CHARLOTTE — D.C. United started the second half of the MLS season Saturday with a shortage of players, a deflating lapse of concentration on the final play of the first half and ultimately a 1-0 loss to Charlotte FC.
Kerwin Vargas’s header off a corner kick was the difference as United’s winless rut reached six games before an announced 30,468 at Bank of America Stadium.
Although United (4-7-7) is 0-4-2 since mid-May and has not recorded a shutout since March, Coach Troy Lesesne remained upbeat.
“This group is so close to realizing the objectives that we want, and when you don’t realize it and some similar mistakes crop up, it’s easy to probably get dejected and it’s easy to get down and stop fighting,” Lesesne said. “That’s just not the case with this team. … This team showed a ton of fight, a ton of heart.”
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But it also manufactured few quality scoring opportunities and, for the fourth time, left scoreless.
“Yeah, we are close, but at the end of the day, it is still zero points,” said striker Christian Benteke, MLS’s second-leading scorer, who did not receive much service Saturday. “We didn’t create anything. We didn’t have any chances. We were building up well at times. We were positive in our approach to go forward and try to score, but it’s the last action, the last decision.”
After conceding six goals in the previous two matches, United played well defensively with a unit that included rookie Garrison Tubbs and 17-year-old homegrown Matai Akinmboni each making his second start of the season.
United was missing four injured regulars and has two other players out with season-ending ailments. Two more starters were on the bench because they weren’t at full strength. Reserve Gabriel Pirani was out of the country awaiting a visa upgrade.
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With three players on loan to second-division clubs, United had six players on the bench (two were goalkeepers), marking the 15th time it has not had the maximum nine subs.
The first half lacked ingenuity and bite until the closing minutes, when Charlotte (8-6-4) gained traction. Patrick Agyemang had two golden opportunities, but Akinmboni made a last-second challenge to deflect a shot from close range, and after splitting two defenders, the Charlotte forward missed wide.
United needed just to defend one last corner kick, more than six minutes into stoppage time, before welcoming the halftime whistle. On Jere Uronen’s service, though, Vargas slipped into a small pocket of space at the six-yard box and beat Tubbs to the header for his third goal of the year.
Immediately after the restart, referee Sergii Boiko signaled the half’s end.
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“It’s a killer in the sense that you feel like you’ve put in 45 really good minutes,” goalkeeper Alex Bono said.
In the second half, United absorbed persistent pressure but did not create much of its own. Jared Stroud had a good look in the 62nd minute but missed wide from 16 yards.
Lesesne turned to his only three attacking options on the bench, but little changed in the final third of the field.
“The chances didn’t materialize like we wanted and like they have frequently for us,” Lesesne said, “but we were way more sound in many phases of the game.”
Deep in stoppage time, Bono raced up the field for a promising set piece. The service, though, bounced dangerously through the box and harmlessly past the far post.
“Anytime you lose, it’s frustrating, and when you string a few together, the frustration builds,” Bono said. “But definitely not in a negative sense, more in a hunger sense of trying to dig ourselves out.”
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Here’s what else to know about United’s loss:
Shorthanded again
Aside from the expected absences, United lost two others in the buildup to the match.
Starting defensive midfielder Jackson Hopkins was ruled out with a lower back ailment. Pirani is in Brazil finalizing a green card for U.S. permanent residency, which will open an international roster slot.
Right back Aaron Herrera was in uniform but did not play as he recovers from a foot injury that curtailed his Guatemalan national team assignment. Forward Ted Ku-DiPietro did not start because of illness and entered late.
Captain Steven Birnbaum (knee) is sidelined indefinitely. Russell Canouse (colon) and Conner Antley (knee) are out for the season, and Christopher McVey (knee) is sidelined for several more weeks.
Another busy stretch
Saturday’s match began a period of three in eight days, the third such stretch in five weeks. United will host Atlanta United on Wednesday, then welcome club legend Ben Olsen back to Washington next Saturday for his first visit as coach of the Houston Dynamo.
