ORLANDO, FLA -- A return to MLS regular season action took a step forward this week.

Orlando City began individualized workouts at their training grounds in Kissimmee. For Daryl Dike, it's an opportunity to reset in motion his motivation. 

"If we train like the best and we do everything we believe will make us the best then we’ll be closer," Dike said. "I think that’s something that will change this season.”

The fifth overall pick out of Virginia, the 6'2 forward was drafted by a franchise determined for a new perception. Orlando City has never made the playoffs in five MLS seasons. 

It was an offseason full of change headlined by a new training facility and the hire of head coach Oscar Pareja. 

“Oscar told us from the beginning we want to do more than just make the playoffs. We want to be competing for the top spot. We want to be competing for all of these top cups. We just want to be the best."

Through the first two matches, the results were onpar with what fans have grown accustomed to see. The Lions opened 2020 with a home scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake. That contest was followed by a 2-1 late-match loss at Colorado. 

"From my point I thought we were a little bit unlucky," Dike said. "There’s a lot of things we’re going to improve on."

It's uncertain when the season will return. When it does, Daryl Dike is confident the results will match the effort put forward so far by Orlando City. 

"The ball will start bouncing our way. We’ve put in a lot of work and we’ve got the right pieces to do it as well.”