he season is over. It seemed like this was an Orlando City built to do the darn thing, but you can't do the darn thing if you don't score any goals. It's also difficult to do the darn thing when one of your center backs gets sent off and your team has fewer players than the opposition. These are the things the Lions had to contend with on Saturday and there were still opportunities there to take the game. We discuss all of those chances that went wanting and select our unanimous pick for Man of the Match. This week's mailbagbox only had one submission, but 10 (!) questions. Don't worry, they w ..read more

After an unbelievably long gap in the playoff schedule, Orlando City is back this weekend with an Eastern Conference semifinal match at home against the Columbus Crew. And because it's a special week, we've got a special show for you. We open our discussion this week with a quick look at the United States Men's National Team's two-leg performance against Trinidad & Tobago. The games couldn't have been more different and, although the second leg went off the rails when Sergino Dest lost his mind and got himself sent off for no good reason, the Yanks at least survived and advanced. After tha ..read more

Orlando City now knows its opponent for the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Lions will welcome the Columbus Crew into the purple palace in Parramore on Saturday, Nov. 25 for a 5:30 p.m. match. The series this year has been extremely competitive, with Orlando going 1-0-1 in the two regular-season meetings but needing to rally from two goals down both times to secure a result. We look at how these teams got to this point, dive into some of the key players for Columbus, and discuss the offensive prowess the Crew have shown in 2023. These were two of the best teams in the conference all season ..read more

Second verse, same as the first! Orlando City scored a first-half goal and rode that and a solid defensive game plan to a 1-0 playoff victory over Nashville SC in Game 2. This was essentially the same script, only with a less impressive winning goal and it took place in Tennessee rather than Florida, but the result is that the Lions are through the first-round series and on to the Eastern Conference semifinals. We break down another nervy, cagey match between two teams that are really starting to hate each other, and we select our unanimous Man of the Match. The mailbagbox was chock full this ..read more

Orlando City played a great game to start the 2023 playoffs. Although there were a few things the Lions could clean up, it's hard to imagine the team playing much better against a stubborn Nashville SC side. Sure, it would be nice to finish a few more chances, but the important thing is that Orlando is halfway to where it needs to be in this opening-round matchup. We break down the match, in which Orlando attempted a lot of shots (for a change against Nashville) and got just enough of them to go in to get the victory. We discuss Wilder Cartagena's amazing goal, the job the defense did, and our ..read more

Oftentimes, awards are popularity contests. We get that. But it's still nice to see the players and teams you follow get some recognition. To that end, we discuss the Lions who made the final cut for Major League Soccer's end-of-season awards. We don't think they'll win, but it's nice to be nominated. However, it's not nice to be snubbed. We point out two individuals who should have been among the final three in their categories and why we think they should have been in the running. After that, we welcome Orlando City midfielder and fullback Dagur Dan Thorhallsson back to the show. The young I ..read more

The regular season is over. Despite Orlando City giving everyone a participation trophy on Decision Day and the hosts having a bit more to play for in the season's final game — a retiring legendary captain and a new coach at the helm — the Lions prevailed 2-0 over Toronto FC on the strength of a fully caffeinated cup of Duncan's finest. Rookie Duncan McGuire came off the bench and played like he'd bought BMO Field that morning. Former USMNT captain and now-former Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley was the unfortunate player who will forever be enshrined in the highlight for one of Orlando City ..read more

We've gotten through the final international break of the 2023 Major League Soccer regular season and soon we'll be watching the matches around the league on Decision Day. The final day of the season takes place on Saturday and the Lions will be north of the border for a meeting with Toronto FC. The Reds will have a few more things to play for than Orlando City on Saturday, including a new head coach, spots on the team for next season, and to send off captain Michael Bradley with one final victory. The Lions have nothing at stake on Saturday beyond sharpening their claws for the postseason. Th ..read more

Orlando City completed a monster eight-day run, getting wins against Montreal, Nashville (on the road), and the New England Revolution. Saturday's home win over the Revs wasn't as close as the 3-2 scoreline would seem to indicate, and it's another good sign for an Orlando City team that has feasted in the past on lower teams while not being quite at the level of the better sides. The Lions have claimed wins over some of their problem teams in recent weeks and that should boost the lads' confidence heading into the postseason. We break down Orlando City's win over the Revs and make our selectio ..read more

Orlando City claimed another big road victory in a difficult place for visitors to get wins, and the Lions did it with only one shot on target all night on Wednesday. Duncan McGuire's strike late in the first half held up and the hosts didn't look particularly threatening after the opening moments of the second half thanks to a cool, calm, and collected Orlando City side that bossed the midfield, thwarted the Nashville attackers, and frustrated the hosts all evening — mostly by keeping the ball and not giving the Tennessee-based club a chance to unleash its lethal counterattack. We break down ..read more