Nick Cushing is proud of his players after they recorded a 2-0 victory against CF Montréal.
The Boys in Blue claimed all three points at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night thanks to first-half goals from Andres Jasson and Mounsef Bakrar.
The result pulled NYCFC to within three points of Chicago Fire in the final playoff spot, and while Cushing was keen to stress the need for consistency, he also spoke of his pride following the performance.
"It's going to take a real desire [to make the playoffs] and it's going to take everybody [working] together," Cushing said.
"I say that as a coaching staff, front office, back office, players, fans, everybody. It feels good now. It feels good. If we win against Vancouver on Saturday it'll look good compared to what it has looked like.
"That will give us an opportunity going into the international break and three more home games. So yeah, enjoy it, enjoy it maybe for ten more minutes, but we go back to work because we're not second and getting closer to first.
"I'm realistic and I don't want to get ahead of ourselves. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but I'm really proud of the guys tonight. I thought there were some excellent individual performances and some excellent partnerships that played really well together."
Both goalscorers enjoyed firsts on Wednesday night. Mounsef Bakrar recorded his first goal in MLS, while academy graduate Jasson recorded a first strike at Yankee Stadium.
The forward was a threat until he was withdrawn midway through the second half, and his performance earned significant praise from his coach.
“I'm really happy for him because he's one of the guys that just deserves to get going,” Cushing said.
“I believe in the players I believe in these guys, especially our academy players, and I'm really happy for Andres - his first goal at Yankee Stadium. We just congratulated him in the dressing room, and I think those moments are really important because the group is really together.
“On a night where we win and one of our own scores his first goal at Yankee Stadium it’s a really important moment to celebrate. I hope he goes and celebrates it with his family because it’s a small moment and for somebody that hasn't really had so many of them I think really important."
The Boys in Blue will complete a busy week on Saturday when they host another Canadian outfit in Vancouver Whitecaps. Vanni Sartini's side recorded a narrow win against Chicago Fire on Wednesday night and will be keen to take another three points on Saturday.
Cushing discussed the matchup and specifically the team's mentality as the focus shifts toward the second of five consecutive home games.
"We're going to need all our fans," Cushing said of the upcoming challenge.
"We're going to need the atmosphere of Yankee Stadium because tonight when we were under pressure we could hear the fans. We're going to have to be really realistic, and we're going to have to fight.
"The season has shown us no one is going to give us anything. I felt great after we beat Toronto, the shoulders were back, the chests were puffed out, and that's it. Then we lost against Red Bull, we lost against Minnesota, we lost against Cincinnati.
"For us, it's about we don't feel sorry for ourselves, we don't look back. I'll watch Chicago against Vancouver to make sure we're prepared and prepare the guys, and roll the team again. Hopefully, we get the Yankee Stadium effect to make sure that we go back-to-back going into the derby."
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