In making the playoffs in 2018, D.C. United's home and away form could have been more Jekyll and Hyde. In picking up 51 points, 41 of them came at home — a combination of Audi Field, the Maryland SoccerPlex, and the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. That left the Black-and-Red with just 10 points from 17 road games, a record that included one win, seven draws, and 10 losses. But after Wednesday's win against the Columbus Crew, D.C. have already matched that total through four road games in 2019, and they have a chance to get past that mark on Sunday when they visit Minnesota United.

While United have lost two games at home and haven't scored in three consecutive games, they are unbeaten on the road in 2019; their road form is the reason why they still occupy the top spot in the Eastern Conference, with 17 points from the first nine games.

"The ability for us to see out games," center back Steven Birnbaum told FloFC as to what the biggest difference the team's form on the road was in 2019. "It hasn’t been the prettiest, but we are compact and hard to break down. If we get a lead, we’re hard to break down on the road."

In the two previous road wins, D.C. held two-goal halftime leads against Orlando City and the Colorado Rapids. In each of those games, a second-half goal from the hosts made life difficult for the Black-and-Red. Columbus needed just one in the second half on Wednesday, but United held firm defensively and did a better job limiting goal scoring chances for the Crew.

The result was United's third consecutive win on the road, a feat they had not accomplished since a similar streak back in 2014. 

"Going on the road, and now we’re expecting to get wins," added Birnbaum. "Maybe last year, we were hoping to get a draw, see what happens. Now we know we can [win], and it’s built our confidence up."

The game against Columbus was also the second time that United started a game with the three-man back line. They did so at Colorado but reverted back to the normal 4-2-3-1 at home against New York City FC. When that didn't work in the first half, Ben Olsen switched to the three-man back line, with right back Leonardo Jara moved into a more central role. 

Against Columbus, United seemed to better understand their roles within the three back system — at least compared to the game against Colorado, in which they had to hold on for dear life at points during the game. The possession still wasn't what they were hoping for over the entire 90 minutes, but there was a noticeable improvement from one game to the other.

"Colorado was the first time we used that formation; in the game against Columbus, we definitely seemed to be more on the same page," midfielder Chris Durkin told FloFC. "That showed in the first half, especially with some of the possession we had. You look at the buildup for Wayne’s free kick, and it was very good. Overall, we were happy with the cohesion of the team in that game."

With Joseph Mora and Chris McCann still out injured, United are likely to continue to play with the three-man back line on Sunday against the Loons. The formation was born out of necessity for the Black-and-Red, but it appears to now becoming a viable look, especially with the strong play of rookie defender Donovan Pines.

Also helping out on the road this year has been United's ability to cash in on set pieces. Six of their 13 goals this year have been from set plays, but that ratio increases on the road, where four of their six goals have come from dead ball situations. Wayne Rooney has scored two directly from free kicks, while Birnbaum and Luciano Acosta have scored from corner kicks.

That's a noticeable change from the 2018 campaign, when set piece goals were hard to come by, even after the arrival of Rooney.

"[Assistant coach] Chad Ashton has done a really good job of setting us up on the offensive side, and the defensive side of [set pieces]," said Birnbaum. It also helps having Wayne’s service in there, that’s a part of. Knowing that he’s going to put the ball in the right place.

"On the road, getting set piece goals, that’s what wins us some of these away games. We have to do better job of that at home. It’s crucial to our games."