Inter Miami settle for DC stalemate ahead of Leagues Cup semis | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

WASHINGTON – Despite another bruising season for D.C. United, there’s still some life left in the District of Columbia.

Led by a second golazo in as many games from 21-year-old homegrown Jackson Hopkins, the last-place Black-and-Red stood tall to stymie mighty Inter Miami CF on Saturday, holding the trophy-chasing Herons to a 1-1 draw on a vibrant night at Audi Field. The deadlock also keeps their new head coach René Weiler undefeated (0W-0L-2D) since taking the helm earlier this month.

Though the result officially eliminates D.C. from Audi MLS Cup Playoffs contention, it may yet reverberate in the Supporters’ Shield race. As they seek to clamber back to the top of the table via the games in hand they’re carrying via their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, even as they juggle MLS play with a deep run in Leagues Cup 2025, Miami may come to rue missing these two points.

Florida rivals Orlando City await in Wednesday’s Leagues Cup semifinal.

“We knew that [playoffs] probably wasn’t going to happen this season based on what’s happened earlier,” said Hopkins, who also wore the captain’s armband despite his relatively tender age. “But I think with René here, we’re building something new, and with these results, we just need to keep getting better and better.

"Two ties in two games is better than what we’ve been doing, but it’s still not where we want to be. So we’re going to keep pushing.”

Herons rotation

In the midst of a congested schedule, IMCF left Lionel Messi at home to rest his sore hamstring and kept Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez on the bench until the second half in an effort to give their veteran superstars some rest. Despite the dropped points, coach Javier Mascherano considered it a “very necessary” move, and a deserved opportunity for some lesser-used reserves.

“We have played 41 games – it’s been a season [already],” said the Argentine postgame. “So we wanted also to watch players that, maybe they couldn’t have too many minutes. It's important also for them, because always I say, to compete until the end, we need the squad. Not the team, the squad. It was a decision that was very, very, very clear for us. And after the game, I believe that was the right decision.

“The first half, they were better than us, more intensity, they created too many [chances]. We couldn't attack the spaces, and we didn't press too high, so we let them play easy,” he noted. “Second half, we were the team that normally we are … The feeling is if we started with the same mentality in the first half, with that level, we could’ve taken the three points.”

WATCH: Super sub! Baltasar Rodríguez hits GOLAZO for Inter Miami

Weiler's first impressions

The main reason the lineup rotation didn’t quite shake out for the visitors: A surprisingly spirited display from a United side riding an 11-game winless skid into Matchday 30. D.C. had scored an MLS-worst 23 goals, and were deprived of their spearhead, 2024 Golden Boot winner Christian Benteke, on this occasion due to yellow-card accumulation.

Yet the Black-and-Red were energetic, organized and committed against their favored opponents, greatly aided by Hopkins’ well-taken early strike. And they were inches away from taking all three points, a would-be late winner from Jacob Murrell waved off by an offside decision that Weiler maintained was the wrong call.

Even after Mascherano brought on his star trio and tipped the run of play dramatically in the Herons’ favor, they were unable to sniff out a second after equalizing via Baltasar Rodríguez’s excellent one-touch strike into the top corner, despite pressing until the final whistle, the crowd on the edge of their seats.

“At the end, you need good results. But it was a good game against a strong team,” said the Swiss newcomer, who is still in the early stages of evaluating his roster with an eye towards 2026. “We have a good mood in the dressing room and we have a good structure on the field. So far, everybody's more or less happy.

“We played very powerful the first half, and we played against a very strong team from Miami. So it was normal for me as coach that we were suffering a little bit more in the second half. But yeah, there's also a little lack – I tell you now, a little lack – a lack of quality. We don't have the same bench like Miami have, and that is the reality.”

Under the circumstances – not only is D.C. mired in the East basement, on their fourth head coach since 2021, but the entire city is on edge amid a federal crackdown that’s flooded the streets with law enforcement and National Guard troops – it might just be United’s most impressive performance of the year.

In doing so, they extended the post-Messi phenomenon of Miami and their star power, inspiring elevated performances from their adversaries.

“Yeah, I mean, that's part of it, when you have the players we have,” said IMCF defender Ryan Sailor.

“It's hard because we have all these different competitions, and we want to win all of them. We want to win the Supporters’ Shield. We want to win the Leagues Cup. But the same time, yeah, you have to manage minutes and go about it that way. So everyone on the team is trying to make an impact when they get their opportunity.”