VANCOUVER, B.C. – One integral aspect to success in MLS is, without a doubt, the ability to pick up results on the road.
That often proved a struggle for the Vancouver Whitecaps in their early days in the league. But after failing to pick up a single road victory in their debut season, it's an aspect of their game that has continued to improve year after year.
Last season Vancouver lost only five games on their travels, netting 18 points in the process, their best away points total since joining the league in 2011. They've continued that fine form this season, with back-to-back wins and clean sheets, in their first two away matches.
Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson has put a focus on building from a solid defensive display, but he also feels that a lot of the 'Caps recent road success comes down to his team's self-belief that they can now go out and get the job done.
"We've slightly tactically adjusted one or two things," Robinson told reporters following their latest road result, a 1-0 win Saturday over Orlando City SC at the Citrus Bowl. "You don't like losing any game, so we've just tried to be difficult to beat away from home. If you've got the right mentality and you've got the right character guys in your team, then you've always got half a chance.
"Have we rode our luck at times? Yeah, without a doubt, but you're going to need to do that. And when you do that, you obviously need to have someone at the other end who can score a goal."
As an 11-season veteran of MLS, left back Jordan Harvey has seen his fair share of ups and downs on the road over the years. He joined the Whitecaps midway through their debut season in 2011, and he's seen the team's playing style and attitude change drastically since that first season.
"We're pretty defensive on the road, but we're organized," Harvey told reporters. "It's a lot to do with depth. It's a lot to do with our mentality. In the past we would have been okay, or delighted, with a point on the road. We could have been satisfied with a point, but taking three points in the late stages of games, it kind of attests to our confidence and our resilience."
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With a solid defense that posted the highest number of clean sheets in the league last season, the Whitecaps often look confident in soaking up pressure from their opponents before unleashing their speed and hitting back on the break. It's a tactic that's brought success, and Vancouver's fast, counter-attacking style of play does seem to be a natural fit for road games in MLS.
"I think it is," Robinson admitted. "Adrian's [Heath, OCSC head coach] comments about us before the game were that we're a dangerous team when they have the ball. If you put yourselves in the right places defensively, and you've got pace on the counter attack, then you're always going to be a counter-attacking team that can hurt opponents. Not just in Major League Soccer, but all over the world.
"As we continue to build here, I want to be a team that dominates possession, dominates tackles, dominates crosses, dominates shots. It's about finding solutions to the problems that you have with each opponent that you face of getting the best way to win a game."
