WASHINGTON — The Columbus Crew controlled the ball, created more opportunities and played their best soccer after halftime Wednesday night.
None of it was enough to overcome another poor start away from home, however.
Tai Baribo scored twice during the first half, and D.C. United held off Columbus after the break to earn a 2-1 victory at Audi Field.
Columbus entered the night hoping its 3-0 win over Colorado had ended more than just a five-match losing streak. Instead, the same road problems that have followed the Crew throughout the season followed them to D.C.
Baribo opened the scoring in the 24th minute after getting free near the Columbus goal and finishing a pass from Louis Munteanu. He struck again in the 37th minute, finding another opening inside the penalty area before beating Patrick Schulte to give D.C. United a 2-0 advantage.
Crew coach Laurent Courtois turned to two regular starters at halftime, bringing Steven Moreira and Brais Méndez into the match. The changes produced an immediate response.
Josef Martínez found Santiago Rodríguez near the top of the box in the 49th minute, and the recently acquired designated player quickly sent a shot through traffic and inside the right post. The goal was Rodríguez’s second in as many appearances since joining Columbus and cut the deficit to 2-1 with most of the second half still to play.
Columbus controlled nearly 68 percent of possession and finished with a 15-10 advantage in shots, but the equalizer never came. D.C. goalkeeper Sean Johnson made three saves as United protected its lead and handed the Crew another damaging road defeat.
The loss dropped Columbus to 6-13-5 with 23 points, leaving the club in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with 10 regular-season matches remaining. Five of those games will be away from home, where the Crew are now 1-8-3.
Columbus has gone 0-6-2 over its past eight MLS road matches and has not won away from ScottsMiracle-Gro Field since defeating Atlanta on April 4. Unless that changes quickly, the already narrow path back into the postseason picture will continue to become more difficult.
What’s Next: The Crew return home Saturday to face Red Bull New York at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV.
