It was the one question being asked over and over at Whitecaps training this past week. A question that was repeatedly posed last season, and the season before that and in the 2011 campaign before that. "Why do the Whitecaps struggle so badly on the road?" Ive asked many players and team officials and fellow pundits that same question over the last three years, yet no one can really give a definitive answer. Searing heat, humidity and altitude are often mentioned. Youd think crossing time zones would be really hard on players, except that the Whitecaps managed three wins and a draw from five eastern trips last year alone. Theyve actually exhibited more road futility in the West. Playing surfaces can be unique in makeup and dimension but not drastic. Penalty areas are the same size, as are the goals, and yet the visiting team always seems to start the game with a statistical disadvantage. Some Las Vegas oddsmakers give MLS home teams a half goal advantage which represents a 10% edge, higher than any other Major North American Sport. Coach Carl Robinson pointed out this week that teams who are great at home, usually get into the playoffs. But teams that collect points away are usually comfortably in the playoffs by the time autumn rolls around. Nigel Reo Coker suggested that team spirit and camaraderie are the keys to success no matter where you play, and that this 2014 squad is capable of replicating its thrilling 4-1 win over New York away from BC Place. Whitecaps supporters, who are showing up to more and more away games, just want a team that looks and plays similarly no matter the venue; something Martin Rennie couldnt come to grips with over his 2 seasons. No venue has been a bigger obstacle for the Whitecaps than the one they visit on Sunday, when they play Chivas USA; co-tenants of the Stub Hub Centre with the LA Galaxy. In nine contests there, the Whitecaps have but one win, and two draws. Theyve scored just five times in Carson, while allowing 15 goals. With four games in SoCal this season (representing 11.7% of their entire schedule) taking more of those available 12 points might help reverse a trend that has seen the club win just seven out of 52 games away from Vancouver. Andrew Norwell Jersey . Sopoaga hit the upright with his first shot at goal from 15 metres. He then kicked nine goals in succession -- two conversions and seven penalties -- before being replaced in the 62nd minute, three points short of the Highlanders record for most points in a match. DJ Chark Jaguars Jersey . Lynchs attorney, Ivan Golde, told The Associated Press on Thursday of the plea deal that was reached with the Alameda County District Attorney Office. 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The No. 23 seed at the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season has worked out all the details, from his training regime right down to where hes going to eat dinner.The Winnipeg Goldeyes got behind early in their Opening Day game on Thursday night against the Amarillo Sox. And despite slowly clawing their way back into the game, the Fish were never quite able to level the score. The Goldeyes (0-1) gave up 11 runs over the first two innings to the Sox (1-0), and that is all the offense the Sox needed. With the 11-7 final, Amarillo got their first ever franchise win against Winnipeg. The Fish actually took the early lead with Ray Sadler getting on base on a walk in the first and then scoring on a RBI double from Reggie Abercrombie. But the Sox responded in the bottom of the first scoring two of their own. Then in the top of the second the Goldeyes were taken down in order. In the bottom of the inning the Sox did their damage, scoring nine on nine hits, with 14 batters stepping to the plate. The Goldeyes mustered a response in the top of the third. "Guys in the dugout still felt like we could win the game," Goldeyes Pitching Coach Jamie Vermilyea said on the Jewel 101 Post-Game Show. "It was good to bounce back after that nine-run inning and put 5 on the board to pull us back in the game a little bit." Luis Alen and Tyler Kuhn led off the top of the frame with two singles. Jake Blackwood then loaded the bases on a walk. Ray Sadler flew out, but up next was Abercrombie who was able to get a single and drrive in Alen.ddddddddddddTwo batters later Webb reached base on an error that scored Kuhn. Casey Haerther then stepped to the plate and hit a three RBI double. Haerther reached 300 RBI for his career on the play. The five runs the Goldeyes scored in the inning cut the Sox lead in half. Great pitching from Kyle Anderson, Chase Johnson and Brendan Lafferty then kept the Sox off the scoreboard through the remainder of the game, as they tried to give their team a chance to get back into the game. The Fish offense didnt go quietly, they were able to get at least one runner on base in every inning from the third on."You have to grind out those at bats," said Vermilyea. "We started doing a good job of that, and we kept hitting the ball hard, but they just werent dropping." The only additional run the Goldeyes were able to score came in the top of the seventh. Donnie Webb got on base with a single and then was driven in by Ryan Pineda on a RBI single. "You take away that one inning and we had a good game," said Vermilyea. "Its nothing to hang out heads on, we have 99 more them." The Goldeyes series against the Sox continues Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., and wraps up with a game on Sunday at 6 p.m. After this series the Fish will travel south to Laredo for a three game series against the Laredo Lemurs. Blackhawks Jerseys StoreCheap Wild JerseysCheap Red Wings JerseysCheap Maple Leafs JerseysPenguins Jerseys StoreCapitals Jerseys For SaleBlues Jerseys StoreCheap Kings JerseysAdidas Lightning JerseysStars Jerseys For SaleCheap Predators JerseysDucks StoreSharks Jerseys For SaleCheap Sabres JerseysRangers Jerseys For Sale ' ' '
