I think that's an excuse. Another reason could be field familiarity. In football and hockey, there are standard fields of play. But because soccer is not entrenched as a national sport, teams are playing in baseball and football stadiums, where dimensions vary widely. Most teams are playing on any field they can get their hands on.
Every field is different.
Bethel Park is 114 by 68. The field we're going to play on in Richmond is 120 by 75. The Riverhounds, who were challenging for the top spot in the Eastern Conference little more than a week ago, have lost three consecutive league games and are in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. Part of the problem has been inconsistent scoring from the forwards. The Riverhounds have scored twice as many goals in their four home wins.