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.
United (4-7-7) is 0-4-2 since mid-May, 1-4-4 on the road and has not recorded a shutout since March 30 (12 matches).
With several absences, Coach Troy Lesesne pieced together a lineup that played well defensively after conceding six goals in the previous two matches but generated few quality opportunities in going scoreless for the fourth time.