DC United vs TFC Win + Nashville Comeback Draw | 2026
A New Feeling of Hope: DC United Beat TFC, Draw Nashville, and Something Is Different
Something has shifted. After a 2-1 win over Toronto FC and a comeback draw against Nashville SC, Jon and Ted are feeling something they haven’t felt in a while — genuine optimism about DC United’s 2026 season.
This week’s RFK Refugees breaks down both results, digs into the players who are turning heads, and gets into the biggest league news of the summer: a new MLS commissioner and a salary cap structure that may be about to change.
Watch the Full Episode:
DC United 2-1 Toronto FC
A strong first half set the tone — Jon was in the live chat lamenting how well the team was playing, which should tell you everything. A penalty kick and some good fortune contributed to the result, but the performance was there. The team picked up where they left off before the break and carried that energy into the following week.
The man of the match conversation starts and ends with Sean Johnson. He’s proven to be exactly the goalkeeper DC needed — not top-eleven caliber every week, but he makes the saves that matter when the team needs them most.
The Nashville SC Comeback Draw
If the Toronto win showed what this team can do when things go their way, the Nashville draw showed something more important — character. Coming back in that game said something about the mentality Renée Weiler is building. This is not the DC United of recent memory.
Munteanu and Peglow Stepping Up
Two names that keep coming up: Louis Munteanu and João Peglow. Both have shown genuine improvement and are becoming reliable parts of what Weiler is building. The new signings are adding competition to the squad, which is raising the level across the board. Things feel different because they are different.
Stadium Changes at Audi Field
Jon and Ted also get into some changes coming to Audi Field — details in the episode — that are worth knowing about if you’re planning to be at games this fall.
Don Garber’s Legacy
Twenty-five years. The league was down to ten teams and genuinely close to folding when Don Garber took over. Now it’s thirty teams, every club either in or headed toward its own soccer-specific stadium, and a World Cup just wrapped up on home soil. Whatever you think of commissioners and their relationship to owners, the arc of what he oversaw is hard to argue with.
As Ted put it: the Revs are out of Gillette, NYCFC is out of Yankee Stadium — it took longer than it should have, but it happened. Garber is sailing off into the sunset having built something real.
Larry Berg: The Next MLS Commissioner
Berg comes in from LAFC — a big-market club that likes to spend — and is seen as someone who might loosen the purse strings at the league level. He’ll divest his LAFC ownership stake to take the role. The timing matters: MLS is heading into a calendar restructure, a sprint season format, and what sounds like meaningful changes to roster rules ahead of the 2027-28 seasons.
Jon’s hot take: if you’re going to open the floodgates, the gap between DC United’s current spend and Inter Miami’s ceiling gets very wide very fast. And Inter Miami are reportedly closing in on Kevin De Bruyne as their next signing, which tells you everything about where this is heading.
Jon also floated a chaotic alternative DP structure — unlimited designated players, but you lose three roster spots for each one you sign. Theoretically you could field eleven DPs and three children and just hope none of them get injured. The league has not adopted this proposal yet.
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🎙️ Extended DC United breakdown and Patreon questions answered at the $5 tier: patreon.com/rfkrefugees
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Vamos. 🔴⚫