From Hawaii to Guatemala City and multiple stops in between, the Dynamo have seemingly been everywhere but in Houston this preseason.
That makes tonight's match against CSD Municipal at Robertson Stadium all the more relevant in their eyes.
"We're anxious to play Municipal at home," Dynamo midfielder Dwayne De Rosario said. "We're looking forward to start basically our season on the right foot."
Aside from wanting to treat fans to a sneak preview of what they hope will be another successful year — league play starts in less than two weeks — the two-time defending MLS champions aim to advance in the region's premier club tournament. In the decisive leg of their quarterfinal series, only a win will do.
For the Dynamo, whose trip to Guatemala last week netted a scoreless tie in the opening leg of the series, it is a good thing they get the chance to settle things in familiar surroundings. In Champions' Cup play, teams live or die at home.
That might sound dramatic, but it holds especially true for MLS teams.
Since the Champions' Cup adopted a home-and-home series format in 2002 (before that, the tournament was held in a neutral city), MLS teams are an impressive 20-1-6 as hosts but a disastrous 5-20-3 as visitors.
The Dynamo are a prime example of the conundrum. Last year, they won both home games but also lost both away games as they reached the semifinals, where they were eliminated by eventual champion Pachuca of Mexico.
"Unlike any other tournament in the world, in CONCACAF, home-field advantage is just literally that — an advantage like I've never seen," said defender Eddie Robinson, who is in his fifth Champions' Cup with the team. "In my experience, the home team wins 90 percent of the time."
The format might deny teams home-field advantage in its most common version (hosting more games than the opponent). But other circumstances make the term applicable.
Many MLS teams are simply overwhelmed by the many variables that come with playing in countries where soccer is the sport, where facilities are sometimes not up to par and where they — and even the referees — can be intimidated by the fan fervor and often tense stadium atmospheres.
Similarly, Mexican, Central American and Caribbean teams often struggle with trips to unfamiliar surroundings in the United States. These teams are usually in season, and a midweek trip north might present logistical challenges.
"When you're home, you get your fans, your support and you know your field," De Rosario said. "When you go to Central American or Caribbean countries, I think the feel is a lot different, the game is different and sometimes the officiating is a lot different."
With the series tied, history looks to be on the Dynamo's side when they take on Municipal, a 25-time champion in Guatemala but a team in the midst of a winless streak that between league and Cup play has reached four matches.
That sits well with the Dynamo, for whom anything less than making the semifinals will be considered a failure less than a year after coming up just short of reaching the Cup final.
Fellow MLS team D.C. United reached the semifinals Tuesday with a 5-0 rout of Jamaica's Harbour View (6-1 in aggregate) at RFK Stadium.
The Dynamo are trying to become the first MLS team since the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2000 to win the Champions' Cup before the tournament is dumped in favor of a broader and more European-inspired Champions League beginning late this year,
Coach Dominic Kinnear plays down the statistics.
"It shows you it's tough no matter where you go, especially out of the country," Kinnear said. "It's tough for teams to leave their country to play.
"Whether it's Champions League in Europe or CONCACAF, I don't think it's coincidence. Teams are more confident and more comfortable playing at home and sometimes the crowds are intimidating."
Instead of relying on their status as home team, the Dynamo will have to come out and impose their game early.
"With the small field, I feel we need to move the ball a bit quicker than we did there," Kinnear said. "I think our wide play needs to be a little more precise, but I think possession will be key for us."
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