ORLANDO, Fla. -- Jason Kreis refuses to call it a “must-win” game, but he will own up to “mustn’t lose.”
And, with Orlando City SC traveling to Washington for the first of two crunch showdowns with D.C. United on Saturday (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE), it has all the makings of a home-and-home playoff "play-in" series.
There is more to the final month of the season than two head-to-head games, of course, and, technically, neither team will be eliminated from the postseason conversation with a defeat at RFK Stadium on Saturday.
Sixth-placed New England currently hold a two-point lead over both teams in the Eastern Conference red line battle, but City head coach Kreis knows his men have to take points from United if they are to harbor any thoughts of playing beyond the regular season.
“I don’t know about must-win, but I would say must get a result.” Kreis admitted. “I think we go there with the intention to pick up three points but if we end up getting one, we can still be pleased with that.”
Kreis is well aware his team faces a dogfight against a rival that has significantly revived its own fortunes in the past seven weeks, with only one defeat in nine outings, including last-gasp 2-2 draws against New York Red Bulls and Chicago.
“D.C. are doing everything they can to scrape and scratch and claw themselves into the playoffs,” the Orlando head coach added. “We’ve seen over the last two games that there’s no give up in them so we need to recognize that we have to give everything we can to match their effort and get the three points that we desire.”
Despite heavy defeats in their last two outings, Kreis still believes it is a matter of confidence and belief as much as anything else at this stage of the season.
“For several years at Real Salt Lake we got there on the very last day, so you just have to keep your guys believing that things will go their way,” he insisted. “Keep them working extremely hard and keep them focused on the little things, not so much focused on the result.
“I believe the result is a collection of good things that happen in a match, little things, attention to detail and effort, and results follow.”
Orlando do at least have a nearly full squad to choose from at RFK Stadium. Carlos Rivas is on a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation, but otherwise everyone is fit for almost the first time this season.
Defensive midfielder Cristian Higuita has shaken off the hamstring strain that has sidelined him for the last five weeks, while Antonio Nocerino is back after limping out of the LA Galaxy defeat two weeks ago. Defenders Jose Aja and Rafael Ramos are both fit again, and David Mateos has served his one-game suspension, giving Kreis ample choice in defense and midfield.
“Yes, it’s good,” he said. “Obviously as a coach you want difficult decisions, you want to have to make difficult choices and have to deliver difficult messages to players that expect to play, that want to play and everybody wants to be a part of things right now. It’s a good situation for us and we’re happy with that.”
Midfielder Brek Shea is another player pressing for a starting role after two impressive performances as a substitute, and he echoed his head coach’s sentiments about the task ahead.
“[D.C. United] are a team that doesn’t quit and those teams are hard to play against,” he said. “We need to get a result there but I think we can do it if we play the way I know we can. A lot of times in this league it comes down to the last game but it doesn’t matter if you get in first or last; once you get in [the playoffs], it’s a fresh start for everyone.
“There are mistakes we can fix and we know better by now. But it happens to every team. It’s unlucky for us because it’s happened two weeks in a row so it looks worse than it is. But we know we are a better team, and we will be all right.”
