New England Revolution striker Charlie Davies says his team has its "mojo back" and are ready to make a deep run into this year's MLS Cup playoffs, despite not securing a postseason spot until the final day of the regular season.
The Revs lost to the LA Galaxy in the 2014 final, but Davies called the playoffs a whole new season and believes his team are in a strong position to make another run at the league title.
"At the end of the day, you are just trying to make the playoffs," Davies said. "I think we were a little disappointed how the regular season turned out as far as the points.
"I think we dropped a lot of points throughout the season. But we are happy we are in the playoffs and it's a new season for us."
New England is one of the league's original teams, but the club has never hoisted the MLS championship trophy at season's end. The same is true for Western Conference winner FC Dallas and the New York Red Bulls, who won the Eastern Conference and the Supporters' Shield this year.
Asked what the team's biggest challenge will be ahead of its one-off knockout round match with D.C. United, Davies said it will be regrouping for the playoffs and dealing with the home team's fans.
"We've had a lot of ups and downs throughout the season," Davies said. "Sometimes I think mental fatigue plays a a part in that but at the same time I think we have our mojo back and the energy is there.
"We'll definitely watch the tape [of D.C. United] a bunch, but we can't really look at it too much. Of course it's a new season now, it's the playfoffs and teams tend to play a lot differently when it comes to knockout phases. We know they'll come out in front of great fans and play their best."
The one-game playoff means that a whole season's work could be lost with just one negative result, but Davies says he thinks it's the only way to go.
"At this point I'm happy to just play one," he said. "I believe we have a very great team. I'm very confident in this team and we are looking forward to it.
"It's all about my team, and they've gotten me back to where I am now, so it's all about winning the MLS Cup."