SkoPurp No. 130: Boston & Utah Rewinds and Chicago Preview

SkoPurp No. 130: Boston & Utah Rewinds and Chicago Preview

A week ago, we got to talk about how the Orlando Pride bounced back from their worst performance in a long time in their 2-0 road loss at Angel City to beat the Kansas City Current 3-0 in one of their best games of the year. The worm turns quickly, as the Pride followed up an impressive win with two listless performances just a few days apart, losing both by 1-0 final scores. Getting swept by expansion Boston was particularly galling, but the loss away to the Utah Royals over the weekend was nearly as maddening. We treated them as one long, bad performance, discussing the games, looking back at our stupidly optimistic score predictions, and somehow coming up with selections for Player of the Match in a pair of outings that hardly seemed worthy of picking one. We also discussed Barbra Banda's selection to the Zambian Women's National Team ahead of their run in this year's Women's Africa Cup of Nations, as well as Giles Barnes' departure from his assistant coaching position with Orlando to take over at Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia. This week's mailbagbox asked whether the Pride will have more games played without Banda while she's away at WAFCON than team goals scored in that time, whether we can generate any mojo for the club to acquire Emma Sears, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand [https://twitter.com/TheManeLand] or @SkoPurpSoccer [https://twitter.com/SkoPurpSoccer] and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/themaneland.bsky.social]. Or you can visit our show page [https://themaneland.com/skopurp-soccer-an-orlando-pride-pawedcast/], 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 matchup with the Chicago Stars. The Pride will be at home, but over the years, being at home against Chicago has not been a recipe for success. We look back at the series history, give our unanimous key matchup to the game, and try to predict the final score. We are not as optimistic as last week. Do with that information what you will. 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 [https://buymeacoffee.com/themaneland]. Here’s how Episode 130 went down: 0:15 – The Pride played in two matches and that's about all that can be said in a positive (or even neutral) light about them. 27:06 - The mailbagbox asks us an easy question and also wants us to get metaphysical. 35:36 - A look ahead to the Chicago Stars, a team seemingly there to be beaten, but can the Pride even score?

SkoPurp No. 129: Current Rewind and Boston & Utah Previews

The Orlando Pride bounced back from their worst performance in some time away at Angel City in Friday's 3-0 win over the Kansas City Current. Given the relative forms the two teams were in when they entered the match, it was a shock result. The Pride were without Rafaelle but the pairing of Zara Chavoshi and Hannah Anderson — flanked by Kerry Abello and Cori Dyke — did well in helping Anna Moorhouse keep a clean sheet. Meanwhile, Marta scored a worldie, Anderson finished a great corner cross from Ally Lemos, and Barbra Banda returned from injury to score off the bench. It was a complete victory and could not have been more needed. We looked back at the matchup, reviewed our completely erroneous score predictions, and made our selections for Player of the Match. After a game in which we didn't like any of the Pride's performances, we struggled to find one that wasn't above average in this most recent game. This week's mailbagbox asked about Hailie Mace's role, how much longer Marta will run things in Orlando, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand [https://twitter.com/TheManeLand] or @SkoPurpSoccer [https://twitter.com/SkoPurpSoccer] and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/themaneland.bsky.social]. Or you can visit our show page [https://themaneland.com/skopurp-soccer-an-orlando-pride-pawedcast/], 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 a pair of matches coming up this week. First up is Boston Legacy tonight at Inter&Co Stadium, followed by the Pride traveling to Utah to square off against the Royals. It's anyone's guess which Orlando team will show up in either match, but it would be a good time for the Pride to find some consistency. We looked at both opponents and the series histories, 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 [https://buymeacoffee.com/themaneland]. Here’s how Episode 129 went down: 0:15 – The Pride and Current battled throughout, but it was Orlando that finished its chances. 17:38 - The mailbagbox wanted us to weigh in on Julie Doyle's hustle and the three best Pride players on Friday aside from the Player of the Match. 35:50 - A look ahead to games against the Legacy and the Royals.

SkoPurp No. 128: Angel City Rewind and Kansas City Preview

The Orlando Pride returned to the pitch on Friday but they hardly seemed into it, as they played one of their worst games of the season in a 2-0 loss at Angel City that could have been worse. The Pride rarely threatened Angel City's goal, struggled to defend or keep the ball, and had no attack to speak of whatsoever. We broke down the match about as much as we could bring ourselves to do so, discussed the various things that aren't working, and looked back at our score predictions. We selected a Player of the Match but we didn't feel good about it. Following our match rewind, we talked a little about goalkeeper Kat Asman's loan to Denver Summit FC — a move that took place a couple of days before the Angel City match. This week's mailbagbox asked headphones, improving the Pride's lineup, things that make us feel better, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand [https://twitter.com/TheManeLand] or @SkoPurpSoccer [https://twitter.com/SkoPurpSoccer] and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/themaneland.bsky.social]. Or you can visit our show page [https://themaneland.com/skopurp-soccer-an-orlando-pride-pawedcast/], 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 a critical match coming up against the Kansas City Current. The Pride will get embarrassed if they don't improve from their most recent performance, and it's imperative to get something from this game to stay in playoff contention and to try to build back some of the team's lost momentum. We give you the series history, discuss the teams' relative positions in the table, complain a bit about the NWSL website, and 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 [https://buymeacoffee.com/themaneland]. Here’s how Episode 128 went down: 0:15 – The Pride were not good in Los Angeles. 15:12 - The mailbagbox helps us heal by asking us about puts us in a better mood. 26:01 - A look ahead to an important Friday match against Kansas City.

SkoPurp No. 127: Seb Hines Interview and Angel City Preview

The Orlando Pride will get back to business on Friday night with a big road game on the other side of the country against Angel City. It'll be great to have the team back in action after a month's interruption to the season. Before we get into talking shop about the NWSL, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines returns to the show to discuss the state of the club, working with Caitlin Carducci, the team's horrible injury luck this season, putting banger-scorer Cori Dyke at striker (OK, not his idea, but it was discussed), what could happen in the transfer window, and more. Big thanks to Seb for joining us. It's always great to chat with him, even if Dave wasn't available to be part of the questioning. This week's mailbagbox asked us about timing in soccer, why stoppage minutes aren't counted in player stats, what we'd ask PRO referees, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand [https://twitter.com/TheManeLand] or @SkoPurpSoccer [https://twitter.com/SkoPurpSoccer] and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/themaneland.bsky.social]. Or you can visit our show page [https://themaneland.com/skopurp-soccer-an-orlando-pride-pawedcast/], 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 Angel City match late Friday night in California. The Pride will be playing their third consecutive California-based team while looking to make it three straight. Meanwhile, Angel City will be playing its first game under a new manager. We look at the teams' places in the standings, provide our key matchups, and give you 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 [https://buymeacoffee.com/themaneland]. Here’s how Episode 127 went down: 3:36 – Seb Hines joins us to discuss the state of the Pride. 26:59 - The mailbagbox asks about timing. 37:46 - A look ahead to the Pride's trip to play Angel City.

SkoPurp No. 126: USWNT-Brazil and Barbra Banda

The Orlando Pride are still off for a couple of weeks, but the soccer rarely stops. We're back to touch on the United States Women's National Team's trip to Brazil to face three Pride players and their Brazilian teammates. It was kind of an ugly pair of games for the USWNT, which struggled to score goals and connect in the final third. The second of those two matches was a wild affair that devolved into a parade of red cards near the end. We touch on the reports out of Zambia on Barbra Banda's injury, which seems to be more promising than expected when she went down with a knock against Bay FC. We'll have to wait to see when she can return, but if she's expected to play in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, that is a good sign. This week's mailbagbox asked a couple of questions about Banda. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand [https://twitter.com/TheManeLand] or @SkoPurpSoccer [https://twitter.com/SkoPurpSoccer] and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/themaneland.bsky.social]. Or you can visit our show page [https://themaneland.com/skopurp-soccer-an-orlando-pride-pawedcast/], 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. 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 [https://buymeacoffee.com/themaneland]. Here’s how Episode 126 went down: 0:15 – The USWNT went to Brazil to play and didn't play as well as we're used to seeing. 13:06 - The mailbagbox goes through some interesting twists and turns and then we just ramble for a little bit (who, us?).