Photo: Mark Thor

As the 2013 postseason kicks off on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the Quarterfinals, Orlando City SC Head Coach Adrian Heath spoke to OrlandoCitySoccer.com on what he's doing to prepare the Lions for a successful playoff run.

"I think the important thing is that anything less than our best won't be good enough," said Heath. "We have to bring our 'A' game on Saturday. Pittsbugh has some good players. W're going to have to be prepared for them."

The 2013 postseason will mark the first time the Lions enter as a No.2 seed, after winning the last two Regular Season Championships in 2911 and 2012.

"It's the first time in three years that we're not going into the tournament as the favorite," said Heath. "That's something new for us. We have some players who need to prove something., and what better time to do that than the playoffs."

Heath continued, saying that despite having regular season success in the past two seasons, the team has a "go big or go home" mentality heading into Saturday's quarterfinal clash against Pittsburgh.

"It doesn't matter how many points we had," he said. "It's knockout football. It's win and progress or lose. Our desire to win is ultimately the determing factor on whether we succeed or not in the playoffs."

While not being able to defeat the Riverhounds this season, Heath is not reluctant to put up a fight which would mean getting an inch closer to a USL PRO Championship.

*Playoff matches do not end in draws, with two 15-minute overtime periods deciding the outcome. If no goal is scored, the game goes to penalty kicks.

On injuries

-Jon Kempin and Jamie Watson will be evaluated before Saturday's game. Heath touched upon the two, saying, "Depending on where they are, they may be available for Saturday's game. The important thing is to not rush them back."