Forget about the home-field advantage. The New England Revolution will look to exploit their away-game edge against Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The Revs boast the league's top away mark this season (5-1-1) and will look to continue that success after a 1-1 home draw against New York on Wednesday night.
The difference in home and away form might be down to the different tactics employed by the opposition.
"Teams are making it tough for us here," Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said. "They're making it tough for us in the middle of the park. It's congested in there."
The Revs prefer to keep possession of the ball and move the ball around the midfield to exploit their advantages in the wide areas. But New York, as other teams have done at Gillette Stadium this season, set out to stifle New England's midfield play, man marking playmaker Steve Ralston and congesting the play in midfield.
Ralston said that his team is struggling to find an alternate route around the cluttered midfield, leading to tepid starts and unsatisfactory results.
"I don't know what our problem is when we come out slow at home," Ralston said. "We try to pass the ball too much. We need to be more physical and put the ball in behind them and put them on their heels."
When Ralston shifted to the forward line during the second half, the Revs played with more impetus and more willingness to force the ball in the wide channels as they chased the game.
"We don't really have all of it from the start," Revolution midfielder Jeff Larentowicz said. "It does show that when we get going, we can really put it on them."
That attacking nous proves useful away from home, where teams feel more obligated to attack than they do on their travels. The additional space allows for wingers Sainey Nyassi and Mauricio Castro to create on the flanks and work the ball from side to side.
But the Revs might not have Castro's services against Real, one of two still-undefeated teams at home (3-0-4). Castro tweaked an oblique muscle in a non-contact injury on Wednesday night. After being substituted for the injury, Castro is listed as doubtful.
Also out for the Revs are three players involved in World Cup qualifying: Shalrie Joseph (Grenada), Khano Smith (Bermuda) and Kenny Mansally (The Gambia). With the absences and Castro's questionable fitness, the Revs could revert to the 4-4-2 used in Houston last week and play Amaechi Igwe at left back with Pat Phelan taking Joseph's place in midfield.
"They're a tough team to beat there with the field, the turf and the travel," Nicol said. "It's MLS. You've got to battle through these things. It'll be great when they get into their new stadium."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
