Wilfried Zaha scores in 33rd and Charlotte beats 9-man D.C. United 1-0 to secure home playoff match

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wilfried Zaha scored in the 33rd minute, Kristijan Kahlina recorded his 11th clean sheet of the season, and Charlotte beat nine-man D.C. United 1-0 on Saturday to secure a home playoff match.

Charlotte (18-13-2) is unbeaten in its last five meetings with D.C. United (5-18-10), outscoring them 7-1 during the stretch.

Zaha, who snapped a five-match goalless streak last Saturday, played it to Nikola Petkovic from the corner of the 18-yard box and got it back for a bending finish inside the far post.

D.C. United played two guys down after Luis Barraza and Aaron Herrera each received a red card in the opening 30 minutes. A VAR review showed Barraza was outside the 18-yard box when he grabbed the ball. Herrera was given a straight red card for violent conduct after headbutting Zaha.

Charlotte is 6-10-1 in away matches this season — its most road victories in the regular season. Charlotte also tied tie the club’s single-season mark for away points at 19.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer