Tyler Miller shuffled around the crowded locker room at Audi Field Wednesday night, holding his red goalkeeper and a black Sharpie marker. Once he saw one of MLS All-Star teammates free, he quickly placed the marker in the player’s hands to sign.
The jersey filled up with all the names of his temporary teammates, a memory that Miller, a first-time All-Star, plans to cherish.
“It was such an incredible experience,” he said. “Just the little things … like getting to sit down with a lot of players from around the league that you don’t get the opportunity to speak to and getting to know them on a personal level. It was so special.”
Miller, striker Christian Benteke and head coach Wayne Rooney represented the Black and Red during this year’s All-Star events, including the Skills Challenge and Game against English Premier League side Arsenal. The duo shared their thoughts on the All-Star experience of representing MLS in D.C.
Miller’s family moment
Rooney selected Miller and Benteke to participate in the All-Star events following a fan and media vote. Both players spent the last three days with some of the top talents in the league, including captain Luciano Acosta and reigning MVP Hany Mukhtar, while completing light practices in preparation for game day.
Before the main event, both participated in the Skills Challenge, which pits some of MLS’ All-Star players against Arsenal in a set of minigames. In the cross and volley challenge, Miller squared off against Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun, with the All-Stars needing to maintain its 125-0 advantage.
Needing to make saves the majority of shots coming his way, Miller’s difficulty level increased as members of the broadcast team interviewed him while he wore earbuds and a microphone.
The United goalkeeper stood tall against Balogun, making multiple diving stops and only surrendering three goals for 25 points, helping the MLS All-Stars win its first challenge. As he made each save, cheers of “D.C. United” rang from the stands.
“It was a new experience for me, trying to talk to a commentator in my ear while trying to make saves at the same time,” Miller said. “It was a little multitasking, but I managed well.”
Despite his performance, his daughter, nine-month-old Isla, stole the show.
As Miller celebrated with her following the challenge, he held onto the infant during a second interview, causing multiple social media commentators to discuss how adorable Isla looked.
“She has an infectious smile and likes being in front of lights, the camera, everything,” Miller said. “She is growing up so fast, so to share these special moments with her, my wife and my parents, who were here, means so much to me.”
So cute 🥰
Congratulating daddy after a strong round from Tyler Miller in the #MLSAllStar Cross & Volley Challenge pres. by @ATT 5G. pic.twitter.com/4uz3ajMN2P
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 19, 2023
The duo shared the pitch again after Wednesday’s game, where Miller only surrendered one goal and made one save in the 5-0 loss. Despite the result, spending time with his daughter both nights was a “special moment,” he said.
Benteke at the White House
Before becoming United’s leading goal scorer (8 goals), Benteke played in the English Premier League, considered the most competitive soccer competition in the world. He played against and scored on Arsenal multiple times throughout his career.
After getting the surprise start for Wednesday’s match, the Belgium striker admitted that he thought the MLS All-Stars had a chance to score early. While he called the opportunity to play against the Gunners a good experience, he wished he had more practice time with his All-Star teammates. The MLS team only had two training days, including a light workout on the National Mall, before the match.
“Obviously, I wanted to win this game, but then I’m not going to be sad because we lost,” he said. “We know the condition. But it was a good few days with the best players in the league, so I’m happy to be with them and share the dressing room.”
One moment that did stick out for Benteke was visiting the White House before taking part in a youth soccer clinic on the South Lawn. As he and members of the All-Star team trained with the participants, President Joe Biden made a surprise appearance at the event.
As the president began shaking hands, Benteke struck up a quick chat with Biden, which lasted slightly longer than his teammate’s interactions. When asked about what he told Biden, Benteke said he was “grateful” for the opportunity to be at the White House.
Caption this ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/JJqA1TDvaY
— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 18, 2023
“I’m from Belgium, small country in the world,” said Benteke. “For me, watching the White House, the president is just on TV or movies. And to be actually inside the White House, shaking hands with the president, it’s just, I don’t take those moments for granted, I said [to Biden].”
Overall, both players admitted to enjoying having each other along for the experience, especially at this point of the campaign: D.C.(8-10-6, 30 points) sits in the last playoff spot as the regular season takes a pause for Leagues Cup tournament play.
For Benteke, he called the opportunity to share the All-Star spotlight with Miller “pretty cool” and a blessing to have him share the moment.
“Christian has been phenomenal for us all season long,” Miller said. “Wayne has entrusted me a lot, and so, to be here representing our team and in our in our city — in our home field — is really an amazing experience.”
