FC Kansas City feeling sense of urgency to build winning streak

There were subtle signals that FC Kansas City coach Vlatko Andonovski spotted over the past few weeks, indications that his team was nearing a turnaround.

The on-the-field product wasn’t as bad as the results had suggested, he thought, but even more notable was the club’s mind-set.

“We just still had a good vibe in practices,” he said. “One of the things that’s very impressive about this group is that when things are not going away, they work harder. Everyone was saying they were not going to let another (win) pass by.”

Dispensing the credit after a 2-0 win against Orlando on May 28, therefore, wasn’t difficult. The club was quick to mention its collective attitude.

The next step? Maintaining that urgency. Even after picking up its first victory of the season, FC Kansas City, 1-4-2, remains in ninth place in the 10-team league, seven points shy of the playoff line.

“There were early games when we didn’t get the results we wanted, but I still thought we played pretty well,” Blues midfielder Yael Averbuch said. “So that win kind of gave us the confidence that we can get the result, too. Now we just have to go get another one.”

FC Kansas City travels to face Sky Blue FC at 6 p.m. Saturday in Piscataway, N.J. The club will welcome back national-team members Becky Sauerbrunn and Heather O’Reilly on Saturday after a one-game absence.

“We’re hoping that after getting that first win, they’re going to keep coming now,” Andonovski said. “The girls found a game to make that game go their way. We just have to play the same way.”

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 12:16 PM with the headline "FC Kansas City feeling sense of urgency to build winning streak."