game times and streaming platform, and it will now be on Prime Video at 8 p.m. on Sept. 13.

Finally, the Pride head to San Diego to face the Wave late Friday night. We're staying up for it, and we know you are too. The Wave have a talented squad and, despite their slow start, Seb Hines' club has to be on point to keep things rolling. We present our key matchups in the contest and our final score predictions.

Here’s how Episode 46 went down:

0:15 – The Pride add an attacking piece that could make Barbra Banda even better.

14:02 – The mailbagbox is light, but we answer with the usual gusto.

24:35 – A schedule change and our preview of Friday's match at San Diego.

The Orlando Pride got a signature win Friday night in the club's 2-1 home win over the Portland Thorns. While Sophia Smith's absence was a blow to the visitors, the Thorns have plenty of talent, and it's not like the Pride aren't dealing with some key absences. The end result was an NWSL-record eighth win on the bounce. The Pride have now gone 11 games this season without a loss, and with four of the next five on the road, it's time to find out if Orlando can get through a crucial part of the schedule unscathed.

We break down the win over Portland, check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match. Beating the Thorns isn't something that the Pride have done often, so it feels like this year's team has found a new level of confidence that we haven't seen in the team's history — even in the playoff year of 2017.

We had a brief side discussion of Barbra Banda, who has a chance to completely rewrite the Orlando Pride record book (and possibly the league's) if she can keep up her torrid form (or even improve upon it).

Our mailbagbox this week asked us about scorers beyond Banda, our favorite non-goal-scoring moment of the win over the Thorns, and more. 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. 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.

Without a game this weekend, we held off on our next Pride preview. Enjoy the show and thanks for listening.

Here’s how Episode 45 went down:

0:15 – The Pride denied the Thorns a seventh win in a row while picking up a new league record of their own.

16:29 – The mailbagbox is always fun after a win, and this episode was a perfect example of that.

The Orlando Pride appeared to be headed to an absolute beatdown of the Seattle Reign on the road Sunday, but a third goal was (correctly) overturned, and a Seattle goal late in first-half stoppage time gave the hosts a lifeline. The Reign tied the game eventually, but the Pride have Barbra Banda. Sometimes that's the only difference you need. Orlando won in Seattle for the first time and tied a league record with its seventh consecutive win.

We break down the Pride's road victory, check in on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match. Great stuff from Seb Hines and company.

Our mailbagbox this week was quite stuffed. Our listeners asked us about that foul on Banda, theme nights for Pride matches, the lines on the field, and more. 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. 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 dove into the game of the season so far, as the Portland Thorns visit the Pride Friday night in what is the league's first-ever battle between two teams on winning streaks of four or more matches. The Pride will need to be at their best both offensively and defensively to get a result against the surging Thorns. We provide our key matchups and score predictions for a match that Orlando could probably win and still somehow not rise to the top of the ESPN power rankings.

Here’s how Episode 44 went down:

0:15 – The Pride got into an unexpected shootout in Seattle but came out on top. Reign, you've been Banda'd!

20:13 – The mailbagbox is starting to grow nicely.

35:16 – A massive battle awaits Friday with the arrival of the Thorns in Orlando.

The Orlando Pride squeaked past expansion side Bay FC with a 1-0 win at home on Saturday, but the scoreline was more than a bit flattering to the visitors, who got a big performance from their goalkeeper to keep the score from getting completely out of hand. The Pride dominated and should probably have done better from their plethora of scoring chances. Still, when you keep a clean sheet, one goal equals three points, and that's what Orlando really wanted.

We break down another Orlando Pride win — this one makes six in a row — checking in on our score predictions in the process. We also made our selections for Player of the Match.

Our mailbagbox this week asked us about the Pride's shape, the timing of Seb Hines' substitutions, a women's "War on I-4," and more. 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. 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 finished the show with our previews and our score predictions for the Pride's upcoming trip across the continent to face Seattle Reign FC. The Pride have never won in the state of Washington, but they've done a lot of things already this season that they've never previously done, so who knows?

Here’s how Episode 43 went down:

0:15 – The Pride ran into a hot goalkeeper but still managed to capture all three points against Bay FC.

14:18 – The mailbagbox puts us to the test, as it always does.

44:13 – A trip to Seattle has yet to yield a victory. Is this the year? It might be, but our predictions will tell you what we think about that subject.

The Orlando Pride keep winning. We aren't used to that, but we're here for it. Barbra Banda has brought her lethal finishing to the City Beautiful and her fourth goal in three games was just enough for the Pride to squeak past previously undefeated Racing Louisville, 1-0. We check in on our score predictions, discuss the game in detail, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

Our mailbagbox this week wants us to visit Tampa for some women's soccer. It also includes questions about the tackiness level of a hat, the sustainability of Orlando's offense, lineup changes when players get healthy, and more. 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. 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 suddenly remembered we forgot to talk about the North Carolina match. So, we checked in on our predictions, discussed the 4-1 win, and made our Player of the Match selections. Better late than never!

We finished the show with our previews and our score predictions for the Pride's upcoming, first-ever meeting with expansion side Bay FC. The newcomers have been leaking goals, but also scoring them. Orlando will need to avoid a letdown to stay undefeated on Saturday at home.

Here’s how Episode 42 went down:

0:15 – The Pride weren't at their best Sunday against Racing Louisville, but they still managed to grind out their fifth straight win. We discuss!

15:18 – The mailbagbox contains both questions and offers to host your faithful hosts.

39:26 – We forgetful rubes remembered there was another game since our last podcast and dive into Orlando's win over the Courage, and we close with a Bay FC preview and predictions.