SANFORD, Fla. – There’s no denying Atlanta United FC are meeting their excited fans' expectations during their first year in Major League Soccer.
The Five Stripes currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference table, and could arguably make the playoffs during their inaugural season.
But while Atlanta may be having an impressive first year in MLS, Orlando City SC head coach Jason Kreis continues to believe his third-year squad have what it takes to contend for their first spot in the postseason, too -- though the expansion side present the Lions' next challenge, and a formidable one based on their recent form.
“We feel like we match up well with Atlanta," Kreis said. "Over the three games, we have a draw and a loss, which easily could have been a draw and a win, so we’re in there with some confidence, and we know this is a very dangerous team, but we think that we’re capable as well.”
The Lions' 2-1 victory at D.C. United last weekend, their first win since June, not only snapped an eight-game winless run but also might have spurred confidence in the Lions ahead of Saturday’s clash against Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
United opened their time in their new home last Sunday with a 3-0 win over FC Dallas, then followed that with a 7-0 blowout victory at home over the shorthanded New England Revolution on Wednesday.
Even so, Kreis said there isn’t a difference between his squad and Gerardo Martino’s side.
“They’re finding a real good form in what they’re doing in the attacking half of the field," he said. "They’ve had a huge rest between their games, and they’ve got everybody fresh and fit, and I think they’re just playing with some confidence, but there are some things that obviously happened in both of those games that tilt the score line heavily on their favor.
“We believe every opponent has weak points. We don’t look at the last two games and say, ‘Oh, they scored 10 and didn’t allow zero’ and say this is a team that’s completely unbeatable, I don’t think so. Every team has weak points, and they have theirs as well."
Forward Cyle Larin agreed, even given Atlanta's two clean sheets in as many matches in their new home.
“We can score goals on them,' he said, "and I think if we go up early and get early goals, it’ll be hard for them to do what they did (Wednesday) night.”
Orlando have refrained from talking about the playoffs to the media, but the regular season close to ending, Kreis has only one objective for his team.
“Looking to win. I’m looking to keep winning,” he said. “The only objective for me this weekend is three points, and we’ll talk about the next game after that. It’s one moment at a time, and one game at a time. I know everybody thinks we’re dead; we don’t.”
