D.C. United make halftime lead hold up against Rapids

Hosei Kijima scored in stoppage time in the first half and D.C. United shut down the visiting Colorado Rapids the rest of the way in a 2-1 win on Saturday night.

Returning to the lineup after missing a game with a quad injury, Christian Benteke also scored as D.C. United (3-5-3, 12 points) captured their second win in their last three matches.

The goals for D.C. came three minutes apart after Colorado (4-3-4, 16 points) took a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute on a header by Darren Yapi.

It was just the third win for D.C. United in their last 19 all-competition matches at home.

Colorado was without coach Chris Armas, who had travel issues after attending his induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon in Frisco, Texas. Taking the reins for the Rapids was first assistant Chris Little.

The Rapids goal came after D.C. keeper Luis Barraza made one of his two saves, knocking down a shot by Rafael Navarro. But Navarro gathered the rebound and lobbed a cross toward the left post, which Yapi headed for his second goal this season.

D.C. answered six minutes later, in stoppage time, when David Schnegg crossed to Benteke, who rose over a defender and headed a shot hard off the turf which bounded into the top right corner past sprawling Colorado keeper Zack Steffen for his sixth goal this season.

Steffen, who returned after a one-game suspension for sustaining two yellow cards in a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo, finished with one save.

D.C. got the go-ahead goal as Aaron Herrera served a looping pass to the top of the penalty box. Kijima cut in front of a defender and one-timed a sliding right-footed shot. With a dive to his right, Steffen got a piece of the ball but not enough to keep it out of the goal.

Helping D.C. United hold the lead in the second half was defender Conner Antley, who made his first start in more than a year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL.