Why visiting football teams are less successful than home outfits

Researchers using an automated analysis of team formations used during an entire season of professional soccer provided further proof that visiting teams may be less successful than home teams as they play conservatively, not because of a mythical home advantage.

The researchers from Disney Research Pittsburgh, employing the first automated method for detecting formations, analyzed a whole season of player and ball tracking data compiled by Prozone for a top-tier professional soccer league.

They found that teams usually played the same formations for both home and away games, but that the way they executed those formations was significantly different.

The players consistently played more forward up the field at home than they do on the road, both when attacking and defending. The home team thus is more likely to win the ball when it is in an advanced position, which can lead to more shots on goal.

Patrick Lucey, a Disney researcher specializing in automatic measurement of human behavior, said that it also means that home teams actually run less, so they don't get as tired during the match.