ORLANDO, Fla. -- Call it the new normal, finishing strong, or most recently the Portland Way, but whichever way you look at it, the MLS regular season has reached its most crucial point.
With apologies to current conference leaders Toronto FC and FC Dallas, this is the time of year when someone emerges from the pack and becomes a real contender. And it is something Orlando City SC are extremely aware of.
In 2012, the LA Galaxy finished the season in near-unstoppable form, losing just one of their last 10 games as they stormed into – and through – the playoffs to the MLS Cup. A year later, Sporting Kansas City were the red-hot fancy, winning six of their final eight en route to a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference and, ultimately, an MLS Cup title. In 2014, New England won four of their last five to send them streaking to the MLS Cup Final.
Last year, it was the Timbers with all the late-season momentum. On September 20, they lost 2-0 at home to New York Red Bulls to leave them without a win in four games, clinging to sixth spot by just a point and in danger of missing the playoffs completely. Then four wins in their final five matches saw them not only claw their way clear of the red line but also claim third place and a home game in the Knockout Round before going on to bag their first MLS Cup championship.
That recent tendency for finishing the season with a flourish and going on to greater things has not gone unnoticed by the gaggle of clubs clustered around this year’s post-season cutoff line, and the Lions are definitely among those with the same mindset, sitting two points below it alongside D.C. United, both with a game in hand on New England.
Despite successive heavy defeats, Orlando’s players are well aware a good run over their final five matches could propel them deep into the playoff conversation, and they have history on their side. Last year, they won five of their final six and only just missed out.
And experienced midfielder Servando Carrasco believes they are positioning themselves to be “that team” this time around.
“Last year it was Portland,” he explained. “They had a performance against the Galaxy where they beat them 5-2, and they basically went from a team that was just fighting for a playoff spot to winning the championship.
“That’s a testament to this league. It’s built on parity and, because of that, when a team gets hot and gets some confidence, that’s a very dangerous team to play. So we’re just going to try to be that team this year.”
City head coach Jason Kreis has told his team to focus on the progress they had made prior to losing 4-2 at LA and then the shock 4-1 home reversal at the hands of Columbus last Saturday. It is a mantra the team has taken to heart in training this week.
“It is just belief [at this stage], belief in the work that we’re putting in and belief in the system,” Carrasco confirmed. “One positive result and confidence will give us momentum. You look at our game against [Sporting] KC last year, when we won 3-1, and then it was 1-0 at Chicago, which was massive, and then we went to New York [Red Bulls] and had possibly our best game [winning 5-2], so it’s just a matter of getting that confidence.
“Once you get it, you have to try to sustain it. One thing I have noticed in the past six seasons is that it’s not necessarily the best team [that wins MLS Cup] but the team that peaks at the ideal time. When you look at the body of work we’ve put in over the past eight weeks, there are a ton of positives and we’re on the right path for sure.”
