Winning on the road is hard in MLS for a variety of reasons. There are different surfaces, different timezones, different climates, different elevations, different atmospheres. And there's roster churn, and non-chartered flights, and so on and so forth.
But the biggest reason that home teams fare so much better in MLS than they do in other leagues around the world is parity. The trip from Barcelona to Malaga isn't going to close the talent gap between those two teams, nor appreciably effect the expected outcome. Teams at the top in most leagues routinely go out on the road and pound the stragglers, and that's that.
As we know, this is not the case in MLS:
And it's worth noting that with the likes of Lloyd Sam and Kemar Lawrence, the Red Bulls are a great crossing team. So Abang is gonna get a lot more looks this season when teams park the bus -- at home, or on the road.
Author's Note
This is the 16th in a daily series counting down to to the MLS regular season first kick on March 6. I'm using Paul Carr's tweets (with his blessing) to examine some of the bigger storylines to follow in the upcoming season.
- 18 days outExamining David Villa's role for NYCFC
- 17 days outCan Larin replicate his rookie year heroics?
- 16 days outA new spot and new concerns for Giovinco
- 15 days outNew start begins at the back for Chicago
- 14 days out Sporting can create, but who'll finish?
- 13 days outYoung-at-the-back Union flipping the script
- 12 days outJaviMo squares off against Father Time
- 11 days outDrogba's magic, but Impact need a Plan B
- 10 days outRevs need to find Fagundez at the back post
- 9 days outFundamental things still apply for No. 9s
- 8 days outNew role is an old spot for Seattle's Deuce
- 7 days outThe Wall of the Wasatch guards Rio Tinto
- 6 days outFor FC Dallas, consistency is the key (again)
- 5 & 4 days outA partnership in SJ & a Cup to defend in Portland
- 3 days outCiman needs to avoid the descent of the red mist
