After a five-game winless streak to wrap up the first half of their MLS schedule, D.C. United had two home games last week, a chance to get the season back on course. The hope for the Black-and-Red was that they could get out of their recent funk and start finding the stellar form that they began the season in. 

Instead, United settled for just four points against Orlando City and Toronto FC, requiring a late penalty against the Reds.

Four points wasn't too bad of a haul, but some of the same worrying signs remained ahead of Thursday's trip to FC Dallas. 

"We take away four points, but we take away that we still have to get better in a few different areas," head coach Ben Olsen said on Tuesday after the team's practice. 

Against Orlando, Wayne Rooney's spectacular strike from 70 yards out provided the difference and handed the Black-and-Red their first league win since May 12. But after that early goal from the captain, United never really looked like putting the game away, other than a tally from Ulises Segura that was called back for offside.

Likewise, against TFC, United struggled offensively, failing to create many scoring chances as Audi Field. Rooney's 92nd-minute penalty saved a point for the Black-and-Red against a depleted Toronto side, but it also meant that D.C. have scored multiple goals just once in the past eight league games.

"We set out last week to get six points. We were able to get the first three against Orlando. I felt proud of the team [against Toronto], the character they showed in the second half," added midfielder Russell Canouse. "We weren’t happy with how we conceded the goal."

United will have to hope that they can fix some of the on-field issues by Thursday when they make the difficult trip to Frisco to take on FC Dallas. D.C. have only ever won six of their 24 trips to Dallas, and their last visit resulted in a 4-2 defeat on July 4 in 2017. 

"It’s going to take a heck of an effort," said Olsen, adding, "it’s going to take everyone showing up, and being at their best."

The Black-and-Red will be helped by the return of midfielder Junior Moreno, who had been away for the past month with Venezuela at Copa America. Moreno's return should help United defensively, with Olsen having rotated through a couple of different options during Moreno's absence. 

Moreno and his teammates will face a tough challenge against a youthful Dallas side, with former academy coach Luchi Gonzalez at the helm in his first season. Gonzalez has helped guide the Hoops to 26 points from 19 games, good enough for fourth place in the Western Conference.

"They’re young, they’re energetic, they’re brash, and they’ve been successful up to this point," said Olsen. "I think [Gonzalez] is a great young coach, and there’s a lot of belief with that team."

But there's also a lot of belief on United's side away from home this year. After picking up just one win away from the District in 2018, D.C. have three wins and 12 points from eight games on the road this year. A win on Thursday will help United a long way, with just six games remaining at home this year.

"The guys understand that for us to be successful in this league, we need to pick up road points," added Canouse. "This year, we’ve come in with a better mentality, how to go about games, and grind out results."