Seven points from five games. The defense is excellent. The offense is not bringing anyone to the yard.
DC United ground out a 0-0 draw at Atlanta United in Week 5 of the 2026 MLS season — a result that, given the context, Jon and Ted both called an achievement. Renée Wilder admitted as much in his postgame: the team can’t score right now, this is what he must do, and so this is what he will do. Jon and Ted broke it all down on the latest RFK Refugees, plus a full Washington Spirit recap after a 2-2 draw against Louisville Racing.
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Is This the Good Version of Benny Ball?
Atlanta came into this game with $43 million worth of attacking talent on the field. DC United looked better. That’s the sentence. Jon noted that while nobody is confusing this for exciting soccer, Renée Wilder is a realist who can see exactly what’s in front of him — and isn’t trying to force a style this roster can’t sustain. The comparison to the 2011-2015 DC United era came up more than once: suffocating games, grinding results, keeping everything close enough that a moment or a set piece can steal you three points. It’s not pretty. It’s working.
Wilder himself essentially confirmed it, telling the press conference that this isn’t the style he wants to play forever — but right now, it is what it must be.
The Defensive Pillars
Silvan Hefti had another outstanding performance and the early season MVP conversation between him and Matti Peltola is becoming a weekly feature of the show. Both were excellent in Atlanta. Peltola covered enormous amounts of ground in midfield, read the game ahead of everyone, and continues to be DC United’s most consistent player through five games. Hefti pressed forward when he could, tracked back when he had to, and was composed throughout.
Brandon Servania had quietly his best game of the season. Not flashy, not headline-grabbing — but industrious and present in a way he hadn’t been in earlier weeks.
The Offensive Problem
Gabriel Pirani continues to be the central frustration. Jon reported that listener questions about Pirani have gone from nine to twelve to something approaching thirty. He is a non-factor in the attacking third, game after game. Tai Baribo is frustrated by the lack of service. Peglow has been giving possession away cheaply. And the three across the front — Baribo, Pirani, and Peglow — are not connecting, not coordinating their press, and by Jon’s account appear to be arguing about it in real time on the pitch.
The bright spot came off the bench. Caden Clark and Hosei Kijima both made an immediate difference when they came on, with Clark nearly scoring from outside the box and Kijima looking more like his early-season self — forward-focused, dangerous in tight spaces. Dax McCarty made the point during the broadcast that Jackson Hopkins is being wasted on the wing and belongs in a more central role as an eight. Jon agreed. Ted was curious. The conversation is happening.
Good news on the injury front: Renée Wilder confirmed both Aaron Herrera and Louis Munteanu are expected back after the international break. The Romanian sources predicting a long-term injury for Munteanu were wrong. Wilder laughed about it.
Washington Spirit 2-2 Louisville Racing
The Spirit generated enough chances to win this game four times over and came away with one point. Jon called it one of those games where you watch the score, panic, then sit down and actually watch the game and feel much better about things.
Sofia Cantore scored a screamer from 25 yards — right foot, bending away from the keeper, off a corner. When asked afterwards why all her goals look like that, she said she would very much like to score a boring goal and is actively trying to do so.
Trinity Rodman came off with a concussion sub and is likely to be held out of the Utah midweek game as a precaution. Sandy McIver is under scrutiny after two goals — one she should have saved, one where she was screened but still needed to do better. The broader context: she’s a talented keeper who hasn’t played regularly for some time and is finding her feet. Jon and Ted expect her to settle in.
Lucia de Guglielmo continues to be the Spirit’s most exciting addition — Jon compared her impact to Silvan Hefti’s at DC United. Dynamic, defensively committed, and providing a level of service from the left side that is going to produce serious assist numbers as the season develops.
The absence of Croix Bethune was discussed again as a potential missing piece in the final third — that creative, unpredictable player who could make something from nothing in tight spaces. Whether Santos and the current roster can replicate that remains the question. Ted thinks they can. Jon is watching and waiting.
Andy Sullivan made her return in the 90th minute, which sets up an interesting midweek against Utah with potential rotation opportunities. Hal Hirschfeld hasn’t looked like herself so far, but both hosts agreed her best form has historically come alongside Sullivan — so that pairing is one to watch.
Claudia Martinez, the 18-year-old Paraguayan, has gotten minutes in both Spirit games and is showing off-ball movement that Jon described as distinctly Central American in style — smart runs, keeping her options open rather than going full speed into channels. Early days, but intriguing.
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RFK Refugees is a DC United and Washington Spirit podcast hosted by Jon Hoffman and Ted Meyer.