Overall, Orlando City — as a team — played a decent game in its 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday. But there were some individual mistakes that...yeah, they were pretty awful and not what we've come to expect out of the Lions in the Oscar Pareja era. Prior to our breakdown of the Lions' breakdowns, we discuss the Orlando City news that came out on match day, including two short-term contract signings and a last-minute injury that took captain Robin Jansson out of the lineup.

After that, we get into the nitty and also the gritty of Orlando's loss to Philadelphia on opening night. Perhaps the only memorable thing will be the start to Marco Pasalic's career in purple. The Croatian's brace was a welcome bright spot on an otherwise forgettable night. We also look back at our score predictions, which were well below the total of goals scored on Saturday

The mailbagbox wants to know if we've changed our minds about our preseason thoughts after seeing the team play on Saturday and whether Dagur Dan Thorhallsson is ready for a move back to the midfield with the continued emergence of Alex Freeman. 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.

Finally, we looked ahead to Saturday night's matchup against Toronto FC. There are a lot of new faces on the Reds and both teams will be going for their first win of the season. We take a brief look at the Toronto roster, provide our key matchups, and make our score predictions.

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Here’s how No. 466 went down:

0:15 – The Lions played well as a team when they weren't making horrible individual mistakes in their own end. It was costly.

27:06 – The mailbagbox wants to know if our preseason opinions have changed yet.

38:15 - Our key matchups and score predictions for Orlando City vs. Toronto FC on Saturday.

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Orlando City sent out a whole bunch of press releases the day our last episode dropped, so we start this show by recapping that news and those notes. Nico Lodeiro and Michael Halliday are off to Houston, while Wilder Cartagena will watch the entire 2025 season from the sidelines as he has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury list. We break down what all of that means for the Lions.

First-round 2025 SuperDraft pick Joran Gerbet joined us to discuss his arrival in Orlando, what it's like going from college to pro soccer, how he fits into what Oscar Pareja's system works, and much more. Big thanks to Joran for taking time out of his opening night preparations to spend some time with us, and we can't wait to see what his goal celebrations are like.

The mailbagbox wants to know about international slots, what we'd wear on the bench if we were coaching the Lions, if David Brekalo can displace Rodrigo Schlegel, and much 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.

Finally, we looked ahead to Saturday night's opener against the Philadelphia Union. Philly may have missed the playoffs, but the Union still have some terrific (and dangerous) offensive weapons. Orlando City will need to be on point defensively to start the season off right. We offer up our key matchups and score predictions.

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Here’s how No. 465 went down:

0:15 – A few news items regarding Orlando City since our last show a few days ago.

10:11 - Joran Gerbet jumps on with us to discuss the adjustment from college soccer to MLS.

25:51 – The mailbagbox is pretty full for there only being a few days between shows.

51:12 - Our key matchups and score predictions for Orlando City's opener vs. the Philadelphia Union.

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Orlando City has had a busy week since our last show. As things ramp up to this weekend's season opener, the Lions released their new home kit just a few days ago. We discuss the "Perfect Storm" kit, what we like about it, and what could have been better. Overall, we both think the new shirt looks nice and as long as it doesn't suck, I'm pretty easy to please.

OCB has a pair of new academy signings for the 2025 season (and beyond), as Bernardo Rhein and Justin Ellis have inked MLS NEXT Pro contracts. Both should feature quite a bit more in 2025 with the Young Lions than they did in 2024 as they develop their game.

Speaking of signing, draft pick Joran Gerbet became an official member of the team on Monday. We talk about the Clemson product's preseason and how he fits into Orlando City's plans.

There were reports Monday (which may even be official by the time this post drops) that Nico Lodeiro and Michael Halliday are both heading to the Houston Dynamo, where they will be reunited with Junior Urso. Lodeiro is an expensive player who was in the final year of his deal, while Halliday has dropped on the depth chart and must find somewhere to get more minutes. We break it down.

The mailbagbox wants to know what soccer person we'd like to have a beer with and which Orlando City player the Lions can least afford to lose. 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.

Finally, we handed Lionel Messi a new nickname, talked about the weird Messi love that doesn't quite translate to Inter Miami fandom, and broke down Friday's preseason Tropic Thunder rivalry match at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

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.

Here’s how No. 464 went down:

0:15 – We've got lots of news and reports from the last week to discuss as well as Orlando City's new Perfect Storm home kit.

16:20 - The mailbagbox beckons and we can only heed it.

26:29 – All the relevant happenings from the Lions and the Herons Friday in Tampa.

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Orlando City finally started signing some players over the past few weeks since our last show — recently, anyway — and between that and a few preseason friendlies open to fans, we have some things to talk about.

We discuss Thomas Williams' new contract and the signings of Marco Pasalic and Eduard Atuesta and what they mean for the team. We also break down what Atuesta's arrival means in terms of Orlando City's midfield and the prospects of Wilder Cartagena playing before the end of the 2025 season.

The mailbagbox is fixated once again on Apple TV+ shows and which ones we recommend. The short answer is that we recommend all the ones we've seen so far, but you can find some titles in this episode. We also got asked about some things that are a bit out of date now, but did that stop us from answering? Of course not. 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.

Finally, we broke down Orlando City's lack of scoring despite some strong play in the home friendlies against Atletico Mineiro and CF Montreal. With a little more time, Pasalic may be able to provide some offense, but the Lions also need Ramiro Enrique and Luis Muriel on the pitch.

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Here’s how No. 463 went down:

0:15 – Since our last show, the Lions released their preseason schedule and made a few signings.

28:14 - It's a robust mailbagbox after three weeks off.

53:02 – The two open preseason friendlies each featured a serious-looking injury and saw the Lions look good doing everything except scoring goals.

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It's been almost a month since we broke for the off-season and as of our recording this episode, Orlando City hadn't yet used the open Designated Player slot left behind by Facundo Torres. The Lions lost another forward with the sudden retirement of Jack Lynn. We discussed how that leaves Orlando City quite thin at the top of the attack.

However, the Lions did add a winger, although it's not necessarily the guy who will immediately replace Torres. Nicolas Rodriguez is a promising U22 Initiative arrival from Colombia who has the upside to develop into that type of player. Whether he plays a lot or even starts in 2025 remains to be seen.

We also discuss what the reported possible transfer of Cesar Araujo would mean for the Lions as we are now just weeks away from the start of the regular season. It's not too late to get something done to help this team improve. It only feels that way.

This mailbagbox for this episode asked about workout songs, our experiences with cold, some of our favorite Apple TV shows, 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.

Finally, we discussed a pair of friendlies at Inter&Co Stadium this week, including the USMNT hosting Costa Rica and Orlando City playing Atletico Mineiro in the FC Series. We should have reports on both matches for you at The Mane Land. And we end the show with news we didn't want to discuss — the departure of Homegrown goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar to Real Salt Lake.

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Here’s how No. 462 went down:

0:15 – The Lions had one arrival to go along with the departures and we discuss the holes in the roster.

30:01 - The first mailbagbox of 2025!

49:16 – Upcoming friendlies in Orlando for the USMNT and Orlando City as well as another player departure we didn't want to talk about.

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With Facundo Torres officially transferring to Palmeiras on Friday, we reconvened to discuss what it means for Orlando City this off-season and moving forward into 2025. The Lions are sitting pretty in terms of cash, but it remains to be seen how the club will approach having an open Designated Player slot, an open MLS U22 Initiative slot, plenty of General Allocation Money, and a good infusion of cash from Brazil.

There are multiple ways the team can address the situation, but the front office has never been in a position where it's had an opportunity to stack the team with quality starters and depth.

This week's mailbagbox asked which current Lion needs to step up most, which of our favorite current and former EPL teams' players we'd like to see playing for Orlando, and what we like to eat at Christmas. 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.

Finally, we discussed Major League Soccer not broadcasting or streaming the 2025 SuperDraft and the players Orlando City selected Friday afternoon. We're not huge fans of the draft not being broadcast in some form, and it suggests the event may not have much more of a future. Orlando picked up four players out of college — two from the same school — and every position group except goalkeeper was impacted. Those who sign are likely to spend most of 2025 with OCB.

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Here’s how No. 461 went down:

0:15 – The Torres transfer is official and Orlando City has some cash to splash.

17:54 - The mailbagbox wants presents in the form of answers to our listeners' questions.

37:28 – An overview of the lack of an MLS SuperDraft broadcast and Orlando City's 2025 picks.

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Our off-season podcast schedule is off to a slow start, as we didn't even take a week off, but if the news doesn't sleep, neither do we. This week's show opens with a discussion of the Facundo Torres transfer saga as of the time we recorded, which we fully expect to be ruined by the time this post drops (because that's just podcast life). Torres was off to Brazil, then Mexico, then back to Brazil, and it seems that we're just waiting for the official word at this point. While it's never fun to lose a likeable and productive player, the club stands to turn a good profit on his three years in purple and will have some cash to splash on an attacking replacement.

In also-bad news, we chatted about Duncan McGuire's shoulder surgery and the recovery time needed not only from the procedure itself, but also the requisite time to regain his match fitness. McGuire is going to be unavailable for a while, and we think the club needs to add a striker to start the season as either the starter or someone who can at least push Ramiro Enrique and provide a different look up top.

There's even more bad news to talk about, as the Lions lost MLS U22 Initiative midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth before he'd even played a game for Orlando City. It may have been a gamble to leave him unprotected — or maybe it was intentional —and it could have been necessary due to contract language and greater needs with those 12 protected spots in the MLS Expansion Draft. Either way, Bruseth is gone after doing not much more than training with the Lions and warming up on a few match days.

In better news, the Lions re-signed Kyle Smith to a one-year deal, and we are here for it. Speaking of signings, the club added a Homegrown Player, signing OCB midfielder Colin Guske to the first team. We discuss Guske's game a bit, then transition into OCB's season-ending roster status update. There were 10 players on MLS NEXT Pro contracts in 2024. One of them was Guske, six are out of contract (but some could return), and three are still under contract.

This week's mailbagbox asked a pretty good "what if" question, sought our thoughts on MLS free agents, wondered if Felipe is coaching material, 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.

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.

Here’s how No. 460 went down:

0:15 – We break down the Torres transfer saga and discuss what McGuire's surgery recovery means for 2025.

16:02 - Losing Bruseth, Smith's return, a new Homegrown Player, and OCB contract statuses.

32:27 – Something we love as much as the mailbagbox is finding loopholes to make some of the questions easier to answer.

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Orlando City's end-of-season roster update undercut out annual stays/goes segment, but that's OK. What it lacks in drama, it makes up for in us being able to say we were right more often. But we'll get to that.

We open the show with an MLS NEXT scoreboard check and it turns out the Orlando City SC Development Academy is doing just fine.

After that, we bid former OCSC captain Nani an extremely enjoyable retirement. The flashy and fiery Portuguese winger has called it a career and left an indelible mark on the city of Orlando in his couple of years with the Lions. We also debate whether he could end up in Orlando City's ring of honor at Inter&Co Stadium.

This week's mailbagbox asked about stuff Alexi Lalas said and what kinds of things we prefer to put off until later. 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.

Finally, we address some breaking news (as we recorded) that Orlando City and Palmeiras had reached an agreement on a transfer that would send Facundo Torres to Brazil. The report from Tom Bogert at the time mentioned the deal was contingent on Torres reaching an agreement with the club, and we debated how the deal makes sense (or doesn't) for the Uruguayan winger.

That was the perfect segue into our annual stays/goes segment, in which we go through the Orlando City roster to figure out which Lions will still be on the team next year. As mentioned, the roster decisions release kind of makes things clear, but there's a lot that can happen in an off-season, and if a domino falls (say...the transfer of the team's leading offensive weapon), it could change the math. The MLS Expansion Draft also could throw a wrench into the works.

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.

Here’s how No. 459 went down:

0:15 – Some Orlando City academy scores and Nani's retirement.

12:53 - Our mailbagbox is light but mighty.

31:02 – Addressing the breaking news report that a transfer might be in place to send Facundo Torres to Brazil and our annual walk through the Orlando City roster.

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Orlando City's 2024 season is over. It was a weird one, with the Lions underachieving until July before becoming one of the league's best teams. The dominos seemed to fall into place for a run to MLS Cup, with the top three seeds being eliminated and a defense that allowed almost nothing the last few games, but the only shot on target across two matches ultimately was one too many. It was a great defensive postseason for the Lions, although the team still has to learn to score goals when the games matter most.

We looked back at the match, checked in on our score predictions, and made our selections for Man of the Match.

This week's mailbagbox asked about New York's tactics, and it also had a whole lot of trivia questions for us. We did pretty well overall, I think, but trivia isn't out forte. Still, it was a lot of fun to try to figure things out with logic, sometimes successfully and often less so. 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.

That is a wrap on the "normal" season schedule for the PawedCast, but we'll be back next week to weigh in on any OCSC news and take our annual stays/goes walk through the roster. After next week, we'll be playing it by ear, but you'll get at least one show a month in the off-season (Who are we kidding? It'll probably be more than that.) Keep sending us your questions and we look forward to maybe getting a little more rest for the next few weeks.

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Here’s how No. 458 went down:

0:15 – We hates John Tolkin forever! Also, hey...cover the back post, you guys.

18:54 – Our mailbagbox asks us about kicking the ball out of play and te

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Orlando City has finally reached a conference final. The Lions struggled offensively against Atlanta United's defensive setup, but they managed to score one goal without conceding, and that's good enough for a 1-0 win over their rivals to the north. It was easily Orlando's most meaningful win in the rivalry to date — not that there have been many — and should spice up the series a bit moving forward. We look back at what was not the best game from a spectator's perspective, but finished in a way that Orlando City fans can at least be happy about, as it results in the Lions facing the New York Red Bulls in the conference final on Saturday.

We looked back at our score predictions, which Dave got exactly right, and made our selections for Man of the Match. In a defensive battle, we both went with defenders.

This week's mailbagbox, asks us whether soccer teams will adopt a revolutionary new substitution pattern, how much possession the New York Red Bulls will have on Saturday, 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 we finished answering the mail we looked ahead to the Lions' upcoming battle with the New York Red Bulls, presenting the series history, looking at the players to watch, and making our picks for the game's key matchups, before finally trying to predict the final score.

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Here’s how No. 457 went down:

0:15 – It wasn't a pretty game to watch, but the outcome was beautiful as Orlando City ousted Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

18:54 – Our mailbagbox consists of questions that are easy to answer and ones that are not as easy.

40:15 – Orlando's reward for beating a team it failed to beat in the regular season is a conference final matchup with another team it failed to beat in the regular season.

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