DC United returns to action tonight on the road when they take the field against Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium. DC United looks to rebound after the midweek home loss to the New England Revolution, while Charlotte is coming off a 3-3 road draw against Toronto FC.

The Black-and-Red know they want to keep their position above the playoff line, as they remain in 9th place with 24 points from 20 matches. They have a 3 point advantage on Orlando City and Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference table, and they want to gain 3 points on Charlotte, who sit in 6th place.

Head coach René Weiler, who spoke after the New England match on Wednesday night, wanted United to be more efficient and limit the mistakes that have caused the team to have deficits in five of their six matches since the return from the World Cup break. “Yeah, we wish to score ourselves the first goal. But what can we do? We can try to be more efficient and to score the first goal,” Weiler said. “Maybe it will turn in [the next] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 games. But it’s always the goal to score the first goal and it doesn’t turn out at the moment.”

The good thing is that despite the deficits in so many matches since the World Cup restart, the team has fought back to earn results in each of them before Wednesday night’s loss. They were focused on the quick turnaround to try and get maximum points on the road, points that could vault them into 7th place if other results go their way. They can only concentrate on what they can control, and they hope that includes the possession, the tempo, and the scoreboard on Saturday night in Charlotte.

DC United @ Charlotte FC

Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte

Kickoff time: 7:30pm ET

Available streaming: Apple TV