Nick Cushing believes his side are making progress against the challenges in front of them.
New York City FC welcome New England Revolution to Yankee Stadium on Saturday evening eager to claim a second win of the season and stretch their unbeaten run to three games.
City have recorded back-to-back score draws against Inter Miami CF and Atlanta United of late with both games seeing them unfortunate not to claim all three points - something they are eager to rectify this weekend when they take on New England.
Asked whether he would be willing to change the team in the hope of scoring more goals, Cushing instead preferred to draw focus on the team’s continued hard work and how the current situation can help them develop long term.
“I think you’ve got to put yourself in those situations [to score],” he said. “Whether we change the team or we roll with the same team - the offensive side of our game against Atlanta was by far the best we've produced in the last 12 months in terms of the number of chances we created and how we got those opportunities.
“I’ve said to the team that progress is at times difficult and that hard times create top teams. We are definitely progressing and we are definitely improving. You’ve got to continue to believe, to work, to concentrate, and focus on executing the outcomes.”
The Revs arrive at Yankee Stadium after a chastening midweek clash against Club America of Mexico in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
New England lost 9-2 on aggregate against the side from Mexico City, but Cushing is not looking to take his opposition for granted as they make their way to the Five Boroughs this weekend.
“We've obviously done our homework and we've done the scouting on them,” he said. “We know that their team is improving.
“They have a new coach in Caleb Porter and they're pretty similar at the moment to what I saw last year in terms of how they defend the game and the type of team that they are with the ball.
“They're very dangerous. Carles Gil is of course the player that is most dangerous - he has individual moments – and the number nine, Giacomo Vironi, is coming into form scoring goals.
“They’re improving as a team. I think they’re dangerous at crossing the ball. You look at the data across the league and they're in the top three or four in terms of ability to cross the ball and create moments.
“If we defend the game well we give ourselves the best opportunity to win, but if we're open and we don't stop crosses, and we give up moments similar to the moments we gave up against Atlanta it will be more difficult.”
The New York City Head Coach also provided an update on the fitness of Talles Magno and the status of Jovan Mijatović ahead of this weekend.
The Brazilian has been nursing a knee complaint for several weeks while Mijatović is currently working through the visa process before rejoining the group.
“Talles is still with the physios and he's working individually out on the grass,” Cushing said. “He is working incredibly hard and he is getting closer [to a return].
“There is no real update in that sense, because we're working through the process. We're working on the reaction to upping his load to get him into the next level within his rehab. He's definitely moving along and it's really positive. He's making progress, but he’s not yet with the team.
“Jovan is going through the visa process and of course it's frustrating, but at the same time it is what you have to go through. It's a process outside of our control.
“It's one that the front office is doing an incredible job in trying to expedite and accelerate that process. We hope that it is going to happen quickly but it's ultimately with the relevant people.”
