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 or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, 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.

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.

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 or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, 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.

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?).

The Orlando Pride hosted Bay FC and made it two straight wins for the first time in 2026. Orlando continued its successful ways against California-based teams with another standout performance by striker Barbra Banda. The Zambian international scored two goals and set up another to lead the Pride to another big three points on the cusp of the World Cup break. Jacquie Ovalle and Zara Chavoshi came off the bench, taking the Pride two steps closer to having a healthy roster.

It wasn't all good news, however. The game was fun until Banda picked up an injury late in the game and now we wait to see what the severity is. Losing Banda for any length of time is not ideal for a team reliant on her for goals and hovering near the bottom of the playoff places.

We break down the Pride's 3-1 win at home, look back at our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week's mailbagbox asked about Nicole Payne, Tallahassee-based side TLH Reckoning, Orlando Pride players as USWNT starters, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, 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.

After the mailbagbox, we look ahead to the USWNT heading to Brazil for a pair of friendlies. These games should be good tests for Emma Hayes' side, and it will be fun to watch Orlando's Brazilians play for their national team.

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.

Here’s how Episode 125 went down:

0:15 – Orlando has its first winning streak of the season with a victory over Bay FC.

19:04 - The mailbagbox takes us into the summer break.

32:45 - The USWNT heads to Brazil to face a good team with several Pride players on it.