Wayne Rooney’s DC United compounded misery on Inter Miami by securing an MLS win after David Beckham ’s side sacked Phil Neville earlier this week.
On Saturday night, DC United romped to a 2-1 win over 10-man Inter Miami in interim head coach Javier Morales’ first game in charge following Neville’s dismissal. Morales’ reign got off to a horrible start when Kamal Miller was sent off after just eight minutes, and the visitors took the lead when Donovan Pines scored with just under 15 minutes remaining.
Former Aston Villa, Liverpool and Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke added a second in the 90th minute as he slipped the ball beyond the goalkeeper. Inter Miami hit back through Ian Fray in the final few moments, but it was too little too late as the fans left Drive Pink Stadium unhappy.
It made for a miserable day of football for Beckham, who was at Wembley to watch Manchester United lose the FA Cup final to Manchester City before witnessing his Inter Miami side beaten thanks to his former United teammate Rooney.
The defeat - the club’s fifth in succession - leaves Inter Miami rooted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 15 points from 16 matches. Beckham’s team have tallied a 5-0-11 record on the season, which is the third-worst record in the MLS.
Inter Miami struggled under Neville, who was hired by Beckham in 2021. He led the team to the first MLS Cup Playoffs in club history only for the Herons to lose 3-0 to New York City FC.
Neville endured a difficult time in charge of Miami and even criticised supporters following the 1-0 loss to New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night. Fans were frustrated after he substituted his son Harvey onto the pitch, with the crowd voicing their displeasure through a circus of boos.
According to reports, manager Tata Martino has emerged as an early favourite to work with Beckham and secure the vacant Inter Miami job. The Argentine is a favourite of Lionel Messi, who is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer and has been linked with a move to the Florida club.
Martino was sacked by Mexico after struggling at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, the 60-year-old revealed he is interested in a return to the MLS following a successful stint with Atlanta United between 2016 and 2018.
“MLS is my weakness,” Martino said. “I was part of an extraordinary project with Atlanta United that had a clear direction, a lot of communication and similar objectives that were established very quickly and executed.
“After coaching in MLS, I became attracted to it. I like the league. The possibility of returning to MLS is always there.”
Inter Miami face Birmingham Legion FC in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night before travelling to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution in their next MLS contest on Saturday night.
