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.

The Orlando Pride stayed on the road, which is usually a recipe for disaster. But instead of suffering a second straight multi-goal loss, the Pride rose to the occasion, played with grit and determination, and beat the then-first-place San Diego Wave 1-0 on the road. While Orlando has been adept at getting results in California in the past, there was no reason to expect an injury-plagued, reeling team to look like it was back in 2024, refusing to lose.

We break down the Pride's big road win and how it could be a sign that the club has figured things out, look back at our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week's mailbagbox asked about why this Orlando Pride team can't be normal, what if the team had been healthy all season, 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 Friday's final game before the break as Bay FC comes to Orlando. We look back at the limited series history between the two clubs, provide our key matchups, and make our final 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 124 went down:

0:15 – Orlando continued its road trip and found a way to finish it on a high note.

14:56 - The mailbagbox is not sure what to make of this year's Pride team.

27:14 - Bay FC visits on Friday and we'll see if the Pride can build on the win at San Diego or if it was a moment of magic.