D.C. United avoids another stumble with win over Inter Miami
United didn’t take advantage until late, getting a bizarre goal by Donovan Pines in the 76th minute and an insurance strike by Christian Benteke in the 90th for a 2-1 victory before an announced 15,040 at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
United (6-6-5) wasn’t in the clear until about 10 minutes of stoppage time, which included a goal by Miami’s Ian Fray, expired.
Miami defender Kamal Miller’s early dismissal left United in control. It enjoyed 69 percent of possession and a 23-4 advantage in shots. But the breakthrough did not come until Pines, a 6-foot-5 center back, scored for the second time in four days.
From close range, Pines stabbed Steven Birnbaum’s header off the near post. While Pines was on the ground and goalkeeper Drake Callender was wrapped around the post, Pines nudged the ball just across the goal line. Unsure what had occurred or whether it was a goal, most players initially didn’t react.
“I just stayed with the play,” Pines said. “It was stuck between Drake’s legs, and I kept on kicking it. It was pretty crazy, but a goal’s a goal.”
“I don’t know how it went in,” Coach Wayne Rooney said, “but he put himself in a position where he’s got a possibility of scoring.”
The absence of a goal tested the patience of Rooney and his team.
“I thought we handled it well because it can be difficult when you play against 10 men for long periods of time,” Rooney said. “You can lose your concentration. You can start to get impatient. What I stressed to the players at halftime was to keep doing the right things, keep your patience and we will win the game the last 10 minutes. Let’s grind them out.”
Rooney tweaked the lineup to compensate for the absence of Lewis O’Brien, who was suspended one game by MLS for a dangerous tackle against Montreal. With center back Birnbaum returning from a hip injury, Victor Palsson filled O’Brien’s midfield slot.
United gained a man advantage when Miller tripped the hard-charging Benteke from behind just outside the penalty area. Initially, referee Marcos de Oliveira issued a yellow card, but after video review showed Miller had denied an obvious scoring opportunity, he upgraded it to red.
To bolster his back line, Miami interim coach Javier Morales removed an attacker and added a defender.
United enjoyed ample possession but few high-quality threats. After Taxi Fountas narrowly missed from outside the penalty area, Callender made a sparkling save on Benteke’s 10-yard bid.
At the start of the second half, Rooney sought to force the issue by replacing defender Derrick Williams with attacker Cristian Dájome. Morales swapped strikers at the half, then lost two players to injury over the next nine minutes. He was suddenly out of substitution windows.
Dájome added pop. Callender thwarted Mateusz Klich’s long-range effort.
United finally broke through on Pines’s goal, his third of the year. Additional chances came and went until Palsson set up Benteke for a rush into the box and a composed finish for his eighth goal. Miami (5-11-0) answered early in stoppage time on Fray’s first MLS goal but didn’t threaten again.
“We were in full control of the game and never looked in any danger,” Rooney said. “And it was just really about being patient.”
Here’s what else to know about United’s victory:
Fountas faces Miami again
After two substitute appearances in his return from injury, Fountas made his first start since May 13, replacing Ted Ku-DiPietro.
The game was his first against Miami since September, when Rooney removed Fountas from a match at Audi Field amid accusations that he used a racial slur.
A league investigation reported the allegation was credible but could not be independently verified, and Fountas was not disciplined. The Miami players involved in the incident, Aimé Mabika and Damion Lowe, are now with Toronto and Philadelphia, respectively.
United’s next league match is next Saturday in Atlanta, but in an oddly timed friendly, D.C. must first host Mexican club Necaxa on Wednesday. Rooney is expected to use reserves and young players. …
Another friendly is coming to Audi Field on June 15, pitting the Honduran and Venezuelan national teams. The contract between United, which owns the stadium, and those soccer federations was finalized Friday.
