On a hot Saturday night in Foxborough, D.C. United forward Conor Doyle set a record. By merely having his name penciled into the starting eleven in United’s match against the New England Revolution he became the club’s seventh starting forward of the season.

Now normally with that high of turnover a team might not find themselves at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. But that is the position United currently sits in. The attacking by committee approach, which has included the likes of Fabian Espindoila, Luis Silva, Chris Rolfe, Chris Pontius, and Nick De Leon (among many others)  Injuries and early season roster decisions might have crippled some teams. Yet here United is three months into the season with one of the best and most interesting offensive styles.

So just how are they doing it? How are they able to make lemonade out of a situation filled with lemons?

All signs point back to coach Ben Olsen’s system. Olsen likes to either a 4-4-2 with a forward combination of a destroyer type of center-forward and a teammate who can deliver resounding crosses into the box. Or Olsen likes to operate a 4-5-1 with an attacking center-midfielder playing behind a lone center-back. Injuries to Espindola, Silva, Nick De Leon, and Eddie Johnson have forced Olsen to switch philosophies on a daily basis.

Having inter-changeable parts also helps. Players like Espindola and Arrieta are very similar forwards in that both lack size, but will take on defenders head on. Meanwhile Rolfe and Pontius both mostly serve as Robin to Espindola/Arrieta’s Batman. They may get an occasional shot in, but they are also are more likely to help out a teammate.

In the 4-5-1, Silva’s replacement is Aguilar mostly because of his speed and pace. Both player’s are lightning fast and can lead the counter-attack at very young ages. That is not to say that there are differences (Silva is more comfortable in his shot, while Aguilar will likely defer) they possess enough similar qualities that Olsen can maintain a relatively consistent plan.

Both styles have been successful for United in recent years. Against Orlando City SC, Olsen put Luis Silva behind Fabian Espindola. The club responded to the formula by putting two past The Lions late. But the 4-4-2 , manned by Espindola and Chris Rolfe, was integral to helping United break away from their terrible 2013 campaign. That team also saw a heavy rotation of forwards up top but was only able to score a measly 22 goals.

Now the question is: can they keep this up? It would seem unlikely. Aside from goalkeeper there is perhaps no position whose performance is more tied to match fitness than the forward. Throughout the history of the league, teams that have to rely on a forward by committee very rarely make deep into the playoffs.

Wednesday night’s match against the Portland Timbers will provide a good indication as to how far the United attack can be stretched. Without Espindola, De Leon, Silva, and midfielder Michael Farfan, United will likely go with Rolfe and Arrieta up front with Pontius serving as left-midfielder. The x factor will be newest signing Facundo Coria, a journeyman Argentine who should some promise in limited minutes last week against the Revolution.

The silver lining is that D.C. United know that they can score. The big question is who will be the forward or group of players to emerge from the pack in 2015.