The Dayton Dutch Lions will hit the road this weekend after spending most of the months of May and June at home. The trip will include games against the Phoenix FC Wolves on Friday and the Los Angeles Blues on Sunday, completing Dayton’s regular season series with both teams. If the Dutch Lions have are successful while away from Dayton this weekend, there is a possibility that they could return home in fifth place in the USL PRO standings.
The Dutch Lions (5-2-3) have made the most of their time in front of home crowds. Five of the six games in their current unbeaten streak have come at home. The team, though, knows what it takes to prevail on the road. This will be the second extended road trip of the season for the Dayton, who travelled to Florida in April and returned with a win and a loss against Tampa Bay and Orlando, respectively. The Dutch Lions’ overall away record is 1-1-1.
Phoenix (2-9-4) occupies twelfth place in the league standings, but will not easily surrender the three points to the Dutch Lions. Phoenix is much tougher to beat in the confines of Sun Devil Soccer Stadium, where they have a 2-2-3 record. When these two teams met in Dayton on May 11, the Dutch Lions jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but had to scramble to hold onto a 4-3 victory against the Wolves.
The Dutch Lions enter the weekend just two points behind their second opponent, the Los Angeles Blues (5-5-5). Dayton hosted Los Angeles on June 2, and the match resulted in a scoreless draw. It will require a determined effort if the Dutch Lions are to overcome fatigue from the trip and earn a victory in Titan Stadium. If Dayton has proven anything in the first part of this season, it is that the team has heart.
All USL PRO games are able to be viewed live at www.uslnation.com. Watch-parties for both of this weekend’s matches will be held at the Dublin Pub in Dayton’s historic Oregon District. The Dutch Lions will return home for a match against the Charlotte Eagles on Friday, June 28.