Oscar Pareja says he will not "interfere" with Orlando City's energy ahead of their meeting with the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference final.
Orlando will play in the conference final for the first time after edging to a 1-0 victory over Atlanta United in the semifinals last Saturday.
Their impressive defensive record has carried them through the playoffs so far, with a penalty shootout defeat their only blot during the playoffs so far.
With just one game standing between them and the MLS Cup final, Pareja is confident his team have all the motivation they need to come out on top at Inter & Co Stadium on Saturday.
"We have tried this week to stay concentrated on our responsibility and the opportunity that we have," Pareja told reporters.
"We're very proud that the group has achieved this for the club and fans, but we're eager to go for much more than that. The boys are ready, so I try not to interfere too much.
"We don't need to do anything different. It's the most important [game], but I hope I can say this after the next game when there's another one that's more important.
Meanwhile, New York are playing their sixth conference final after beating local rivals New York City FC 2-0 in the semifinals last week.
The Red Bulls came from behind after losing their first playoff game to Columbus Crew at home, but they have impressed on the road, winning both games so far.
Head coach Sandro Schwarz is expecting a tough test in Orlando and is keen to cut out some of the sloppiness he has seen during the postseason.
"We have to play more clean, like the first half against NYCFC, to not think too much about the big moments," he said.
"We have to play with a more clear direction to the goal with our transition moments. That's necessary.
"We know about the quality of Orlando, and we need the same intensity and behaviour in our pressing to be strong."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Orlando City – Ramiro Enrique
Ramiro Enrique scored the lone goal in Orlando's win over Atlanta United in the conference semifinals, his ninth goal overall this season, all since the beginning of July.
Enrique and Facundo Torres (11 goals) are two of just 11 players with nine or more goals since the start of July (regular season & playoffs).
New York Red Bulls – Dante Vanzeir
Dante Vanzeir orchestrated the Red Bulls' win over rivals NYCFC in the conference semifinals, assisting Felipe Carballo's opener before scoring the second.
He has assisted 10 goals in MLS this season, more than any other player on the team.
MATCH PREDICTION: ORLANDO CITY WIN
This will be the first-ever playoff meeting between Orlando City and the Red Bulls.
Orlando have reached the conference final for the first time in the team's history after allowing just one total goal through their first four matches of the 2024 postseason. They are the fifth team in MLS history to allow just one goal over a span of four matches in a single postseason.
New York defeated Orlando 1-0 at home on June 1 to end a four-match losing streak against the Lions in all competitions.
The Red Bulls have reached the conference final for the sixth time in club history and the first since 2018. New York lost all five previous times they reached the Eastern Conference Final, with their only MLS Cup Final appearance coming in 2008 as Western Conference Champions.
The Red Bulls have won back-to-back road playoff games to reach the conference final, the third time they have won consecutive road games in a single postseason (2008, 2017). The only team to win three straight road games within a single postseason was the Chicago Fire in 1998.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Orlando City – 52.2%
Draw – 24.4%
New York Red Bulls – 23.4%
KC defeats St. George’s College 1-0 to claim ISSA U-14 football crown; STATHS win U-16 title with 1-0 win over Excelsior
Kingston College are champions of the ISSA Burger King U-14 Urban Area football competition after a 1-0 win over North Street rivals St. George’s College in Friday’s final at Stadium East in Kingston.
KC didn’t have to wait long for the only goal of the game with Ras-Renaldinho Harriott slotting home comfortably past St. George’s goalkeeper Steven Dixon in the sixth minute.
The win also means the ‘Purples’ won two of the three major corporate area football competitions after their Manning Cup triumph over St. Catherine High earlier this month.
In the Mighty Malt U-16 final later at the same venue, St. Andrew Technical defeated Excelsior by a similar 1-0 score line.
Just like in the U-14 final, the winning goal came in the sixth minute when Kelvin Brown capitalized on some unsure Excelsior defending after a corner kick.
Martin embarrassed by Southampton's Premier League points tally
Russell Martin believes Southampton should have more points on the board in the Premier League this season ahead of their clash with Tottenham on Sunday.
The Saints have won just once this season, with two draws adding up to a dismal five points, which leaves them bottom of the standings having lost their other 12 games since promotion.
Southampton are winless in five matches in the top-flight, losing the last two on the bounce, and have a goal difference of minus 20, having conceded 31 goals while scoring just 11.
"We shouldn't be on the points that we are. It is incredibly hurtful and embarrassing to be on five points - we should have more," said Martin.
"But there have been a few too many mistakes and a few too many moments that we haven't managed well.
"We have had disappointments in games and setbacks, but we have to keep trying to grow - to grow as a group, to grow individually and prepare the players for those moments when it is tough and find ways for them to cope emotionally."
They face a Spurs side struggling for form, with Martin saying he has "a lot of respect" for under-pressure Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs have won just one of their last eight matches in all competitions, and are currently winless in five, with the manager coming under scrutiny for his style of play.
Postecoglou's side sit 11th in the table, seven points behind the top four ahead of the weekend, and he is keen to get the basics right to get back on track at St. Mary's.
"We can't dismiss the situation we're in at the moment," Postecoglou said. "We're very limited at the moment what we can do from a team perspective.
"There's a lot of players playing a lot of games, and they're giving their all, but they're going to lack a little bit of sharpness as we cannot give them a rest.
"Within that context, it's about making sure that there's some basics in our game that we push through."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Southampton – Ben Brereton Diaz
Ben Brereton Diaz has not won any of his 24 Premier League games in spells at Sheffield United (14) and Southampton (10), drawing six and losing 18.
Only Oliver Burke (25) has had a longer winless run from the start of a Premier League career, and it is a streak that the striker will be desperate to end sooner rather than later.
Tottenham – Dejan Kulusevski
Dejan Kulusevski could make his 100th Premier League appearance in this match, with his first also coming against Southampton back in February 2022.
He has 21 assists in the league, with only Son Heung-min providing more for Spurs since his debut (24).
MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN
Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League games against sides starting the day bottom of the table (W10 D3), since a 1-0 loss at West Bromwich Albion in May 2018. Spurs have scored 42 goals in this run, netting at least three times in each of the last eight.
In fact, Spurs have only failed to score in one of their last 22 Premier League meetings with Southampton, a 1-0 away loss in January 2020.
However, Postecoglou's side have lost 14 of their 33 Premier League games so far in 2024 (W14 D5), just one fewer than they did in 42 games in 2023. They last lost 15+ league games in consecutive calendar years in 2002 (15), 2003 (20) and 2004 (15).
Southampton, meanwhile, have won just one of their last 28 Premier League games (D6 L21), with their 1-0 win over Everton in November their only clean sheet in their last 27 in the competition.
The Saints have also lost just one of their last six home league games against Spurs (W2 D3), going down 5-2 in September 2020.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Southampton – 25.3%
Draw – 22.5%
Tottenham – 52.3%
Alexander-Arnold: Liverpool capable of winning trophies this season
Trent Alexander-Arnold expects Liverpool to win silverware this season after they "sent a statement" with their wins over Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The Reds currently sit top of the Premier League, four points clear of second-place Chelsea, and eight points ahead of reigning champions City with a game in hand.
Arne Slot has made an almost seamless start to his tenure, with Liverpool losing just one of their games under him in all competitions so far – a 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest – while they have a perfect record in the Champions League, winning all six of their matches.
Liverpool are currently on an 18-match unbeaten streak in all competitions and are the favourites to lift the Premier League trophy, with an 82.4% chance of finishing first at the end of the season.
"This is where we want to be [at the top of the table]," Alexander-Arnold, who is in the final year of his contract, told Sky Sports.
"It is still early days, so we can't get too excited. But if you told us this at the start of the season, we'd have massive smiles on our faces.
"We're in a very, very good position, very strong position - more so in the league than the Champions League, because it then becomes knockout football and what you've done so far doesn't really matter.
"We just need to stay consistent over the next few months and put ourselves in the best position possible.
"I think we [can] win multiple trophies. I think that's the level that we're at, that's the level we've shown that we're capable of, beating the best teams in the world."
Liverpool picked up under Slot where they left off under Jurgen Klopp and have scored two or more goals in each of their last seven Premier League games, last having a longer such run between September and December 2021 (11 in a row).
The Reds have scored 76 goals in 33 games in 2024, their second-best average goals per game in a year (2.3) in the Premier League era, scoring at a rate of 2.38 goals per game in 2019 (88 in 37 games).
Slot's side comfortably beat Man City 2-0 in their last home Premier League game, following on from a 2-0 win over Madrid in the Champions League, and Alexander-Arnold believes that could be the turning point.
"I think that was just a statement week for the team, for the club. Probably they are our two biggest rivals in Europe and domestically over the last five or six years," he added.
"I guess we've struggled to overcome them as a team. So, to beat them both in the space of a few days was something that really sent a statement to everyone that we're a real team.
"And whether they wanted to believe it before that or they don't believe it still, it doesn't bother us. We know what level we are. What others want to think about us doesn't affect us.
"We know the quality we've got. We know what levels we can hit. We know we've still got a lot to improve, and we will, and we'll get better throughout the season, which I think is good for us and bad for anyone else."
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