It has been nearly seven years since FC Dallas won six consecutive home games in a single season.

Meanwhile, it only seems that long since Minnesota United FC won an MLS game — anywhere.

Trying to bounce back from their first league defeat in two months, FC Dallas aim to remain unbeaten at home this season when they host Minnesota on Sunday night.

Prior to Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at Vancouver, FC Dallas (6-2-4, 22 points) last experienced an MLS defeat on March 5 at New England.

FC Dallas would seem in good position to rebound at home, where they have outscored their opponents by a 13-3 margin, while posting a 5-0-1 record. They also won five straight at home in a single season for the first time since a six-game run (including the playoffs) spanning August-November 2015.

“We will prepare as much as possible to get the three points at home against Minnesota United,” FC Dallas coach Nico Estevez said.

While FC Dallas’ Jesus Ferreira entered this weekend with an MLS-leading nine goals, teammate Paul Arriola has scored in three straight MLS contests.

Trying to contain that pair could prove to be a chore for Minnesota (4-5-3, 15 points), which has been outscored 7-2 during an 0-3-1 rut. However, Minnesota should have some confidence after ending its season-high three-game league losing streak with Wednesday’s 1-1 home draw versus the Los Angeles Galaxy.

“It’s on us to win,” Minnesota defender David Taylor said. “It’s not time to wait for other results or other people. We have to hold ourselves accountable.

“We’re gonna go to Dallas and we’re going to get these three points.”

Robin Lod, who scored Minnesota’s equalizer in the 87th minute against the Galaxy, has notched four of his team-leading five MLS goals over his last five MLS games.

–Field Level Media

New York City FC will look to continue their torrid play on Sunday when they host the Chicago Fire FC.

NYCFC (6-3-2, 20 points) have won two in a row and are unbeaten in their last six matches overall (5-0-1). The club has highlighted that surge with a franchise high-tying four consecutive shutouts, including a 2-0 victory over D.C. United on Wednesday.

Valentin Castellanos scored his seventh goal in his past five matches on Wednesday after converting a penalty kick just before halftime. Castellanos, however, will sit out Sunday’s game due to suspension (yellow card accumulation), with either Heber or Talles Magno expected to draw into the lineup.

“It has to be the right decision when I think about my values and how I see things. It has to be fair and it’s also about what’s important in this game,” NYCFC coach Ronny Deila said. “How do I see the match and who will suit that best. It’s always tougher to pick the team when you have a lot of options, but it’s very good because you can change things during the game too.”

NYCFC are 5-1-1 in New York this season and have won six in a row at home against the Fire. Castellanos scored on a penalty kick in the teams’ last encounter, lifting NYCFC to a 1-0 win over Chicago on Oct. 27.

While NYCFC are ascending, the Fire (2-5-5, 11 points) are struggling to escape the basement in the Eastern Conference. Chicago saw its winless stretch extend to eight matches (0-5-3) following a 3-3 draw against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday.

Xherdan Shaqiri collected a goal and an assist against the Red Bulls. The former Liverpool midfielder has been a part of seven of Chicago’s past nine scores with three goals and four assists.

“I’m disappointed because we came here to win the game,” Shaqiri said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “We have to learn from these mistakes. We have to manage the game better.”

Fire goalkeeper Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina made news on Friday by taking to social media to announce that he has committed his international future to the United States men’s national team. The 18-year-old was born in Illinois, however Poland is the birth country of his parents.

–Field Level Media

Unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions, the New York Red Bulls look to continue that streak Sunday when they travel to face Inter Miami CF in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

New York (5-2-5, 20 points) entered the weekend fifth in the Eastern Conference table, but within one point of the first-place Philadelphia Union. The Red Bulls also advanced to the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup with a 3-0 win over rival D.C. United earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Miami (3-6-3, 12 points) is near the bottom of the conference standings. Miami is coming off a scoreless draw with Philadelphia on Wednesday and hasn’t won a league match since April 24.

Still, New York coach Gerhard Struber isn’t taking Miami lightly.

“We are confident. We know it’s a team with very good quality and very good on-ball play,” Struber said. “… But at the same time, we have big respect for their team and we know what they can do with so many key players on the field.”

The good news for Miami is that the squad is regaining some healthy players. Forward Robbie Robinson, defenders Aime Mabika and Brek Shea and goalkeeper Nick Marsman all resumed training this past week.

“All our players are chomping at the bit to play, there’s a lot of competition,” Miami coach Phil Neville told the Miami Herald.

The Red Bulls beat Miami twice last season by a combined 5-0 margin.

“They beat us quite convincingly last year, they play a distinctive style, and have players who can hurt us,” Neville said.

For Red Bulls midfielder Lewis Morgan, it will be the first time that he’s facing Miami as an opponent. The Scottish winger spent two seasons with the club, notching seven goals and 12 assists in 57 appearances. He has five goals and two assists for the Red Bulls this season.

“Really excited for the game. It’s another chance for us to get three points on the board,” Morgan said. “Miami has had such an overhaul in players that the team is completely different from when I was there.”

Other players have helped Morgan power New York’s attack this season. Patryk Klimala has four goals and three assists in MLS play, and Omir Fernandez has two goals and three assists. The Red Bulls have scored 20 goals this season and are second in the Eastern Conference in goal differential with a plus-eight mark.

–Field Level Media

If the Vancouver Whitecaps are to be serious contenders, doing something about their road record will be required.

The next chance for that comes against a team with a strong series of home results when Vancouver takes on Charlotte FC on Sunday in North Carolina.

Vancouver (3-6-2, 11 points) is last in the Western Conference. Charlotte (4-7-1, 13 points) has work to do in its inaugural season.

“Now we really, really, really have to switch gears,” Vancouver coach Vanni Sartini said after going unbeaten in a three-game homestand.

Sartini was referencing the 0-5-0 road record. This marks Vancouver’s first road match since April 23.

Charlotte is 4-2-0 in home games, though a four-game winning streak on home turf ended with last Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Montreal in the team’s most recent game.

Now it’s an opportunity for Whitecaps forward Lucas Cavallini to build on his latest notable accomplishment. His game-winning penalty kick in second-half stoppage time gave Vancouver a 2-1 victory against Dallas on Wednesday.

Vancouver is also hoping for more production from forward Brian White, who scored just his second goal of the season Wednesday.

“We know what kind of player he is,” Sartini said. “He doesn’t score fantastic goals, but he’s in the right space at the right time.”

Vancouver is in a bit of a bind with its roster. Goalkeepers Isaac Boehmer and Cody Cropper and midfielder Pedro Vite are in the MLS health and safety protocols and won’t be available for the game.

In addition, starting goalkeeper Thomas Hasal is out with a middle finger injury on his left hand, leaving the club with nobody to start in goal.

The Whitecaps received a break Friday night when York United of the Canadian Premier League agreed to a short-term loan involving goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos. The MLS approved the transaction under the league’s extreme hardship policies.

Giantsopoulos, 27, played Friday night for York United and will join the Whitecaps in North Carolina. The loan expires on Monday.

Meanwhile, Charlotte is trying to build more consistency. It’s not so much a matter of strategy as it is determination and approach.

“It’s the attitude,” midfielder Sergio Ruiz said. “It’s the commitment to the team and the idea that the coach gives us.”

Only forward Karol Swiderski with four goals has more than one goal this season among Charlotte players. He has gone seven games without a goal or assist.

Ruiz said there’s enough talent on the roster for Charlotte to make a difference in the standings. The team is 1-3-1 in its last five games.

“We are waiting this week to win to get back on track,” he said. “We need to win against Vancouver.”

–Field Level Media

The San Jose Earthquakes’ transition period under interim coach Alex Covelo will continue Sunday when they play host to Sporting Kansas City.

The Earthquakes (3-5-4, 13 points) are 3-1-1 in MLS games since Covelo replaced Matias Almeyda after an 0-4-3 start. Most recently, the Earthquakes won a 3-2 home victory against the Portland Timbers on Wednesday.

Jamiro Monteiro scored two goals against the Timbers after notching his first of the season last weekend. He ranks third on the team in goals, trailing Jeremy Ebobisse (seven) and Cristian Espinoza (four).

“From my first game, my first training, I was really connecting (with Ebobisse and Espinoza). I was talking with the guys,” Monteiro said. “But now I feel like it’s getting better and better.

“(Wednesday), I think we could have done more, we could have scored more goals. It didn’t happen, but we have another game Sunday and I hope we do that on Sunday.”

On defense, San Jose has conceded an MLS-high 28 goals, including at least three tallies in three of its past five games.

Sporting KC (3-7-3, 12 points) hits the road looking to build off their 2-1 midweek home victory against the Colorado Rapids, which snapped a seven-game winless slide.

The club finds itself 13th out of 14 teams in the Western Conference heading into the weekend.

“It felt so good, and absolutely we worked really hard to get those (points), so even felt better,” midfielder Uri Rosell said. “I think that right now, we are just three points from the playoff line, so I think it’s really close. And the confidence from us, it’s way higher for sure.”

Sporting KC is 0-6-1 on the road this season, their lone point coming on May 7 at New York City FC.

SKC forward Johnny Russell, whose three goals rank second on the team behind star striker Daniel Salloi, is one goal shy of surpassing Josh Wolff and Davy Arnaud to move into sole possession of third-most regular season goals in club history. The trio is tied with 43 SKC goals.

SKC will welcome back midfielder Roger Espinoza and defender Robert Voloder after each served suspensions. They will be without Salloi, whose two goals propelled the win Wednesday, and centerback Andreu Fontas as each were shown red cards against Colorado.

–Field Level Media