Christian Benteke scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season and D.C. United comfortably defeated Orlando City 3-1 for their second consecutive away win on Saturday night.
Taxiarchi Fountas opened the scoring with his first goal since last September and defender Donovan Pines put D.C. (3-4-2, 11 points) ahead for good early in the second half with his first MLS goal since 2020.
Mateusz Klich contributed his third and fourth assists of the campaign for the visitors.
Rookie Duncan McGuire scored his team-leading third goal in just his sixth MLS game and third start for Orlando, and his second against D.C. But the first-round MLS SuperDraft pick had to leave with an injury in the 52nd minute.
Orlando (3-3-2, 8 points) lost its third straight at home and has now been outscored 7-3 in five games in front of its own fans this season.
Pines gave D.C. a 2-1 lead just minutes after McGuire's exit on the ensuing corner kick.
Pines reached Klich's inswinging service at the near post and sent a header past Pedro Gallese into the near corner in the 52nd minute.
Orlando pleaded that Pines had fouled his defender on the play, but referee Lukasz Szpala was not called to the monitor for a video review.
Benteke doubled D.C.'s advantage 10 minutes later from another set piece, this one a free kick from near the midfield stripe.
While Orlando defended the initial ball into the box, they did not clear the danger. It eventually fell to Benteke, who chested the ball with his first touch, controlled it with his feet with his second, and hammered a half-volley with his third past Gallese.
Fountas put D.C. in front on a wonderful flowing attack that he helped begin from his own half of the field. Klich and Benteke also combined before Ruan got the ball wide and found Fountas in stride for a 1-on-1 finish past Orlando's Gallese in the 15th minute.
McGuire answered eight minutes later after Antonio Carlos won a challenge in midfield and Martin Ojeda found the rookie striker on the break.
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