Allan Saint-Maximin Somersaults on DC United in 2-1 Loss

DC United's Lucas Bartlett scored in the second half

DC United 1-2 Charlotte FC, 19 September 2026

Charlotte started as the better of the two teams. In the first half, they kept the majority of possession, with Allan Saint-Maximin showing off his trademark showboating skills down the wing. This eventually led to a wonder goal by Ashley Westwood in the 22nd minute to break the deadlock, despite several saves from Sean Johnson to keep the Black-and-Red in the game.

DC bounced back fast in the second half with a much-improved display. Lucas Bartlett (shown above) scored a strong point-blank header in the 47th minute. Tai Baribo was also livelier than in his last game, coming close when he hit the post in the 51st minute.

Throughout much of the second half, DC did far better to impose their game on the opposition, which made it all the more disappointing when Charlotte winger, Allan Saint-Maximin managed to find space and score his first goal for his new club and the winner in the 71st minute.

Saint-Maximin working against DC United's Kimito Nono

However, it is impossible to talk about this match without discussing Munteanu's clear goal for DC United that was not awarded, which would have put us right back into the game.

If you have gotten the chance to look at the highlights of the game on Major League Soccer’s YouTube channel, it may come as a surprise that they quickly skip over this moment without a closer look or slow-motion breakdown (this is pretty common of MLS highlights in my experience unfortunately). While I completely understand why the referee on the field of play didn’t see it, the fact that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), which always checks these types of decisions behind the scenes, did not communicate a possible “clear and obvious error” to the referee is beyond me. Replays clearly show that the ball crossed the line entirely. Let the referee at least look at the play with the different camera angles on offer and make the call.

Munteanu's shot that was not called a goal

If MLS wants to be a global league in the world of soccer, I strongly believe Goal Line Technology (GLT) is an absolute necessity. Almost every major league—such as the Premier League, the English Championship, Germany's Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A, and France's Ligue 1—utilizes the technology. It is an absolute joke that a league with this much potential, money, and ambition still decides not to include GLT.

While it is easy to blame the officiating, the reality is that this is now the third straight win in DC for Charlotte FC. While United had a much better showing today than last weekend against Atlanta, more consistency throughout and clinical finishing in front of goal will be needed to achieve the playoff push that is still up for grabs. Namely, while DC United had an expected goals (xG) of 3.4, Charlotte only had 0.94.

DC United’s next game will be an away trip to Vancouver on September 26th at 1030pm. This should be a good test as the Whitecaps are 1st in the West but have only won 2 of their last 5 matches.