D.C. United scored two goals in the final 20-plus minutes of the game to pick up a 2-1 win over host Inter Miami on Saturday night.
It took until the 76th minute, but D.C. United (6-6-5, 23 points) broke through the hosts’ tough defense as Donovan Pines finished off a corner while tangled up with goalkeeper Drake Callender and the post.
While the two got wrapped up against the post, the ball bounced around their legs. Pines managed to flick his foot out, and the ball popped up just enough to get over the line before Callender was able to corral it and pull it back.
Then Christian Benteke got in behind Miami’s back line and slipped it past Callender just as the clock hit 90 minutes.
Miami (5-11-0, 15 points) was not quite done, though.
Ian Fray, brought in for the injured Dixon Arroyo in the second half, got open outside the box, and fellow second-half substitute Robert Taylor cut the ball back to him. Fray took one touch to settle and then lashed it past a diving Tyler Miller for the late consolation goal two minutes into second-half stoppage time.
Miami played all but the first seven minutes of the game down a man. Defender Kamal Miller was given a red card for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity tackle on Benteke inside the first 10 minutes. However, D.C. only truly troubled Callender once in the first half when Benteke got open near the penalty spot, but Callender dove toward the post and kept it out of the net.
Callender did his absolute best to keep Miami in the game despite playing a man down. He finished with four saves despite D.C. pumping 23 shots in the general direction of his goal. His counterpart Tyler Miller was not able to save the only shot on goal he faced.
Injury issues reared their ugly head for Miami early in the second half. Arroyo went down without contact and appeared to be holding his groin before being subbed off in the 50th minute. In the 55th minute, Ryan Sailor stretched out his leg to block a shot and went down in obvious pain before being subbed off.
The loss was Miami’s fifth straight but first with interim head coach Javier Morales on the sidelines after Phil Neville was dismissed Thursday.
–Field Level Media
