Although New England Revolution qualified for the MLS play-offs a few weeks ago now, we certainly have not taken our foot off the gas.

Losing to DC United on Thursday night was a blow for us, though, as we must finish second in the division to secure home advantage for the play-offs.

When you have your supporters behind you in the first leg, it really gives you a boost and it may be a cliché but the fans can be your '12th man'.

Still, we have another bite at the cherry when we play Kansas City Wizards next weekend.

Furthermore, it's vital we get back to winning ways before the play-offs to give our confidence a shot in the arm. We haven't won for quite some time now and we really need to hit some form going into the crunch games ahead.

The mood in the camp is still high and to be honest we're not the kind of bunch whose emotions fluctuate whether we win or lose. We have a very calm dressing room and we're quietly confident we can go all the way this season. Nobody can accuse us of lacking belief.

Essentially we're only three games away from the final, which will be played in Los Angeles next month, but there's still a long way to go for us.

Sure, it's going to be tough all right. Columbus Crew have demonstrated what a good team they are this season and I feel Houston Dynamo are by and away the best team in the Western Conference.

But I actually believe our squad this season is better than last year when we reached the showpiece but lost to Dynamo 2-1 in Washington.

And despite losing some big names like Avery John and Andy Dorman in pre-season, we have more strength in depth with our coach Steve Nicol drafting in some quality additions.

If you look at the statistics, the coach has used more players than he did last season and rather than simply relying on 13 or 14 strong players we now have 17 or 18 guys who can come in and do a job at any given time.

On a personal note, I'm delighted I seem to have cemented my place back in the starting line-up.

I'm playing with a bit of confidence now and hopefully my best games are still to come this season as we look to return to the MLS Cup final for the fourth straight year. Hopefully we can go one better and win it this time.

Whether I'm playing as a conventional winger in a 4-4-2 formation or as a wingback in a 3-5-2, I'm comfortable. Obviously I have more defensive responsibilities in the 3-5-2, but I also get more space to work in.

The coach likes to alternate between the two formations and if you put me on the spot then I'd say I probably prefer playing as an out-an-out winger.

See you at the corner flag!