DC United have leapt into a playoff spot after triumphing 4-0 over Chicago Fire, with goals from Christian Benteke leading the way for head coach Wayne Rooney's side.
Benteke scored his ninth and tenth goals of the season to propel the Black and Red to victory, as they leapfrogged the Fire to climb to ninth, the last playoff spot in MLS, in the Eastern Conference table with 33 points.
Rooney will hope his side will be able to build off the dominant performance as 33 points will not be near enough to seal a postseason berth, with the likes of Chicago, Charlotte FC and NYCFC lurking below them in the standings all within a few points of the highly sought after ninth place.
"It was the result we needed," said Rooney after the game. "We put a lot of work in over the last couple of weeks really on getting the attacking players in better areas."
Although the former Crystal Palace player has amassed an impressive goal tally in 2023, it had been nearly three months since he last scored - a 2-1 victory against Inter Miami on June 3 when Benteke's 90th-minute strike sealed the three points.
With Benteke back amongst the goals, Rooney hopes the 32-year-old will continue to lead the line as the regular season enters its final months.
"Of course when you're a striker and you're not scoring, your confidence is down a little bit," Rooney said. "And towards the top he took his first goal excellent. A great bit of skill, great finish. And then that normally happens, you score one and you get another one."
"I think the big thing is you put yourself in the right positions, in better positions, and if he does that, he'll score goals," the Manchester United legend added.
The Black and Red are back in action on when they play host to Western Conference side San Jose Earthquakes and Audi Field.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Christian Benteke's brace fires DC United into playoff spot.
