D.C. United gets the help it needs but can’t help itself to an MLS playoff berth

But in a season defined by disappointment, United fell short in its bid for an uplifting finish, conceding two goals in a 14-minute span and losing, 3-2.

The Impact (8-13-2, 26 points) pulled even in the 74th minute and scored again in the 88th to join expansion Inter Miami (7-13-3, 24) in earning the last two of 10 berths in the 14-team conference. (MLS expanded its playoff field amid a contracted season.)

The Chicago Fire’s 4-3 home defeat to New York City FC and Atlanta’s 2-1 loss in Columbus cleared United’s path to the playoffs, but D.C. needed to win as well. United (5-12-6, 21 points) finished one slot from the bottom.

“It’s obviously heartbreaking,” said interim coach Chad Ashton, who replaced Ben Olsen on Oct. 8 and recharged the team before losing the final two matches in excruciating fashion.

“We’ve been decimated by injuries all year, and I give the group such great credit for showing such character to hang in there and find a way to get us to today.”

Despite a depleted bench and several individuals playing out of position since August, United last month ran off three consecutive victories and a four-game unbeaten streak. Last weekend, however, it squandered an early two-goal lead at New England and, after scoring the equalizer, yielded the late deciding goal.

On Sunday, United went ahead early on Donovan Pines’s header off a corner kick. Montreal tied it four minutes later, but Ola Kamara’s header off a corner restored D.C.’s advantage before halftime.

United, though, missed opportunities to extend the lead in the second half, failing to execute in the final 30 yards. “We needed to punish them,” Ashton said.

Given United’s defensive injuries, “the way we needed to protect the lead was to score a goal,” Ashton said.

The result spoiled winger Paul Arriola’s return from a torn ACL suffered in preseason almost nine months ago. He entered in the 69th minute and had two terrific scoring chances.

“It’s mixed feelings,” Arriola said. “It’s great to be back, but at the same time it probably hurts even harder than usual just because I worked so hard and you hold on to that hope of making the playoffs.”

The outcome capped an odd afternoon that included nine minutes of stoppage time in the first half and seven in the second.

The weirdness began seconds after kickoff when Gelmin Rivas, United’s starting striker, collided with Montreal goalkeeper Clement Diop. After a long delay for medical staff to treat both players, Rivas could not continue.

Ashton called it “the narrative of the entire year.”

The match opened up right away, accommodating a steady flow of opportunities for both sides. United struck first.

Julian Gressel served a corner kick to Pines, a 6-foot-5 center back who rose above 5-9 Jorge Corrales in the six-yard box and headed in his third goal in six matches.

Montreal scored four minutes later. Romell Quioto collected a throw-in, backed in on Pines and crossed through the six-yard box to Bojan Krkic for an easy finish.

After Bill Hamid thwarted Quioto’s header and Gressel and Quioto missed excellent opportunities, United reclaimed the lead in the 33rd minute.

Kamara, Rivas’s replacement, squeezed between three foes in the six-yard box and nodded Edison Flores’s corner kick past Diop for his fourth goal of the year.

United survived nine minutes of stoppage time and Quioto’s bid off the crossbar to own a halftime lead.

The second half was largely uneventful until Arriola’s entrance. One of his first touches was a close-range threat that deflected off a defender and veered wide.

Montreal drew level. Quioto supplied the corner kick. Victor Wanyama beat Russell Canouse to the header and directed a 12-yarder into the right side.

Arriola threatened again in the 80th minute, but his curling, 17-yard effort whistled just over the crossbar. Back from a long layoff, he did not finish the chance with clinical precision.

“Right away,” he said, “I kind of knew I leaned back a little bit.”

With United committing players forward, the Impact executed a clinching counterattack in the 88th minute, culminating with substitute Mason Toye crossing to the onrushing Quioto for a one-timer at the door step.

United finished with a man advantage after Samuel Piette’s red card for a studs-up tackle on Arriola’s repaired right knee in stoppage time. Arriola howled in perhaps more fear than pain. He continued, but United was about done.

“It’s tough going into games with guys playing out of position, but nobody ever complained one time,” Ashton said. “They continued to work, continued to do everything they could in trying to get a result. Unfortunately, we came up a little short.”