Bradley Carnell does not believe New York Red Bulls have yet turned a corner, but says his inexperienced side are on the right track.
The Red Bulls have won their last two matches 4-1, against Inter Miami and Montreal Impact respectively, having only managed one victory from their six MLS fixtures before that.
However, interim coach Carnell has now called on the Red Bulls to keep the momentum going as they look to secure a playoff spot.
"Turning the corner is really going on a big run of five, six, seven, eight games. We would like to get that going but it's a mindset," Carnell, whose side face Orlando City on Saturday, told reporters. "The mentality is a big part of it. If we get that right, there's a lot of positives to come after that.
"I'm really excited by the response from the guys. We see it in training, paying attention to the little details. We have nothing to hide in our group but we have a lot to gain. The guys are putting a lot of effort into the training, getting set up in a right way in a good frame of mind."
Orlando are six points better off than the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference, though they were held to a frustrating draw by FC Dallas last time out.
"It was a point and we'll take it," Orlando coach Oscar Pareja told reporters. "We're proud after such effort that the players had on the field but knowing that we had the majority of the options and the personality and most importantly the consistency during the game, that was something that we were asking the players."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Orlando City – Christopher Mueller
Orlando's leading scorer has seven goals in 18 MLS appearances this term, and with support from the exciting Benji Michel, forms a potent attacking unit.
New York Red Bulls – Tom Barlow
It had been a long time coming in 2020 for Barlow, but the striker finally opened his account for the season with a double in the Red Bulls' victory over the Impact. The 25-year-old netted his side's first two goals in the triumph.
KEY OPTA FACTS
• The Red Bulls and Orlando have alternated victories in their last seven MLS meetings, with New York winning the last one in Florida 1-0 in July 2019.
• The last three matches between these sides have each ended 1-0 after the teams had combined for 11 goals in the previous two MLS meetings.
• Orlando extended their club-record unbeaten run to eight matches (W5 D3) with a scoreless draw in Dallas on Sunday. The result ended a run of 12 straight matches with a goal for Orlando, the second-longest scoring run in club history (15 matches from March to June 2016).
• The Red Bulls have found their offense, netting eight times in their last two matches (W2) after scoring just nine goals in their first 12 matches this season.
• When Daniel Royer scored against D.C. United on September 12, it ended a career-long eight match goalless run in MLS. Beginning with that goal, Royer has been directly involved in five goals in his last four matches.