D.C. United ended a five-match winless streak on Wednesday night with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew at home.
Tai Baribo was the undeniable star of the evening, netting a brace inside the opening 38 minutes to put United firmly in control.
The Israeli forward opened the scoring in the 24th minute, and his second goal 14 minutes later gave D.C. United a comfortable 2-0 cushion heading into halftime.
The second strike was Baribo’s 14th goal of the season, a figure that underlines his importance to D.C. United’s attacking output throughout the campaign.
Louis Munteanu played a central role in both goals, claiming assists on each occasion and bringing his total to four assists in just 19 league appearances this season.
João Peglow registered his career-high fifth assist on the opening goal, while defender Kimito Nono notched his second career assist on the second in just his fifth career appearance.
Columbus pulled one back four minutes into the second half through Santiago Rodríguez, who scored in consecutive matches in only his first two appearances with the Crew.
Josef Martínez and Mohamed Farsi both assisted on that goal, with Martínez earning his first assist in six appearances for the club and Farsi now recording four assists on the season.
D.C. United goalkeeper Sean Johnson was called upon three times and made each save count as United protected their lead through a tense second half.
Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte also made three saves at the other end, but the Crew could not find an equaliser despite their second-half pressure.
The result improves D.C. United’s home record to 4-4-4 on the season, giving the club genuine confidence heading into the final stretch of the campaign.
Columbus, meanwhile, drop to 1-8-3 on the road, a troubling return that reflects their struggles away from home throughout 2026.
The Crew had snapped their own five-match winless run last time out with a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids, but were unable to back that result up in Washington.
D.C. United had not played since a goalless draw with Los Angeles FC on August 29, with their road match at FC Cincinnati previously cancelled due to inclement weather and safety concerns at TQL Stadium.
Columbus now turn their attention to Saturday, when they host the New York Red Bulls looking to bounce back from this road defeat.
