It's one of the old adages of sport: home-field advantage.
Everyone knows it exists, but it's difficult to pinpoint exactly why. Travel difficulties? Differences in routine? Home support? Whatever the case may be, it's definitely there: all MLS teams combined this season are 136-67-80 at home. The Crew, meanwhile, is 8-4-4 at home compared to 3-5-6 on the road.
With a potentially season-defining three-match road swing upcoming, the challenge for the Crew is to replicate recent home form on the road. That won't be an easy task, given the challenges of one road match, let alone three. Even though we all know there is a difference, exactly what separates a home match from a road match?
"I think the venue," deadpanned Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. "When we play at home, we're playing at Crew Stadium. When we play on the road, we're playing at the opposing team's stadium."
Berhalter's humor is representative of his club's mental approach to a road match: the Crew boss does not want the Black & Gold to prepare or play any differently. Many coaches alter tactics depending if the contest is home or away, but that approach is not in Berhalter's DNA.
"It's nothing. It's the same thing. It's a soccer game," said the Crew boss. "We prepare the same way for both games. Our game is to take the game to the opponent, to dominate the opponent with the ball. We try to do that anywhere, regardless if we're playing in LA or New York, anywhere. We try to play the same game."
Continued Berhalter: "I haven't always thought of it like that, but with this group, we're confident in what we can execute. That's the mentality that we have. It may not always go our way, but in terms of what we're trying to do, it's the same."
While the mentality might stay the same for the Crew, sample sizes over time have proved the validity of home-field advantage. So why does the home/road record split exist for all clubs?
"If you get into it, there are a couple issues," said Berhalter. "In my opinion -- now everyone doesn't agree with this, but in my opinion, travel is a factor. When we went to Montreal, it took us eight hours to get there, and it affected us, I think. Then you have the fact that, in my opinion, fans make a difference in the outcome of a game. Just as we say that we love our home fans pushing us and getting behind us, [other] home teams like that as well, and it can affect the game."
Crew captain Michael Parkhurst echoed his Head Coach's opinion that the travel is the biggest detriment to a road match.
"Definitely travel is part of it. It's difficult to travel the day before the game, especially in the States when you don’t have a direct flight, delays, cancellations," said Parkhurst. "If you're sitting in the airport for eight hours or something, it can be a long day, and then you're not eating dinner until like 9:00. It just throws off the routine a little bit.
"Of course, come the game, it's always fun to play in front of your home [fans]. You get that boost of energy. Our pitch is perfect ... It's a combination of all of those little elements."
Travel is something that can be exacerbated in the United States and Canada, where sheer land area alone dictates that the distance between clubs is often longer than many other countries' domestic leagues. But as Berhalter prepares his side for this weekend and the two beyond it, the focus will be on blocking those elements out and playing the same style of soccer that has led to recent domination at home.
"From an attitude standpoint and a mentality standpoint, we have the same mentality. We want to go out and win the game on the road. We don't say that we go out not to lose. We want to go out and win the game."
