It wasn’t Orlando City’s night on Sunday when they faced off against New York City FC. After earning two victories over NYC earlier in the season, the Lions dropped the match 3-0.
The defeat is difficult for Orlando City to deal with, but already they are looking ahead to next week.
“I think that we have to stay level-headed. I think that when we were 6-1, clearly we could have been feeling a lot better about ourselves than we were. We tried to stay grounded then. After every single win, we would talk about the improvements we needed to make and so after the loss we stay the same,” Head Coach Jason Kreis said after the match. “We still need to improve, we still need to work hard every week, and we need to do our best to prepare ourselves for next week’s game.”
This was the third meeting between Orlando City and New York City FC in their first twelve games, giving both teams a unique understanding of how the other plays. New York took advantage of that knowledge and created a game plan based on what they had experienced in past matches. For Kreis, the loss doesn’t require a change in mentality or a shift in identity. It simply requires a reminder of the team’s potential and where they want to go.
“For me, it’s not about changing the mentality. It’s just reminders about who we want to be. And continue to work,” Kreis said. “We have to continue to believe, continue to work hard, and continue to stay together.”
Orlando City will look ahead to their road match against Minnesota United next weekend. While the Lions will be hitting the road, they have the benefit of no midweek match, giving them some time to rest and recuperate. They will return to action next Saturday night in Minnesota where they will be ready to continue their fight.
