In a tightly contested battle on Wednesday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, D.C. United fell just short in a 2-1 loss to Charlotte FC.
Interim Head Coach Kevin Flanagan was forced to make key changes to his previous starting lineup against the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 12. Defenders David Schnegg and Aaron Herrera were unavailable due to serving a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation. In their absence, Flanagan leaned on defenders Conner Antley and Dereks Dodson. He also called upon Homegrown midfielder Jackson Hopkins, who started his second straight match, and reintroduced midfielder Matti Peltola to the starting eleven.
Charlotte tested D.C. United’s defense early with four shots in the first 22 minutes. Charlotte FC would eventually find the opener in the 44th minute through midfielder Pep Biel, who capitalized on a fortunate bounce and slotted a low strike into the back of the net. Despite trailing by one goal at halftime, the Black-and-Red displayed glimpses of attacking success and resilience in an effort to mount a comeback. Biel would strike again just four minutes into the second half in the 48th minute with the assist coming from defender Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty to double the hosts' advantage.
Flanagan had made tactical changes at the start of the half, bringing on midfielders Randall Leal and Boris Enow to put pressure on Charlotte’s backline. Facing a two-goal deficit, the Black-and-Red responded with a goal from midfielder Gabriel Pirani. Pirani broke free and dribbled past Charlotte’s midfield, unleashing a left-footed shot from outside the box to make it 2-1. The goal marked Pirani’s fourth of the season, and his fifth across all competitions in the last eight matches, continuing his impressive goal scoring form.
Derek Dodson also returned to the starting lineup and delivered a strong performance, completing 97% of his passes while contributing three tackles and five passes into the final third across 83 minutes. Meanwhile, Randall Leal made an impact off the bench, almost grabbing the equalizer in the 65th minute with a shot that narrowly went over the crossbarr. Leal created two chances and won three ground duels in 44 minutes played.
Goalkeeper Luis Barraza once again anchored the defense with a strong showing between the posts, making six crucial saves, four from shots inside the box, to keep D.C. United within striking distance.
The Black-and-Red finished the match with 11 total shots and earned four corner kicks, applying consistent pressure throughout the second half in search of an equalizer. Despite falling short, the team showed their attacking commitment and their desire to find an equalizer in their third straight road match.
The loss puts D.C. United at a 4-12-7 record, with the team shifting its focus to the Columbus Crew on Saturday, July 19 at Lower.com Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Charlotte FC Lineup: Kristijan Kahlina, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Tim Ream, Bill Tuiloma (Nick Scardina 70'), Liel Abada (Tyger Smalls 80'), Adilson Malanda, Ashley Westwood, Pep Biel, Djibril Diani (Brandt Bronico 70'), Wilfried Zaha (Kerwin Vargas 70'), Idan Tokolomati (Brandon Cambridge 90'+1')
Unused Substitutes: Andrew Privett, Eryk Williamson, David Bingham, Nikola Petrovic
Head Coach: Dean Smith
D.C. United Lineup: Luis Barraza, Derek Dodson (Jared Stroud 83'), Kye Rowles, Garrison Tubbs, Conner Antley (Boris Enow 46'), Matti Peltola, Brandon Servania, Jackson Hopkins (Randall Leal 46'), João Peglow, Gabriel Pirani (Rida Zouhir 88'), Dominique Badji (Hosei Kijima 65')
Unused Substitutes: Lucas Bartlett, Jordan Farr, Kim Joon Hong
Head Coach: Kevin Flanagan
