D.C. United started the season on such a high note but wrapped up the first half of their campaign in a slump following Saturday's 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes. The draw was the fifth game in a row in which the Black-and-Red failed to pick up a win. That left United still atop of the Eastern Conference on Saturday night, but on Sunday afternoon the Philadelphia Union had jumped to the top spot.

United had squandered two chances at home to get back on track last week but had to claw their way back against both the 'Quakes and the Chicago Fire just to get two points in total. While D.C. has seen their road form drastically improve in 2019, Audi Field hasn't quite been the same this year for United, who have won just four of their first nine home games at Buzzard Point.

With the Gold Cup set to start soon, United will have the next three weeks off from MLS play, giving the team a chance to regroup and get healthy. But before we look ahead, here are three thoughts from Saturday's draw.

1. Luciano Acosta Is Scoring Goals Once Again

Let's start out with a positive. The first half of the season hasn't quite seen Acosta light the league on fire like he did during the back half of 2018, but two goals in two games last week has Acosta on five goals through 17 games. That puts him on pace for 10 this year, which would match his total from 2018, most of which came after the arrival of Wayne Rooney.

Acosta only has two assists to his name this year, and that's still cause for concern. But D.C. have been so reliant on Rooney this year for goals, and they need others around the designated player to pick up the slack. Acosta did just that with his header against the Fire, and then slotting home a rebound against San Jose.

While the break probably came at the perfect time for most of United, it might not have been ideal for Acosta. The Argentine seemed to be rounding into form in recent weeks, after an up-and-down first half of the season. Even with Acosta not at his best through the first 17 games, United still find themselves well-positioned. If Acosta can continue to score goals when United kick off the second half of the season, United might be able to turn a few more draws into wins.

2. San Jose Bamboozled United In The First Half

It's no secret what 'Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda wants to do in MLS. Using a man-marking system, Almeyda asks a lot from his players, but the result is a system that is rarely seen in this league. D.C. didn't have much time to prepare for that look, given that they had a midweek game that they had to get through first.

But in the first half, United were completely outclassed on the field. San Jose took 17 shots to three from United and had 58 percent possession. Ben Olsen opted to go with a 3-4-2-1 formation from the start but had to abandon the look at halftime, when it was clear that the formation wasn't working against the 'Quakes system.

"They play a very difficult tactical way that caused us some trouble in the first half. We didn’t deal with it in the right way," said Olsen after the game. 

"I thought the matchups looked a little bit better," Olsen said of starting with the three-center back look to start the game. "You go into a game with a projected lineup for them, and sometimes the lineup they show doesn’t look like that. I thought the change was the right thing."

Olsen also noted that San Jose dropped their pressure back a bit after Chris Wondolowski's goal, which allowed United to flip the script of the game in the second half. Enough damage was done in that first half, though, that United was left with just a single point from a game in which they really needed all three. 

3. Home Form Is A Bit Worrying

Split between three venues in 2018, United had an excellent record at home, going 13-2-2. With only one win on the road, D.C. had to be that good to make the playoffs last year. This year, after nine home games, United have already dropped enough points so that they can't even equal the 13 wins from last year.

Since winning the first two games at home to start the season, the Black-and-Red have won just two of the last seven, losing two others and drawing the other three. United have been able to get away with that for the most part because of chaos within in the Eastern Conference, but with a chance to pad their lead atop the Eastern Conference, United failed twice at Audi Field last week.

"Right now, we only have two points at home [from the last two games]," center back Frederic Brillant told FloFC after Saturday's draw. "It’s not enough. When you check the standings right now, we are a little bit lucky. Because the other teams didn’t win or draw."

If United can find a way to run the table at home, then they'll be in a great position at the end of the season. There's little to suggest that they are capable of such form, though, given how they've fallen behind in four games at home this year and walked away with just two points from those four games.