D.C. United hold off Columbus Crew for crucial 2-1 win: Match report

It may not be crunch time in the MLS playoff race, but D.C. United picked up a critical three points Wednesday night, defeating the Columbus Crew 2-1 in a match with postseason implications.

Tai Baribo returned from injury to bag a first-half brace for United, who had to hold on for long spells without the ball after Santiago Rodríguez pulled one back for the Crew. However, the Black-and-Red had enough in the tank to see the game out.

With the battle for the final three Eastern Conference playoff spots looking like a game of musical chairs and difficult games against Charlotte FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps, and Inter Miami looming, United could not afford to drop points against the Crew, who kicked the night off two points and one place behind the hosts.

The Crew were the first team to create a real threat, with Santiago Rodríguez forcing Sean Johnson into a fine save in the 11th minute after the visitors broke out on the counter.

United came inches from taking a 16th-minute lead, with Lucas Bartlett's ball in behind creating the opening. Baribo cut an inviting ball back to Kimito Nono, but the summer transfer's first-time shot glanced off the crossbar.

The match remained even, but shortly after United moved into the 4-4-2 that they've used for the large majority of 2026, they took the lead. Patience outside the box saw Jackson Hopkins move play wide to João Peglow, who in turn rewarded Louis Munteanu's well-timed run to the endline.

From there, it was a finishing drill, with Munteanu delivering a cutback that Patrick Schulte couldn't reach, with Baribo arriving to finish from all of four yards.

Columbus tested Johnson again in response, with Dylan Chambost's long-range shot through traffic requiring quick reflexes out of the veteran.

The Crew were having most of the ball, but United's counter-attacking raids remained a threat, and Baribo capped one off to make it 2-0 in the 38th minute.

In truth, it was simple stuff: Baribo won the ball back on the counter-press, while Munteanu dropped deep to collect. The Romanian forward pinged a ball into acres of space for Nono, who in turn delivered a pinpoint pass to United's no. 9, who tucked the ball away with ease.

It had been a largely promising first half from United, but they undid some of that good work early in the second. A turnover from a goal kick gifted the Crew possession, and Rodríguez had plenty of time to bend a shot from 19 yards past Johnson.

Within a minute, Kye Rowles headed off the crossbar after United recycled a corner kick, but the hosts couldn't turn the scramble into a goal. In the period of pressure that followed, United howled for a handball against Columbus midfielder Dylan Chambost, but play didn't stop for nearly two minutes before referee Muhammad Kaleia was summoned to the VAR monitor. After a long check, Kaleia stuck with the initial no-call.

Columbus was having difficulty converting lengthy spells of possession into shots, but substitute Brais Méndez scooped a 69th-minute effort onto the crossbar, reminding the Black-and-Red that some time on the ball might have value.

That miss may have woken United up, with Rowles heading a 71st-minute corner just wide. D.C. did one better, getting down the right in the 77th. Nono's cross picked out Nathan Ordaz in a promising spot, but the young forward's finish let him down, allowing Schulte to save.

Brandon Servania nearly buried the game in the 89th minute after some crafty interplay between Ordaz and Peglow, only for Schulte to come up with a stunning save.

Columbus carried on with their push for an equalizer, but the goalmouth action in stoppage time was all United headers and clearances, settling the match in favor of the hosts.

Breaking out of a five-game winless rut, United (6-10-7) could wake up on Thursday back in the playoff places, pending other results around the Eastern Conference. They continue this critical three-game homestand on Saturday, with Atlanta United coming to Audi Field for a scheduled 7:30 p.m ET kickoff.

Box score — MLS regular season (game 23)
9/9/2026

D.C. United 2 (Baribo 24, 38)
Columbus Crew 1 (Rodríguez 49)

Lineups:
DCU (433): Sean Johnson; Silvan Hefti, Lucas Bartlett (C), Kye Rowles, Keisuke Kurokawa; Kimito Nono, Andre Dozzell, João Peglow (Sean Nealis 92+); Jackson Hopkins (Matti Peltola 46), Tai Baribo (Brandon Servania 77), Louis Munteanu (Nathan Ordaz 70)

Crew (3421): Patrick Schulte; Cesar Ruvalcaba (Steven Moreira 46), Sean Zawadski (C), Malte Amundsen; Mohamed Farsi, Dylan Chambost (André Gomes 70), Tarun Karumanchi, Brooks Lennon; Taha Habroune (Brais Méndez 46), Santiago Rodríguez (Jamal Thiaré 81); Josef Martínez (Gonzalo Tapia 60)

Bookings:
DCU - Peglow 19, Rowles 57, Johnson 95+
Crew - Karumanchi 12, Ruvalcaba 19

Referee: Muhammad Kaleia
Weather: Mostly cloudy, breezy, 82°
Attendance: 10,115