Nick Cushing believes New York City FC could take another step in their journey with victory against Inter Miami CF on Saturday.
New York City FC entertain Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF on Saturday at Yankee Stadium, with both sides eager to take home all three points.
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw when they met earlier in the season, with Cushing believing Saturday’s clash could be a huge opportunity for City to grow as a team.
“I think when you've got a team like ours every opportunity is an opportunity to learn,” he said.
“Every difficult moment is one that you can react and bounce back from and you can become stronger from.
“Every moment where you perform at a high level and you take wins is a learning moment. I've said all along that the tough times make top teams.
“You get more good moments by learning from the difficult ones. Wednesday night is one [of those difficult moments] that we have an opportunity to bounce back from, and Saturday is a real occasion in which we can deliver.
“It is going to take us at our best. It's going to take us playing our attacking game, being on the front foot, and entertaining our supporters, but also absorbing the pressure from a top team with high-class individuals.
“It’s a huge opportunity for us to take another step in our journey.”
Cushing also discussed the need for his side to focus on their strengths when they take on Miami this weekend.
Tata Martino’s side currently sits first in the Eastern Conference and is considered favorites for the Supporters' Shield this season. Despite that challenge, Cushing believes his side can draw strength from focusing on the characteristics that have already helped deliver victories this season.
“I think you have to take into consideration the strengths of the opposition when playing against the team that are leading the standings,” he said.
“They do have very high-level individuals, but they're also a very well-coached team. They’ve won with whatever roster they’ve put out this season and you have to respect that.
“But for us, I think it's always about understanding why we're good and how we're good. It’s because we've defended as a team, we've defended from the front, and we've also defended our boxes.
“When we've created problems for teams it's because we've attacked the game as a team and we’ve created moments for our front three and our two 10s have played together.
“Tomorrow is another opportunity to play together as a team. I said before and after Philadelphia - it's not about the defense, it's not about the attacking game, it's about our game being at the level that we want it to be.”
