I feel your pain Central Florida. The Orlando Magic have stunk for years. Orlando City has changed the Lions’ battle charge from #defyexpectations to #deflatedexpectations.

All together now: Why can’t we have nice things?

Psssst. Come closer. I have a little secret to share: We have a professional sports franchise that is kicking butt. The team has not lost a game in more than a month.

The local squad is moving on up in the playoff charts, currently in the fourth and last spot in the four-team tournament. Meet the perfect pitch for those summertime blues:

Your Orlando Pride.

Please check your chauvinistic bias at the door. This team is loaded with Top Guns. Marta is the best women’s player in the world. Alex Morgan is arguably the top striker on the U.S. women's national team.

They are just two of the pieces of a fabulous playoff puzzle coming together for a team on the rise and preparing to host its next three games at home, starting Saturday against Boston.

Not too shabby for a team that weathered a dumpster fire at the start of the season: 1-3-1 is never a good launching point for a playoff push. A 4-0-1 record in the last five games sounds like a much better game plan.

“We felt a few times this season that we’ve been on the brink of a run and we targeted those three home games at the beginning of August as really critical games,” coach Tom Sermanni said Wednesday.

“It’s like anything. When you’re on a good run things tend to fall for you. The opposite tends to happen when you’re on a bad run.”

You want bad, brother? Go chat with your neighbors on the other side of the pitch. Orlando City hasn’t won a game since June 30 and has been outscored 13-6 during that stretch.

Coach Jason Kreis still sounds hopeful of a playoff shot, but honestly, he’s starting to sound like the Jim Carrey character in “Dumb and Dumber” when he asks Mary what are the chances of them ending up together.

“Not good,” Mary said. “More like one in a million.”

Cue Kreis: “So you're telling me there's a chance … yeah!”

Meanwhile, the Magic are on the clock in what seems to be the 27th season of rebuilding since Dwight Howard left the building in a snit.

You want to root for a winner not named Tim Tebow? Check out the Pride.

With only four games remaining in the regular season, they are playing for much more than their nickname. August has been splendid. Now let’s see what September brings.

“We’ve gone through our difficult times at the start of the season and it was great when Orlando City was winning,” Sermanni said. “You hope it creates a positive working environment. Orlando City is on that cusp. They are so close to getting on a run. Hopefully our results will bring a positive environment among the whole club.”

Or maybe not, which puts the onus back on the Pride to give local sports fans something to shout about. They’ve got a good thing going.

And it stands to get a whole lot better.

O-town will be the host city for the National Women’s Soccer League Championship match on Saturday, Oct. 14.

“Obviously we haven’t focused too far ahead, but that’s been on the back of our minds for a while,” defender Alanna Kennedy said after Wednesday’s practice. “And it’s probably being thrown around a little bit more now that we’re playing better. To play in front of our fans in our home stadium would be great. That would be a huge advantage, We’re definitely driving to be there.”

Imagine the Pride winning the title before a raucous sold-out crowd at Orlando City Stadium.

Now that would defy expectations, and most certainly prove that Central Florida can have nice things.

gdiaz@orlandosentinel.com; @georgediaz on Twitter