D.C. United nearly extended their unbeaten run on the road to start the season on Sunday against Minnesota United, but a goal called back by a video review and a late Angelo Rodriguez tally handed the Loons the 1-0 victory. It was the first loss on the road for the Black-and-Red since August of last year, a stretch of six games. United stayed on top of the Eastern Conference despite the loss, though the Montreal Impact are now level on points with 17.

Donovan Pines thought he had his first professional goal in the first half when he rose up to head home a cross from Wayne Rooney. However, referee Nima Saghafi went to the video board for a review and chalked off the goal on account of a foul on keeper Vito Mannone on Frederic Brillant.

D.C. didn't really threaten again, and eventually the tide turned in favor of the Loons; Rodriguez got just enough of Roman Metanire's cross to guide it under Bill Hamid for the game's only goal. The loss was the third of the season for the Black-and-Red after 10 games played. 

Here are three points that stood out to FloFC from the game: 

1. Debate Over Pines' Goal

Pines and D.C. United certainly thought that the towering center back had scored a perfectly good goal in the 21st minute. Mannone had made a good save on Lucas Rodriguez's shot, but the ball popped out to Rooney, who served in a good cross — one that tempted Mannone off his line but that Pines was able to get to before anyone else.

Pines wheeled away in celebration, celebrating with the coaching staff. The teams then lined up for the restart when Saghafi went to check the board. The replays were tough to see, but the SB Nation site E Pluribus Loonum caught the incident on camera from a different angle. 

Here's a great view of the foul that disallowed #DCU's first goal, from our own @timcmclaughlin.

"I couldn't jump," said #MNUFC GK Vito Mannone. pic.twitter.com/enZEcXjzUL

— E Pluribus Loonum (@EPluribusLoonum) April 28, 2019

It's clear that Brillant does have his hand on Mannone's shoulder. The question is whether or not Mannone was impeded by the intervention of Brillant. Mannone certainly thought so, but you wouldn't expect him to say otherwise. Brillant said he didn't think it was a foul, but you'd expect him to say that as well.

It was a tough call, but if Saghafi thought Brillant made enough contact to prevent Mannone from getting to the ball, then calling a foul would have been right. But there are some parallels between this play and the free kick that Rooney scored against Orlando City, when Brillant made contact with Brian Rowe but the goal was given anyway. 

After the game, there wasn't much angst among Ben Olsen or the players about the call. Most of them said they hadn't yet seen a replay, but they also might have been aware enough to realize that even if the call went against them that there was still plenty of time to create chances to get a result, which they failed to do over the next 70 minutes. 

2. Argument Between Acosta and Arriola

In the 30th minute of the game, Minnesota's star playmaker Darwin Quintero went down in the box without contact. United regained possession, but then put it out of play to allow Quintero to be looked at. But after the ball went out, there seemed to be some sort of disagreement between Luciano Acosta and Paul Arriola. If you missed that moment, click here to watch a replay of it. 

It was a strange moment considering the game state at the time. The Black-and-Red were by far the better side in the first half, and they certainly seemed more likely to create a goal at that point. But Arriola and Acosta were in each other's face, and Steven Birnbaum, Chris Durkin, and Pines got between the two to break them up. Even the referee came over and looked perplexed by the situation.

After the game, both Olsen and Rooney downplayed the event, with Rooney saying the pair were fine by halftime and after the game as well. It's not typical to see teammates at each other like this during the course of a game, but it certainly happens on occasion. These are high-level professionals, who are competitive in everything they do.

Whatever the source of friction was, it will be long forgotten about by the time United line up on Saturday for their next game. 

3. D.C. United Still Aren't Creating Enough Chances

This wouldn't have been as big of a talking point had Pines' goal stood. But with the foul on Brillant taking away the goal, the Black-and-Red finished the game with just one shot on target — from Lucas Rodriguez, moments before Pines headed the ball into the goal. And while that shot wasn't directly from the corner, it would have been considered a set piece goal, as Junior Moreno's delivery from a Rooney short corner had been headed out to the top of the box for Rodriguez.

Throughout the month of April United have looked dangerous from set pieces. That only led to two goals, a free kick from Rooney and a goal from a corner from Acosta against the Colorado Rapids. But the Black-and-Red only scored two goals from open play during the month as well, and those also came against the Rapids, leaving United with just four goals from six games in the month of April.

That output is just not good enough. If you take away the 5-0 win over Real Salt Lake — in which RSL finished the game with nine players — then United have scored eight goals in nine games this year. Something is just not clicking right now offensively for United, and that has cost them points in games.

After the game, Rooney said he was concerned with the amount of chances the Black-and-Red have been creating from open play recently. That the team needs to address the issue and figure out what is keeping them from having good looks at goal while the ball is rolling. The quick start from United has kept them atop the Eastern Conference, but if they continue to struggle in front of goal their place in the standings won't hold for much longer.