The Mane Land PawedCast

Orlando City was nearly perfect in the preseason but a couple of late goals against the New England Revolution on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium gave the Lions their only loss in the buildup to the 2023 MLS season. In this week’s show, we discussed that loss and the win over Stetson University in the final two friendly contests before things get real. We also talked about the update on rookie Duncan McGuire, putting all three of the Lions’ first-round picks from the 2023 MLS SuperDraft under contract for 2023 and potentially well beyond. The club also unveiled some stuff in the last week, including the sharp new home “The Wall” kit on Saturday and a plethora of new (local) food offerings within the stadium on Tuesday evening. We also touched on Major League Soccer’s new playoff format and how weird it is (and why). Orlando City SC President of Business Operations Jarrod Dillon returned to the PawedCast this week to discuss the lessons he’s learned in his first year on the job, some of the adjustments that have been made, some more that could soon be made, and we grilled him on the topics of how to maximize the acquired land adjacent to the stadium and a potential throwback third kit. Big thanks to Mr. Dillon for speaking with us in the middle of his evening job as taxi driver for his kids. After the chat with our guest, we dropped some news of our own as to the future of this show and our coverage of the Orlando Pride. We feel like we can do a better job and give the club the respect it deserves with our decision and we can’t wait to turn that into a reality as soon as possible. The Orlando Pride got their preseason friendlies underway with a 2-0 win over Gotham, which is still a club with a name that works best when abbreviated. Other topics included Seb Hines officially naming a couple of new staff members, Haley Bugeja leading Malta to victory, Adriana and Marta playing a competitive match at Exploria Stadium with Brazil in the SheBelieves Cup, and the U.S. Women’s National Team winning the event. Finally, we looked in our mailbag, in which our listeners asked us about what road stadiums we want to visit (and why), which Eastern Conference teams will give Orlando City trouble, and more. If there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the next show, just ask by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC. Stay safe and enjoy the show! Here’s how No. 327 went down: 0:15 - Preseason Orlando City results, all rookies are signed, a new kit, new food, and a dumb playoff format. 33:14 - Jarrod Dillon entertains and informs us (and possibly you, too!). 56:32 - A plethora of Pride news, our mailbagbox responses, and our key match-ups and score predictions for the Lions vs. the Red Bulls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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I don’t know how many times we’ve talked about a result not being what Orlando City fans wanted or what the team needed this season, but it’s happened a lot. Way too much, in fact. And that was never more true than Saturday’s 3-3 draw against New England. A win would have vaulted Orlando into contender status. Instead, the Lions are treading water and hoping for not only a unicorn-like winning streak but also help from other teams. We break down what happened against the Revolution and choose our picks for Man of the Match and really, is it even a choice? The OCB minute is at least as painful as usual and maybe more so considering how the team lost this week. But the Young Lions didn’t get pantsed like the Pride did in North Carolina. We’ve got no choice but to push through these topics. To make matter worse for the Pride, Alex Morgan has been shut down for the final few matches of the season due to her nagging knee injury, which has cost her several NWSL and a few USWNT matches over the weeks since the World Cup ended. We dip into our listener mail, and, of course, we gave our key match-ups and predictions for the Lions vs. the Houston Dynamo this Saturday night. If there’s something you want us to address on our next show, just ask by tweeting it to us @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC. Here’s how show No. 178 went down: 0:15 - The Lions had an awful start but came within a post of coming all the way back to win. Moral victories don’t mean much this late in the season but they’re better than no victories at all. The OCB minute is sad, as usual, but this week there’s a surprise ending. 25:18 - The Pride continued their free fall this week and Alex Morgan is on the shelf. Has she played her last game for Orlando? 46:43 - Listener mail and our key match-ups and score predictions for Orlando City at Houston. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Orlando City’s season is over — again without a playoff appearance — which is a bummer, but at least the Lions sent us off with back-to-back wins over Eastern Conference playoff teams. There were some tough moments this season but it feels like the club went out on a good run and may possibly have built some momentum heading into 2017. We’re here to break down the 4-2 win over D.C. United, give you our Man of the Match, and talk about some of the finest midfield play we’ve seen all season from the Lions. Kaká, Kevin Molino, Cristian Higuita, and Antonio Nocerino were certainly in the mood on Sunday. We also talk about the recent roster moves by the Orlando Pride and whether they really mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of the NWSL’s player mechanisms. Kristen Edmonds got her first USWNT call-up so the Pride must have opened some eyes with their play this season. Finally, we break down the entire Orlando City roster as we play “should he stay or should he go?” with everyone on a senior team contract. One programming note: this is the final episode of the season schedule and we’ll shift to our monthly off-season schedule. Starting in November, the PawedCast will move to a monthly format until just before the season ramps up in March. Here’s the breakdown: 0:12- Orlando City ended the season on a winning note, about running D.C. United off the Camping World Stadium pitch. Let’s talk about the match! 9:48- What will Tom Sermanni and the Orlando Pride do with the roster this season? We’ve got some thoughts on that. 20:50- Heading into the off-season there’s some mystery about what exactly Jason Kreis will do with his Orlando City roster. In the meantime, we’ll tell you who we think should/shouldn’t be back and why — player by player! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Orlando City SC gave all of us a weekend’s worth of sadness with two losses and a draw between the three teams and not one single goal to cheer about. In fact, there weren’t even many shots on target that might actually lead to a goal as the Lions lost 2-0, the Pride fell 1-0, and the Young Lions played to a scoreless draw. We broke down the MLS side’s home loss to Toronto FC and picked our OCSC Man of the Match and we were split on the latter. Paul Tenorio of The Athletic stopped by and we discussed yesterday’s big news with FC Cincinnati parting with its coach but we also talked about how the expansion side compares in its approach to Orlando City’s side in 2015. We also discussed the Lions, the job Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira are doing personnel-wise, and what the future holds in store for this team. Dave and I talked about OCB’s draw and the Pride’s loss and how bleak things seem for fans of the club’s NWSL side. We then got into a lengthy mailbag with some great questions this week, and finished with our key match-ups and score predictions for Sunday’s match at Atlanta United. If there’s something you want us to address on our next show, just ask by tweeting it to us @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC. Here’s how show No. 161 shook out: 0:16 - Orlando City once again came out second best against the Reds but it was the energy level that was disappointing. 23:24 - Paul Tenorio jumps aboard and he gives his take on several Lions who could soon be former Lions. 41:00 - OCB and the Pride have been shut out a lot already this season, the mailbag always scores, and our predictions for Orlando City at Atlanta will likely miss the mark. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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The first PawedCast of 2018 is here and it’s so jam packed we didn’t even have time to wish each other — or you — a happy new year. Since we last released the PawedCast, Orlando City has signed seven players and re-signed one, the Pride re-signed Dani Weatherholt, the Cyle Larin transfer saga has spun out of control, the preseason and regular season schedules have dropped, OCB has taken a hiatus, the club moved its academy, and the SheBelieves Cup is coming. And other stuff, but those are the biggies. We talk about all of that and still give you the bonus of our interview with Orlando City General Manager Niki Budalic just as the MLS Combine is ending and the SuperDraft is about to happen in Philly. Niki was kind enough to spend some of his valuable pre-draft time with us talking about the SuperDraft, the Combine, Sacha Kljestan, Josué Colmán, and more. We also spoke about the NWSL, the Pride’s off-season needs — including the status of unsigned players. And we answered listener questions in our mailbag. If there’s something you want us to address on our next show, tweet it to us @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC. Here’s your map to the sprawl of Episode No. 112: 0:12- The Lions have put together an incredible string of business since we last talked and we address every one of them. Plus, Kaká’s retirement, and the three-ring Larin circus in Turkey. 48:08- Niki Budalic returns to the PawedCast to answer our SuperDraft, MLS Combine, and player transfer questions, including some interesting nuggets like how some green cards are coming that will free up some international slots. 1:03:45- Women’s soccer, starting with the Pride, but also touching on some amazing NWSL trades, plus the SheBelieves Cup is coming! Plus, your mailbag questions are answered and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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