Post-Match Facts | #DCvCLB

D.C. United (6-7-10 28 pts.) 2 v. 1 Columbus Crew (6-13-5 23 pts.)
2026 MLS Regular Season
September 9, 2026 - Audi Field - Washington D.C.

Match Recap

D.C. United battled through a physical matchup against the Columbus Crew, with an aggressive attack and relentless pressure pushing the Black-and-Red forward from the opening whistle. After an intense back-and-forth yellow card battle between Columbus midfielder Tarun Karumanchi, defender Cesar Ruvalcaba, and DCU midfielder João Peglow, The Black-and-Red got the game moving. DCU opened the scoring in the 24th minute, creating a 1-0 lead by forward Tai Barbio after a close range set up from forward Louis Munteanu. Baribo didn’t slow down as he locked down another goal with help from midfielder Kimito Nono to bring the score to 2-0. Coming out of the break Columbus responded with a goal from forward Santiago Rodríguez from outside of the box. D.C. United kept the pressure on Columbus and held the score at 2-1 to finish the game. The Black-and-Red move up to eleventh in the Eastern Conference with 28 points and a 6-7-10 record. D.C. United look to build onto their momentum with another win this Saturday against Atlanta United FC at Audi Field.

Player Notes

• Forward Tai Baribo scored a brace for the Black-and-Red; He scored in the 24th minute, assisted by Louis Munteanu and in the 37th minute, assisted by Kimito Nono; Baribo 2 goals bring him to 14 this season for D.C. United. 

• Defender Kimito Nono had one assist and created a team-high four chances in 90 minutes for D.C. United.

• Defender Kye Rowles made his first start for the Black-and-Red since August 1st agaisnt Nashville SC; coming back from injury, Rowles made 16 defensive contributions and 7 clearances in 90 minutes played for D.C. United

• Midfielder Matti Peltola subbed in at the 45th minute and made an immediate impact, making 8 defensive contributions and 7 tackles.

#DCvCLB

• The Black-and-Red is 33-36-14 against Columbus Crew all-time in regular season matchups.
• The Black-and-Red is 10-23-8 against Columbus Crew at home in regular season matchups.

Match Notes

• D.C. United are 4-4-4 at home in the 2026 MLS season.

D.C. United Lineup: Sean Johnson, Lucas Bartlett, Silvan Hefti, Keisuke Kurokawa, Kye Rowles, Kimito Nono, João Peglow (Sean Nealis 90' +2), Andre Dozzell, Tai Baribo (Brandon Servania 77'), Louis Munteanu (Nathan Ordaz 70'), Jackson Hopkins (Matti Peltola 46')

Unused Substitutes: Alex Bono, Jared Stroud, Nikola Markovic, Oscar Avilez, Hosei Kijima

Head Coach: Rene Weiler

Columbus Crew Lineup: Patrick Schulte, Malte Amundsen, Sean Zawadzki, Dylan Chambost (Andre Gomes 70'), Tarun Karumanchi, Santiago Rodríguez (Jamal Thiaré 81'), Brooks Lennon, Cesar Ruvalcaba (Steven Moreira 46'), Taha Habroune (Brais Méndez 46'), Mohamed Farsi, Josef Martinez (Gonzalo Tapia 60')

Unused Substitutes: Nicholas Hagen, Eric Bailly, Lautaro Giaccone, Luke Pruter 

Head Coach: Laurent Courtois