Minnesota United won its season opener last Saturday, 3-2 in Vancouver. Coach Adrian Heath knows what would have happened if it hadn't.
"It silenced a little bit of what would have come if we had lost, on the back of two seasons being very poor on the road," Heath said.
United won just once in 17 games away from home last season — and not again after the season's second week. But it's not alone. D.C. United, with superstar Wayne Rooney on board for the season's final three months, won just once, too, but still made the playoffs. Seven other teams won just twice and another three won three times.
The home-field advantage exists in every sport, but why is it so difficult to win on the road in MLS?
Atmosphere, conditions, travel, time changes, home cooking, even officiating possibly all probably play a role. But ultimately, United Sporting Director Manny Lagos attributes it to a simple fact: It's a demanding endeavor and requires a mentality that challenges visiting teams facing all those factors.
"When you play 90 minutes of soccer, it's an insanely hard mental and physical event," Lagos said. "Teams are really aggressive at home and the fans and their energy push teams on and create an expectation … For us to become a good team, we have to have a balanced way of competing."
Whether player or coach, each has his own opinion. Veteran midfielder Rasmus Schuller, who came to MLS and Minnesota from leagues in Sweden and Finland, reminds the U.S. is a BIG country.
"It's the travel, the time differences," Schuller said. "You compare it to European leagues and going on the road here every time is like playing a (FIFA international) qualifier. The distances are so big. It makes a difference."
