How can the Sounders Shake off their Road Struggles?

The Sounders have to find a way to score goals and tighten up away from CenturyLink Field in order to climb the standings. How will they do it?

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The Sounders sit at 4-5-1 after ten games. Their 13 points have them entrenched in eighth place in the MLS Western Conference standings, and their ten goals are last in the West. Part of the reason for the Sounders’ struggles this year despite fielding what should be a potent offensive attack featuring talented and prolific forwards Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris, is their performance in other teams’ stadiums so far this year.

The Sounders are 0-3-1 on the road this season. They have only scored three goals away from the Clink all year. Their lone road point came on a last-minute free kick by midfielder Chad Marshall against the Houston Dynamo on April 10th. If not for Marshall’s excellent strike in the 94th minute of that match, the Sounders wouldn’t have a single point away from home.

So what gives? The Sounders have had chances to score in multiple road losses this year, including in their latest road loss to FC Dallas. Herculez Gomez missed an open shot just before an early penalty kick by Dallas put the Sounders down early. Early deficits are much more difficult to overcome on the road, with the crowds urging their team on.

Sounders coach Sigi Schmid acknowledged the difficulty winning on the road, especially in recent years with growing fanbases around the country. FC Dallas is a prime example of this. A few years ago, FC Dallas has had difficulty getting fans to come to their games, but as the team has improved, more fans are coming to the stadium and throwing visiting teams off.

Traveling long distances from Seattle to stadiums across the country has never been easy for any of our professional teams (except for the Mariners this year). The Sounders are no different. And in the Western Conference, the top five teams have won 29 of their 36 home games so far this year. Teams are viciously guarding their home turf.

Next: Sounders Snuffed in Frisco

Thankfully, the Sounders get a home game against the first-place Colorado Rapids on Saturday before their annual trip to the East Coast at the end of the month. Let’s hope some home cooking gets them ready to build on their success at the Clink.

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