SkoPurp No. 34: Pride Transactions and Louisville Preview

The NWSL season is finally upon us, and as such, we are back to our weekly schedule as far as the SkoPurp Soccer podcast is concerned. We'll be with you throughout the year to cover all of the Pride's big doings. To that end, this show starts with where we left off last time. The Pride have suffered a few injuries and made some signings since we last produced an episode, and we take you through them all. We're of course excited by the addition of Zambian international striker Barbra Banda, who could give the Pride a little more bite in the final third. It's been a minute since an Orlando player racked up a good number of goals on the season, and Banda is one of those players who can do that. While the back line has taken a bit of a beating this preseason, we're hopeful that Rafaelle can return soon and that Carrie Lawrence returns to form. The club signed draft pick Cori Dyke to provide depth at center back, which is vital without Megan Montefusco available in 2024. Our mailbagbox asked us questions about where to watch the Pride this season, general managers around the league, music that reminds us of movies, Pride rivals, 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. Finally, we took a look at Racing Louisville's lineup a bit and discussed the Pride's poor record on the road against the Kentucky-based side. Is this finally the year the Pride break through in Louisville? We provide our key matchups and score predictions. Here’s how Episode 34 went down: 0:15 – The Pride have been hit by some injuries, especially at center back, but the club has also been making some signings. We break it all down. 14:32 – The mailbagbox has multiple questions, but one of them involved us having to do homework. 32:45 – Our first key matchups and score predictions of the 2024 Orlando Pride season!