Orlando City coach Jason Kreis isn’t panicking amid a slump, instead urging his team to keep working hard to improve and eventually generate better results.

Less than a month ago, everything was going well for Orlando City. The Lions got off to a 6-1-0 start and had played dominantly in the team’s new stadium.

But after a devastating home loss to rival New York City FC on Sunday, the memory of that hot start is quickly fading away.

“Over the first portion of the season, I think a lot of things were going our way. Some bounces were going our way, some decisions were going our way, some special plays were being made in both penalty boxes,” Kreis said. “At the moment, I think things are going a little bit against us and so we have to continue to believe and continue to work hard and continue to stay together.”

Orlando City’s winless streak is now at five games and the team knows it needs to start picking up more points soon. Early on, the Lions had looked like a lock for the playoffs, holding a comfortable lead in points over much of the Eastern Conference.

But following Sunday’s loss, Orlando City only has a four-point cushion to stay above the red line, with hot teams like Philadelphia Union and the New England Revolution looking to break into the playoff picture.

Kreis, however, does not want to see his team’s mentality change due to its recent performances.

Pictures from Orlando City's home game against NYCFC on May 21, 2017.

“When we were 6-1, clearly we could have been feeling a lot better about ourselves than we were. We tried to stay grounded then,” Kreis said. “So, after the loss, we stay the same. We’re not gonna go into a shell or believe that we’re the worst team in the league or that we’re in some very, very bad spot. We still need to improve, we still need to work hard every week.”

Part of Orlando City’s struggles could be due to the team’s recent schedule. The Lions are coming off playing three games in eight days and earned only two points during that span. With another mid-week game coming up next week, the team is working to bring more energy to the pitch.

“[NYCFC] were a little bit fresher than us and even if they traveled a lot, they [recovered] better than us,” Orlando City captain Kaká said. “This is something that I will discuss with Jason, the coach and the team during the week, how we can be fresh for every game and recover better for those games.”

After having to travel to the West Coast to play at San Jose mid-way through last week, Orlando City is happy to finally have a full week off to prepare for the team’s next opponent, Minnesota United.

“We’ve got a week before our next game, so back to the training pitch,” defender Jonathan Spector said. “Just working hard, continuing to do what we believe in, what’s got us results in previous games and just that belief in what we’re doing as a group, I think the results will change.”

Minnesota United, which is led by former Orlando City coach Adrian Heath, will not be as easy to beat as its record suggests. The expansion team got off to a disastrous start, allowing 11 goals in its first two games. However, Minnesota has settled down recently, earning a win in its past three home games.

“. . . We will have a meeting with all the mistakes,” Kaká said. “. .. We’re gonna discuss that and be ready to train and be [in] shape, recovered and everything that we can to win in Minnesota.”