Orlando City’s regular-season series against CF Montreal is over already, and nobody won. The teams played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday night at Stade Saputo, with the Lions looking like the better side in the first half and the hosts controlling much of the second period. We finally saw some attacking players score their first goals of the season, too, so it was another positive step forward for the 2024 Lions. We break down the match, check our score predictions, and make our selections for Man of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us how the Lions will utilize new player rules regarding Designated Players and MLS U22 Initiative signings. Our listeners also wondered what positions we would target in the summer transfer window. 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 B. The Young Lions went to Crown Legacy on Friday. The Carolina-based side made it through 2023 without a home loss, but that’s not going to happen in 2024. OCB went to Matthews, NC, and came away with a 2-0 victory. It wasn’t exactly one of the drunkest MLS NEXT Pro games we’ve ever seen, but we’ll take the result any day of the week. Congrats on the goals to Alex Freeman and Shak Mohammed.

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Here’s how No. 412 went down:

0:15 – Orlando City completed its two-game road swing, earning four of a possible six points. We dissect the most recent match in Montreal.

21:19 – Our mailbagbox asks us about Designated Players and U22 Initiative players, as well as other stuff.

31:41 – OCB handled its business with a complete 2-0 win on the road at Crown Legacy.

As the Lions prepare to take to the road again for a Saturday night match in Montreal, we looked back at the first MLS game Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, and Luis Muriel started together. The trio of 2024 Orlando City Designated Players looked good at times, but still aren’t producing at a level one would expect. We discussed how their skills match, what their positioning was like against D.C. United, and try to figure out the best way to use the three players.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us trivia questions and whether or not I’m a Swifty. 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 trip to Montreal. It’s a difficult place to play, but the Lions have a chance to come home with points. We look at the key matchups in the game and make our final 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. 411 went down:

0:15 – Let’s talk about the three Orlando City DPs and whether they fit together.

14:23 – Our mailbagbox tests our trivial knowledge.

27:32 – A preview of what awaits the Lions in Montreal — plus, score predictions.

OK, so we forgot to talk about the end of the SheBelieves Cup, and we recorded Monday night, so we were done before the news broke about the Orlando Pride waiving Kaylie Collins and Tori Hansen on Tuesday morning. Let’s just say we still had plenty to talk about, because the Pride won their first match of 2024 and stayed unbeaten at 1-0-3.

We discuss the Pride’s trip to Utah and how Orlando came home with all three points, which will hopefully become a springboard to a playoff run. But it’s a long season. For now, we are happy to break down the Pride’s road win and another solid defensive outing. We make our selections for player of the match and check back on our score predictions.

If the Pride’s offense has been a little slow to get started in 2024, well, help is on the way. We discuss Barbra Banda’s arrival in Orlando. Banda took part in her first training session with the Pride on Tuesday and is a player who can make the offense much more dangerous. She’ll also create more room for the likes of Marta, Adriana, Ally Watt, and Julie Doyle, so that can only help those players as well.

Then we dove into our mailbagbox, which asked us about Pride newcomers, goal differential, Marta, Star Wars droid battery technology, 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 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 hosting the San Diego Wave on Friday night. The Pride have never beaten a California team at home, which is weird, because they have gotten plenty of results out west. Is this the year? The Pride already failed to beat Angel City at home, although a draw isn’t the worst outcome. We took a stab at predicting the score and provided our key matchups.

Here’s how Episode 39 went down:

0:15 – The Pride flew west, played at altitude, and brought home all three precious points from Utah.

22:49 – The mailbagbox contained a wide variety of questions to seriously test our expertise. Wait, what expertise?

52:25 – A look ahead to Friday’s matchup against the Wave.