With a little over two months left in the regular season, Orlando City is setting its eyes on the playoffs. Right now, the Lions are on the cusp of taking that sixth and final spot. Currently, they are tied for points with the New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference. Every win makes a difference and brings the team one step closer to their ultimate goal.
“We need more frequency of good games,” Kaká said after training on Thursday. “I think we played very good against New England, and we didn’t play so good against Seattle… I think we need to figure out how to make more games like New England.”
In training, Kaká and his teammates are still learning the philosophy and tactics of Head Coach Jason Kreis. Training sessions are long, especially during this hot Florida summer, but Kaká says it is what the men need to be successful. “It’s long, but it’s necessary,” Kaká said. “These things need to be automatic.”
The team isn’t focusing on improving one specific area, but rather improving their play as a whole. Kaká said the team was working on learning some new things on defense and some new aspects of their attacking game. The goal is to create more dominance on the field-- as Kaká said, more games like New England.
“Just understand the right philosophy that Jason wants to do here,” Kaká said. “Understand it and do it.”
Orlando City’s road to the playoffs continues this weekend, as the team travels to take on the Chicago Fire. The Fire are ranked last in the Eastern Conference, and have only won two of their last ten games. But any team can win on any day, and Orlando City knows they will need to be focused in order to win.
For now, Orlando City will not let their mentality be dominated by the playoffs. Instead, they will continue to focus on each individual game. “We are preparing ourselves for this game,” Kaká insisted. Still, looking at the road ahead, Kaká feels confident that his team can implement the strategies that will lead them to victory.
“We have two important games on the road,” Kaká said. “Good games to play and good games to win.”
