MLS’s international transfer and trade window opened Monday and will last until Aug. 9. United made its first summer move three weeks ago by signing Jamaican forward Deshorn Brown, an acquisition unaffected by the window rules because he was already registered to play in the United States (with the second-tier Tampa Bay Rowdies).

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Beyond the promise of incoming help, from within MLS or abroad, Olsen said he sees the return of injured players as newcomers of sorts. After long layoffs, midfielder Nick DeLeon (hernia surgery) and forward Patrick Mullins (knee surgery) are close to rejoining the game-day group.

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The prime concern for last-place United (5-11-3) remains scoring. It has posted a league-low 14 goals and gone scoreless 12 times.

Ortiz, on loan from Costa Rican club Herediano, recorded one goal in 16 league appearances and added one in the U.S. Open Cup. With Brown settling into the squad and Mullins returning soon, Olsen said, Ortiz was “down in the depth chart and wasn’t going to be part of the 18 moving forward.

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“I don’t think he would’ve been that happy about it. Not every situation is right for each player. It doesn’t mean he’s not good enough for the league. The situation just wasn’t right.”

United released Ortiz this week.

Upbeat about the front-line corps at the start of the year, United has not received much production. Mullins, the first-choice striker, hasn’t scored and missed much of the campaign with injuries. Ortiz sputtered. Sebastien Le Toux, a 33-year-old wide player and forward with two goals, is late in his career.

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Lamar Neagle, a left wing and forward, has squandered several opportunities. Alhaji Kamara began the year at second-tier Richmond before being sold to a Saudi club last month. Brown, who scored against Dallas on July 4, is now atop the depth chart.

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“Deshorn is jelling with the group,” Olsen said. “We have a whole week of training, which is crucial. When you do get new guys in, these training sessions are vital. It’s been a great week of training, great commitment, spirit. Chip on shoulder, we’re positive. And I think the belief is that we have a fresh start.”

United is using the two-week Gold Cup break to recalibrate, further integrate Brown and prepare for next Wednesday’s match at 2016 champion Seattle. Three days later, D.C. will host Houston.

Olsen said there are a number of reasons for United’s offensive shortcomings, which have come less than a year after his club was one of the most prolific in the league late in the 2016 season. He cited injuries, which has prevented the attacking group from properly developing relationships.

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“I can sit here and make excuses,” he said. “Nobody cares. Nobody cares. Most teams have gone through it at one time or another. The reality is, we’re in last place. The other reality is we’re a good team that is capable of making the playoffs. If we all raise it a little bit, we get some guys back, we add some fresh blood in the transfer window, we can make a run at this thing.”

With 15 matches left on the 34-game schedule, including five of six at RFK Stadium between Aug. 5 and Sept. 9, Olsen believes United can reverse course.

“A lot of this stuff is fixable. The chances have been there to win games. But again, nobody cares. This is the reality in the moment. What are we going to do about it? Where are we going to go? That’s the question.”

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>> Goalkeeper Bill Hamid has been on U.S. national team assignment at the Gold Cup, but with Coach Bruce Arena allowed to make six roster changes after the group stage, Hamid might rejoin his club for the Seattle trip.

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A Tim Howard-for-Brad Guzan switch seems plausible — the top two keepers sharing tournament assignments — but Arena could also drop Hamid or New York City FC’s Sean Johnson for FC Dallas’s Jesse Gonzalez, who received FIFA clearance to join the U.S. program after the initial Gold Cup roster deadline.

All along, if Arena wanted to test Hamid or Johnson, it would come in the third group match, Saturday against Nicaragua in Cleveland. That decision will offer clues to how he’ll manage the goalkeeping corps in the elimination stage.

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>> United continues to struggle with set pieces — at both ends of the field.

“It’s killing us,” Olsen said.

Opponents have scored five times off corner kicks, United none. Opponents have scored eight goals on headers (though not necessarily all on set pieces), United none. United has converted just two of four penalty kicks.

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Captain Steve Birnbaum has been beaten on multiple aerial challenges resulting in goals.

“He knows it,” Olsen said. “He’s as gutted as anyone about it.”

>> With the intense summer heat, United has been training a half-hour earlier in the morning. Hydration is a high priority.