Crew-D.C. United Preview

With back-to-back three-goal victories and a five-match unbeaten stretch against D.C. United, the Columbus Crew have plenty of confidence ahead of visiting the nation's capital Saturday night.

The problem they face might trump it: They haven't had any road success and United is in a position to match its longest home unbeaten streak.

While Columbus (3-2-2) beat Philadelphia 4-1 last Saturday a week after a 3-0 home win over Orlando City, United (4-1-2) has gone unbeaten in five straight on its way to a tie atop the Eastern Conference.

"We know it will be competitive; it always is," Crew coach Gregg Berhalter told the club's official website. "But it's also a team that we think we can go in there and take three points from, and that will be our goal. We're not going in there to try and get one point or anything. We're going to attack and hopefully get three points."

Ethan Finlay had two goals and an assist against the Union on his way to MLS Player of the Week honors. The 24-year-old midfielder has two goals and three assists in the last four games, while veteran forward Kei Kamara has four goals and two assists in that span.

Along with Waylon Francis, the trio made up a nice chunk of the league's Team of the Week.

"We have plenty of guys that are going to be on it throughout the season and I am just one of them," Finlay said.

Four of the Crew's next six matches come on the road, where they're 0-1-2, and there won't be any easing into that stretch.

United is 12-0-3 at home since a 1-0 loss to Seattle on June 28 and can now match a club-best 16-game run from May 3-Oct. 13, 2007. On the unbeaten streak, which includes three CONCACAF Champions League matches, D.C. has posted eight shutouts. The last two, however, ended in draws after allowing leads to slip away against New York and Houston.

It recovered with Saturday's 2-1 victory in Vancouver, which required D.C. to switch roles and bounce back from a second-minute deficit against the league-leading Whitecaps.

"To go there and first, concede a goal, and then to come back, it's really strong to do that, especially against a team that's leading the league," defensive midfielder Markus Halsti told the club's official website. "It was great to see. That's a little bit what I think we are as a team."

Halsti, an offseason acquisition who's yet to make his club debut because of a knee injury, could face the Crew. The team also figures to have goalkeeper Bill Hamid, defender Taylor Kemp and midfielder Davy Arnaud back.

Aside from the defeat to the Sounders more than 10 months ago, United's only other home loss since the start of 2014 was a season-opening 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Crew on March 8.

Columbus is 3-0-2 with a 9-2 aggregate in the series over the previous two seasons, but it doesn't take much to see United has been a different team since the two clubs played to a scoreless draw June 7. The following month, United began its 20-7-6 span, which gives it more wins across all competitions than any other MLS team dating to July 5.