Kevin O’Toole says the New York City squad are relishing the challenge of their five-game road stretch.
Having traveled to Toronto FC last weekend, the Boys in Blue have four tough trips to contend with before returning to home soil, facing Charlotte FC this Saturday, as the Boys in Blue seek a first away victory of the season.
Speaking ahead of the clash in North Carolina, the 24-year-old asserts the squad are not dwelling on the setbacks of previous struggles, but are looking forward to setting things right on their travels.
“Resilience is the key,” he explained. “Obviously, we can’t dwell on a tough result and a tough performance too much – the games come thick and fast, so it’s just about moving on, and being ready for the next match.
“The message has just been about being resilient as a team. Obviously, it wasn’t our best performance [against Toronto]. We want to do better, especially on the road.
“We go through some video, we see some moments, especially offensively that we can exploit a bit better, so we’ll look to bring that to the field this weekend.
“We have a few more [games] coming up, so it’s just about the group staying together, being resilient, executing the gameplan.
“This is the first stretch this season where we’ve got midweek games coming up. We’ve got midweek games for the next three weeks, so there’s some guys that will have to be managed in terms of minutes.
“It’s just about everyone on the roster staying ready. Obviously, last year, we saw guys who had to step in at various times, and be ready to perform – even if they hadn’t seen the field in a couple of months – so I think everyone on the team is super hungry, and motivated to play.
“That’s the message for the 20+ man roster: just to be ready, because you never know when your name is going to be called.
“I think everyone’s excited for the challenge ahead, and I’m sure there’ll be guys getting big opportunities as the games come through.”
O’Toole made his first start of the season against Toronto, stepping in for Braian Cufré, who was rested as Nick Cushing opted to rotate.
Continuing his development, the defender says he is learning a lot, especially in the process of adapting to a tactical switch.
“It’s been a pretty good transition,” he added. “Last year, I was playing more as a wing-back in a 3-5-2; this year, we’ve gone with more of an out-and-out full-back in a 4-3-3.
“It’s just about adapting to the positioning, and the spacing with the center-back – it’s a little bit different because when you have three in the back, you can push a bit and get a bit higher.
“Obviously, in the left-back role, you have more defensive responsibility. I’m just working hard at that part of my game – I'm used to getting forward, and getting up the line a bunch, and this is about staying connected with the center-back, and winning your defensive battle.
“It's been good. I'm liking the role a lot, and getting adjusted to it day by day.
“Against Toronto, we defended the box a lot. For the most part, we did a pretty good job. Obviously, there are some moments, including the goal, where we can do a bit better, but it's definitely been a focus for us – we want to be perfect in this scenario.
“We'll go through it again in training today, and we'll be prepared for Charlotte this weekend.”
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