The tone has changed.

After Orlando City’s 2-1 loss in Montreal on Saturday, coach Jason Kreis walked out of the locker room and slowly, thoughtfully called the players’ lack of focus at the beginning of the second half — when Ignacio Piatti drew a foul in the box to set up a penalty kick he converted to pull the game even at 1-1 — unprofessional.

At the beginning of the season, Kreis was very reluctant to place blame on players. Instead, he often shouldered the responsibility and said the coaching staff needed to figure it out. At times he referenced a packed schedule or gave “full credit” to the opponent for an inspired performance.

Last month, he continued to mostly praised the team’s commitment and work ethic, lashing out at Major League Soccer’s referees for getting game-changing calls wrong or for awarding 50-50 calls to the opponent, especially when the Lions played at home.

Now, time is running out if Orlando City hopes to make the playoffs this year, and Kreis is not holding back.

Last week, when the Lions conceded a late goal and settled for a draw in Atlanta, Kreis said the culprit was players’ lack of focus at the end of games. He delivered a similar message in Montreal.

“I’m deeply disappointed that we, as coaches, keep saying the same things, but the message doesn’t seem to be getting across,” he said.

“I’m making decisions game by game now, and it’s about to get more crowded everywhere on the field. We’ve got some guys in the locker room that have been left out, that aren't happy and it’s going to continue to be that way the rest of the season.

“We need to find a team that’s going to win for us, and once we do, that team is going to stay. But otherwise, we’re going to be looking to make changes and make difficult decisions every week.”

That includes strikers Cyle Larin and Dom Dwyer, he said. Although the two have only had three training sessions together since Dwyer was acquired via trade, Kreis questioned whether they are too similar and if they can figure out how to work alongside each other quickly enough.

The Lions have 11 games left in the season and sit three points out of playoff contention at seventh in the Eastern Conference.

“I think that they both enjoy each other,” Kreis said of Larin and Dwyer. “I think they're both hard-working players. I think they're both similar in that they want to get themselves in front of goal often, but it’s still a little bit of a question in my mind about the balance of that. So, we continue to judge that and make decisions as we go forward.

“The question would be are they too similar? Are they two strikers who are too similar and, ultimately, can they figure it out in the spaces that need to be taken? Can they do something a little different than they’re both accustomed to? Cyle at least has been playing with two strikers all year, whereas Dom’s been playing in a one-striker system. And so, it’s a question of whether or not he can figure out the spaces he needs to take and the runs he needs to make.”

Larin and Dwyer did not agree.

Larin joked his 6-foot-2 frame is much bigger than Dwyer’s 5 feet, 9 inches.

“It’s hard to say,” Larin said. “I like doing different things, he likes doing different things. Maybe [we’re similar] a bit, but we both score goals and that’s the most important thing.”

Dwyer said it’s too soon to tell and they need more time training together.

“I wouldn’t say we’re too similar, just obviously we’re still learning,” Dwyer said. “It’s been a week, so maybe it’s too soon to call

“We’re both growing now, we’re both learning, so I think it will come together.”

ardelgallo@orlandosentinel.com