SkoPurp No. 28: Houston Rewind & 2023 Season Review

The Orlando Pride needed to have some things go their way to get into the postseason but could only control one of those things — getting a home result against the goal-stingy Houston Dash. The Pride did their part, despite leaving it late, beating Houston 1-0 on Decision Day to put themselves in the right position. Unfortunately, results around the league went awry on multiple fronts and the 2023 Orlando Pride season is over. At least the team went out with a win.

We looked back at the Pride's final match of 2023 and checked our score predictions to see how we did. We also made our selections for Player of the Match and we were unanimous to close out the year. Beyond that, we gave our thoughts on the job Seb Hines and his outstanding staff did throughout the 2023 campaign.

This week's mailbagbox asked us about Emily Madril's Iron Woman bid, which players the club may protect in the NWSL Expansion Draft, and more. There's also way more talk about lazy rivers than I expected. 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.

Finally, we looked back at the Pride's season game by game, hitting the lowlights and highlights at how Orlando ended up at 10-11-1 and missing the postseason by only the slimmest of margins, despite taking their pound of flesh from all of the league's contenders along the way.

Here’s how Episode 28 went down:

0:15 – The Pride did their job and got the win they needed, even if other results prevented it from being a truly special day in club history.

23:46 – Our mailbagbox asks us some solid questions. We love solid questions (and we love the mailbagbox!).

46:56 - A walk through the ups and downs of the Pride's 2023 season and so many of the "what if?" moments that prevented a playoff appearance.