The Orlando Pride had the weekend off with the international window upon us, so there’s no new match for us to recap this week. Instead, we turned our attention (to start the show, anyway) on the SheBelieves Cup semifinals. Both matches on Saturday were compelling, with the U.S. falling behind in the first minute but rallying against a stubborn Japanese side to win, 2-1. It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t easy, but it put the Yanks in the final and that’s what matters.

Brazil also played but none of the three Pride Brazilians started and only two of them — Marta and Angelina — got on the pitch late. Unfortunately for Marta, she did not score on her penalty and Brazil fell in a shootout after a 1-1 draw against Canada. Brazil was the better side during the 90 minutes but wasted a lot of chances and eventually conceded the equalizer before succumbing on spot kicks.

[Note: Yes, we know the final and third-place match were played Tuesday night (don’t @ us). We recorded this show on Monday night. We’ll touch on the the final day of the SheBelieves Cup on our next episode.]

After our SheBelieves Cup discussion, we dove into our mailbagbox, which weighed in on Orlando Pride attendance and start times, as well as the WSL incursion into Florida and what it means for the Pride (if anything). 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 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 finished the show with our preview of Orlando at the Utah Royals. The Pride have to go play at altitude and there are no easy games in the NWSL. Still, this is one that Orlando can win. We provided our key matchups for this battle and try our luck at predicting the final score of the game.

Here’s how Episode 38 went down:

0:15 – The SheBelieves Cup semifinals got underway and included some Pride players (a little).

20:02 – The mailbagbox contained comments as well as questions.

32:03 – A look ahead to Friday’s trip to Utah to play the Royals.

The Lions were off despite most of MLS having games over the weekend, so we start this show off with a look back at Orlando City B’s “home” game in Bradenton against Inter Miami II. That didn’t go as well as a typical (and actual) home game typically does, and the Young Lions lost 2-0 to drop their first decision of 2024 after opening the season with a win and a draw followed by a shootout win. Still, OCB has five of a possible nine points so far, and the defense looks much improved. However, like all of Orlando’s other teams, the scoring aspect has yet to coalesce, so the team isn’t scoring a lot of goals.

We break down a forgettable loss at IMG Academy and touch on how the OCSC U-15 and U-17 teams did in the Generation Adidas Cup.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us questions about scoreless draws, how that affects our non-soccer-enjoying friends, and whether the book really is better than the show or movie. 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 turned our attention toward Orlando City’s return to play this Saturday at Audi Field, where the Lions will face D.C. United. The Black & Red have been a problem for Orlando the last two seasons, but in 2021, Orlando swept United. It might be nice to call back to those simpler days of 2021 when wins over D.C. weren’t as difficult as they’ve been the past two seasons. We wrapped up our preview with our key matchups for the game and our score predictions.

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. 409 went down:

0:15 – Our breakdown of OCB’s first loss of the 2024 season and now the Young Lions will play two more on the road before they get a real home game.

18:54 – Our mailbagbox asks about books vs. shows/movies and scoreless draws.

42:00 – Our key matchups and score predictions for Orlando City at D.C. United.

The Pride are undefeated! The Pride are winless! Both things are true and it’s a bit maddening.

Orlando scored first through a Chicago own goal off a good corner kick cross, but then conceded with some panicky defending in the second half en route to a 1-1 draw at home against the Red Stars. The Pride perhaps should have been up a player with plenty of time left had actual rules been applied. It seems like 10 minutes is enough to determine that a push in the back (see the feature photo for this article) is not a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge. Although Orlando would have only had a free kick from outside the area, one fewer defender may have helped the Pride find a second goal.

We break down a frustrating draw, check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

After our match rewind, we dove into our mailbagbox, which asked us questions about Seb Hines (which we didn’t quite understand) and Barbra Banda. 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 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 then looked at which Pride players will be in action during this international break for their senior, U-23, and U-20 national teams. Of course there are a bevy of Brazilians representing their country, but there are also Americans, Canadians, Zambians, and more.

Here’s how Episode 37 went down:

0:15 – The Pride scored first, conceded last, and should have been up a player.

20:02 – The mailbagbox is now getting questions from Bluesky Social and we’re here for it.

32:03 – A look at the Pride players departing to represent their countries during the international break.