For our sanity, we opted not to really talk much about the Orlando Pride's 1-1 Concacaf W Champions Cup draw against Pachuca last week, aside from discussing our opinion of the way squad rotation made things more difficult for both matches rather than more difficult for one and less difficult for the other.

However, we were happy to discuss the Pride's wild 3-2 win at Washington on Saturday afternoon. Kerry Abello was hell bent on putting the ball in every net she could find, both teams scored for the other side, and Marta scored the game winner on a slickly approached penalty. It was the third win in four games and perhaps a sign that Orlando is getting better at the right time. Goals are still difficult to come by without help, but wins are wins and we don't care much how they go in.

We looked back at our pessimistic score predictions, discussed all the big moments and players (good and bad), and made our selections for Player of the match.

This week's mailbagbox asked us to be more specific with our messaging to Abello, wondered which kind of goal contribution Haley Carter wants from Jacquie Ovalle, 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.

Orlando is off this week. Several Pride players won't be, as they return to their national teams for the international break. Hopefully everyone comes back fully fit and ready to finish the regular season strong as the club heads toward the playoffs.

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Here’s how Episode 106 went down:

0:15 – The Pride got a much-needed road win in Washington to keep some positive momentum going in the league, despite crashing out of continental competition with a disappointing home draw.

20:11 - The mailbagbox is seriously invested in fully weaponizing Kerry Abello, and the international break is here to wreck Orlando's momentum. We hate that last bit.

The Orlando Pride got a much-needed win on Friday, thanks to a stoppage-time own goal from the Portland Thorns off a Marta corner kick. The Pride played well in the second half after a first-half stalemate, but the goals continue to elude Orlando's attacking players. Ally Watt's brace didn't count because the speedy forward couldn't stay onside. However, we were glad to see Portland illustrate our repeated message that putting the ball in the box on set pieces is a good idea.

We looked back at our score predictions for the Portland match, discussed all the important moments and players, and made our selections for Player of the match.

After our Portland rewind, we discussed Orlando trading Zambian international forward Prisca Chilufya to Angel City FC. Parting ways with an attacking piece, despite being offensively challenged and jockeying for playoff position, speaks volumes about how expendable the Pride found Chilufya. The page has been turned, and we looked back at a forgettable Pride career for the Zambian.

This week's mailbagbox asked us about Marta's performance, Portland's goalkeeper, our off-season passions, what does MVP really mean, and much 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.

Orlando has a big midweek Concacaf W Champions Cup match against CF Pachuca, with the winner advancing and the loser going home. We opine on whether the Pride should prioritize this match or Saturday's NWSL road trip to Washington in terms of squad rotation.

Finally, we previewed Saturday's visit to play the Spirit. Washington is locked into second place, but the Spirit would like nothing more than to knock the Pride down the standings heading into the postseason. Orlando needs to scratch out a result to stay in contention for a spot in the top four and a home playoff match. We look at the series history, preview the game, provide our key matchups, and make 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 105 went down:

0:15 – The Pride got a last-gasp winner against Portland, and even though the Thorns scored it on themselves, it still counts. Plus, goodbye to Prisca.

17:19 - The mailbagbox was massive after a light one last week.

39:07 - The Pride host Pachuca in the midweek and then have to travel to Washington to take on the Spirit on short rest. That seems less than optimal.

The Orlando Pride concluded a grueling road trip since our last show, with stops in Mexico City and Houston after last week's win at San Diego. The team returns home, where it will play three competitive matches out of the remaining four on the schedule at Inter&Co Stadium, with a trip to Washington sandwiched in there as well.

We open this week's show with a brief discussion of a forgettable Concacaf W Champions Cup match at Club America that saw the Pride fall flat in a 2-0 loss, handing the group to the Liga MX Femenil side. We then turned our attention to the NWSL match Friday at Houston, where it appeared the Dash would hold on for a 1-0 win until Simone Charley's storybook finish stole a point back for Orlando near the end of normal time.

We break down the draw in Houston, check on our score predictions from last week, and make our selections for Player of the Match. We also touch on the difficulty in the remaining schedule, with a tough home matchup against Pachuca in Champions Cup and three NWSL opponents that are all above the playoff line.

This week's mailbagbox was short and sweet, asking us whether all of the Pride players who are going to score goals this year have already done so. 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 previewed the Portland Thorns match coming up Friday in Orlando. The Pride haven't fared well against the Thorns over the years, but the teams are quite evenly matched. Orlando needs three points with a trip to play the Spirit looming. We look at the series history, preview the game, provide our key matchups, and try our best 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 104 went down:

0:15 – The Pride stepped on a lot of rakes at Club America, but grinding out a result at Houston at the end of three away games in eight days was a decent enough result.

15:08 - The mailbagbox did not overstay its welcome this week.

21:19 - The Pride prepare for Portland. Poison tells us that every rose has its thorns, but will the Thorns provide Orlando with a sweet-smelling rose of a result?

The Orlando Pride have won an NWSL match for the first time since June 13. The Pride went to San Diego and not only remained unbeaten there, but also got a winning goal from Carson Pickett after Jacquie Ovalle's first goal for Orlando was canceled out three minutes later when Anna Moorhouse gifted Dudinha an easy goal at the other end with a careless giveaway.

We discuss a win for a change, check on our score predictions from last week, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week's mailbagbox gave us a trivia question and asked us about Pickett as a striker, the end of Orlando's curse, 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.

We touched on the Pride's trip to Mexico City to face Club America with the top spot in the group on the line in Concacaf W Champions Cup play. Finally, we looked ahead to Friday's visit to Houston to complete the season series against the Dash. We provided the series history and our key matchups and made 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 103 went down:

0:15 – The Pride got back in the win column against struggling San Diego. It's been a minute since we've experienced a win, so Pride fans will take three points any way they can.

18:07 - The mailbagbox is trivial but also anything but trivial.

33:46 - The Pride will play twice more on the road before coming home. Can they build on their win in California?

The Orlando Pride kept racking up non-wins, and a loss against a lurking North Carolina team could end up a critical one at season's end. That will only be the case if the Pride can keep themselves in the playoff race. To do that, they'll need to start scoring goals again, and they did not do that against the Courage.

We discuss yet another tough result in a growing series of them, check on our score predictions from last week, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week's mailbagbox asked about other teams to root for until the Pride get their act together, the club's poor showing in the form table, Jacquie Ovalle comparables, 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

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Here’s how Episode 102 went down:

0:15 – The Pride's free fall continues with a ninth straight match without a win. Things seem bleak.

14:49 - The mailbagbox is looking for other teams to cheer for with Orlando struggling.

28:04 - The Pride will try again Friday at San Diego. The Wave are also struggling, so will something give or will this game end in a draw?

The Orlando Pride could not build on their Concacaf W Champions Cup win over Alajuelense, as a poor night of shooting and a mistake at the back combined to allow Bay FC to escape Inter&Co Stadium with a 1-1 draw. It was Bay's first-ever result (and goal) in the series, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for the Pride, who need to stop the bleeding and get a win.

We look back at our score predictions, which one of us got right, discuss the key moments and plays of the match and provide our selections for Player of the Match.

This week's mailbagbox asked about the Pride's energy level, the starting lineup, the team's defense, 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, with the recording taking place before the match in Panama against FC Chorrillo, we looked ahead to Friday's matchup with North Carolina. The Courage lurk just outside the playoff spots and the Pride can improve their standing if they can finally get another win. We break down the series history, provide our key matchups, and try our hand 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 101 went down:

0:15 – The Pride still can't find a win in NWSL play, but at least the team got a result against Bay FC.

11:58 - The mailbagbox is looking for answers, just like the Orlando Pride.

32:03 - North Carolina is looking to make up ground in the playoff race, and the Pride are vulnerable. Look for the Courage to come out of the gate charging on Friday.

The Orlando Pride comfortably beat LD Alajuelense in the club's first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup match, but the good feelings didn't last long. The Pride were completely run off the pitch by a Chicago Stars team that has improved recently but had not won a match in a long time. It wasn't just a win for the Stars, it was a 5-2 dismantling of a Pride team that somehow survived an oddly disjointed-looking starting XI for 45 minutes, taking the match to halftime scoreless. In the second half, the wheels came flying off and despite a good answer to the Stars' opening goal, the Pride fully capitulated afterward.

We look back at our hilariously wrong score predictions, which were once again too optimistic, discuss the key moments of the match and our overall thoughts, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week's mailbagbox asked us about the Pride getting shut out of the NWSL's Best XI teams at season's end, Carson Pickett's goal-scoring prowess, when we might see fewer players seemingly deployed out of position, 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 discussed the Pride's upcoming home game against Bay FC. We would normally say this is a winnable game, but the recent form of the club suggests it could be otherwise. We presented the series history, discussed the key matchups, and made our score predictions, which again were probably too optimistic.

We also touched on a trip to play Panamanian side FC Chorillo early next week when W Champions Cup play resumes.

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 100 went down:

0:15 – The Pride scored two goals at Chicago but gave up five. We hate the math. At least the team beat Alajuelense in the Concacaf W Champions Cup opener.

19:52 - The mailbagbox seems a bit upset with recent results and lineups.

38:20 - Bay FC offers another opportunity for the Pride to stop the bleeding.

The Orlando Pride did not turn things around against a struggling Gotham FC side. Instead, one of the teams in the NWSL scoring fewer goals than the Pride put two past Anna Moorhouse in the first half to win comfortably in Orlando. The winless streak continues and is becoming a problematic losing streak. Everything is terrible and nothing will ever be good again, apparently.

We look back at our score predictions, which were too optimistic, discuss the key moments of the match and our overall thoughts, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week's mailbagbox asked us about Grace Chanda, wild scoring celebrations to pump up the team, 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 discussed the Pride's signing of Elyse Bennett to add depth to the attack, the club's Tuesday night Concacaf W Champions Cup debut, and the upcoming trip to play Ludmila and the Chicago Stars, who are playing better soccer of late. We provide our key matchups and score predictions for the NWSL game over the weekend.

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 99 went down:

0:15 – The Pride continue not scoring and that leads to the Pride continuing to not win.

19:19 - The mailbagbox is feisty and out of the box, and we like that.

29:36 - A new striker, continental competition, and a Chicago preview.

The Orlando Pride are winless in five games, and that's the longest such skid since the final six matches of the 2022 season. You may recall that the Pride were not a good team in 2022, finishing 10th out of the 12 NWSL teams that competed in the league that season. The Pride return from an unsuccessful road trip that saw Orlando claim just one of a possible six points in two away matches, with a late goal conceded at Angel City costing the club one valuable additional point that could have been won. Not only did the Pride fail to score again, but they managed only one shot attempt in the second half — one that Ally Watt pinged off the near post. We break down another awful offensive display and a worrying loss that has Orlando teetering on the brink of going from NWSL Shield contender to playoff hopeful.

We look back at our score predictions, discuss the key moments of the match and our overall thoughts, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

Making matters worse for the Pride is the loss of star striker Barbra Banda for the remainder of the 2025 season. Banda's hip injury is a serious one, and she'll need months to recover. Without a viable scorer (but more on that in a moment), the Pride could slip below the playoff line if some adjustments aren't made.

Speaking of adjusments, Haley Carter made a big one with the signing of Lizbeth Jacqueline Ovalle from Tigres in Liga MX Femenil. Ovalle is a gifted winger who can set up goals or score them herself. Her signing was a huge deal, and it comes with a huge price tag, as Orlando set a world women's transfer fee record to get her, reportedly at least $1.5 million. Ovalle would have been a tremendous asset when paired with Banda, but now she may have to carry the entire offensive load herself. Marta isn't scoring, Summer Yates isn't scoring, Watt isn't scoring, Julie Doyle isn't scoring, and Angelina isn't scoring. That's a lot of non-scoring.

This week's mailbagbox asked us about Banda, Ovalle, back-to-back road games, 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 Orlando's match against NJ/NY Gotham FC Friday night at home. Had it not been for the last four or five games, this would be another big game against a tough opponent. As things stand, this is a must-win match for a Pride team that badly needs to stop the bleeding. Ovalle likely won't yet be in the team, and the Pride will be without Banda, so it's anyone's guess as to how Orlando is going to score goals, but the team will need at least one to win. We look at the all-time series, 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 98 went down:

0:15 – The Pride haven't scored a goal for themselves in three matches. It's beyond concerning, and a last-minute loss to Angel City doesn't help the vibes.

19:19 - We discuss the signing of Ovalle and Morgan Gautrat's loan to Newcastle W.F.C. and retirement from the NWSL.

29:36 - The mailbagbox, unlike the Pride, is not in a slump, and the Pride return home to face Gotham FC. We preview that very match.

[Note: This episode was recorded Monday evening, prior to the reports breaking that the Pride were in advanced talks to finalize a deal for Lizbeth Ovalle, so there is no mention of that on the show.]

The Orlando Pride extended their winless skid to four matches with a scoreless draw at the Kansas City Current. However, there's a big difference between home draws against Utah and Louisville and a road stalemate with the league leaders. What was troubling about the draw was that Orlando didn't score a goal and Barbra Banda had to leave the game due to injury after landing awkwardly following a shot attempt. The Current, unlike Louisville a week ago, did not score a goal against themselves for the Pride. That was rude, but it's also why the Current lead the NWSL. The match itself was a defensive battle and neither side created much all night. Whether the three-and-a-half-hour delay for extreme heat had anything to do with stifling the offenses is debatable, but ultimately the Pride will take that point from Kansas City and move on.

We looked back at our pessimistic score predictions, discussed the game, and made our selections for Player of the Match. No attackers were chosen.

This week's mailbagbox asked us about the Pride's offensive struggles, and how much of them can be attributed to a myriad of different players being deployed by Seb Hines this season. 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.

We previewed the Pride's trip to Los Angeles to face Angel City FC in a rare Thursday night match. It'll be a late one Thursday, as it kicks off at 10:30 p.m. our time, so take some PTO from work so you can get some rest. We looked at the series history, provided our key matchups, and made our final score predictions.

Finally, we spoke a bit about the Pride signing goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to a new contract through 2027.

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 97 went down:

0:15 – The Pride haven't scored a goal for themselves in two matches. It's concerning, but a draw on the road against the first-place Kansas City Current is a good result.

11:36 - The mailbagbox went from large last week to more compact this week, but listeners are concerned with the lack of goals.

18:07 - The Pride head even further west to take on Angel City FC.