Warren Madrigal Brace Rallies Nashville SC to 2-2 Draw With 10-Man D.C. United

For 74 minutes, D.C. United had the Eastern Conference leaders exactly where it wanted them: two goals down, frustrated and staring at a VAR monitor. Then Silvan Hefti picked up a second yellow card, Warren Madrigal got loose, and the whole night flipped.

Nashville SC and D.C. United drew 2-2 on Saturday night at GEODIS Park, where 28,384 watched the hosts climb out of a 2-0 hole in the final 15 minutes. Madrigal, a 62nd-minute substitute, scored in the 76th and 89th minutes for his first career MLS brace, according to the club, and Nashville stayed unbeaten at home in league play.

Two Headers and a Stunned Crowd

D.C. United came out swinging and kept swinging. Jackson Hopkins forced Brian Schwake into a save inside the first minute, Kye Rowles headed over off a corner in the 10th, and Hopkins and Rowles tested Schwake again in the 23rd and 24th.

The goal arrived in the 25th minute. Hefti whipped in a cross and Louis Munteanu headed it from the center of the box into the bottom left corner. Four minutes later, Keisuke Kurokawa crossed after a corner and captain Lucas Bartlett headed home from very close range. The goal was awarded after a VAR review, and suddenly the Eastern Conference leaders were down 2-0 at home.

Nashville had all the ball and very little to show for it before the break. Sean Johnson saved twice from Cristian Espinoza, in the 35th and 40th minutes, then stopped Alex Muyl from the center of the box in the 43rd. Deep into stoppage time, Hany Mukhtar hit a long-range free kick off the crossbar. D.C. went into the locker room up two.

VAR Takes One Away, Hefti Gives One Back

The second half opened with more Nashville pressure and more Nashville frustration. In the 60th minute, Jeisson Palacios put the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review; D.C.'s recap said Palacios was offside. BJ Callaghan responded in the 62nd minute by sending on Madrigal for Muyl and Charles-Emile Brunet for Bryan Acosta.

Johnson kept holding the door shut. He saved a Daniel Lovitz header in the 71st minute. Then, in the 74th, Hefti was shown his second yellow card for a bad foul, and D.C. had to finish with 10 men.

It took two minutes for Nashville to cash in. Matthew Corcoran's shot from the right side of the box was saved by Johnson, and Madrigal pounced on the rebound from point-blank range, per the AP. In the 89th, Andy Nájar sent in a cross, and the AP described Madrigal controlling it on his chest and hitting it before it touched the ground, beating Johnson inside the near post for 2-2. Six minutes of stoppage time followed, but blocked shots from Mukhtar and Espinoza were as close as anyone came to a winner.

Heroes, Headaches and a 300 Club

Warren Madrigal scored twice on three shots after coming off the bench. Nashville said they were his third and fourth goals of the season and named him its man of the match. The AP described him as a 21-year-old forward in his first MLS season.

Sean Johnson made five saves and kept D.C. ahead for as long as humanly possible. Brian Schwake made four at the other end.

Louis Munteanu scored for the third straight game, per the AP, which noted he has four goals in three career starts. Lucas Bartlett scored his first goal since 2024, the AP added.

Silvan Hefti had the most complicated night of anyone: an assist on the opening goal, then two yellow cards that turned the match.

The night also had a milestone. Nashville said Muyl became the 77th player in MLS history to appear in at least 300 career regular season games, and Brunet made his MLS debut off the bench.

The Red Card That Rewrote the Script

Before Hefti's dismissal, Nashville had possession but not penetration, and D.C. was perfectly happy to defend deep and wait. Once the visitors went down to 10, the math changed. Nashville scored twice in 15 minutes, with Madrigal finding the space in and around the box that had not existed when D.C. had a full back line. D.C.'s own recap called it a difficult way to earn a point, which is about the most honest sentence a club website can write.

Stats That Mattered

• Possession: Nashville 74 percent, D.C. United 26 percent.
• Passing: Nashville completed 476 of 550 passes; D.C. completed 117 of 184.
• Shots: Nashville 16 (7 on target), D.C. United 12 (6 on target).
• Saves: Johnson 5, Schwake 4.
• Corners: Nashville 8, D.C. United 7.

The Big Picture

Nashville moves to 7-3-1 with 24 points and, per the club, sits first in the Eastern Conference. The Boys in Gold have gone five straight league matches without a loss, with three wins and two draws, and remain unbeaten at home at four wins and one draw. Nashville said it is one of only three MLS teams still unbeaten at home, alongside New England and Seattle. The hosts did it shorthanded, too: the club said forward Sam Surridge and midfielders Eddi Tagseth and Patrick Yazbek did not dress because of injuries. Next up is a trip to the New England Revolution on Wednesday.

D.C. United moves to 4-4-4 with 16 points and is unbeaten in five straight, according to the AP, coming off a 2-0 win at New York City FC the previous Sunday. Head coach René Weiler had named an unchanged lineup from that win, per the club. D.C. hosts the Chicago Fire on Wednesday.

The Closer

D.C. United spent 74 minutes writing an underdog movie, complete with two set-piece goals and a closing scene already storyboarded. Then a second yellow card rewrote the third act, and Madrigal walked in as the surprise lead who steals the final reel. A point at a home fortress like GEODIS Park would usually feel like a win for D.C. On this night, it felt like money left on the table.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match notes from Nashville SC (nashvillesc.com), D.C. United (dcunited.com) and the AP recap via ESPN.