Wayne Rooney’s Reign
Wayne Rooney was given the reins at D.C. United in 2022 and aims to lift them back up the MLS standings. Marco D’Onofrio takes a deep dive into the former England star’s current project at Audi Field
When Wayne Rooney opted to sign with D.C. United in the summer of 2018, many quickly assumed the star striker was merely looking to cash in one last large paycheque before calling it quits. It seemed like that was even more the case when he decided to head back to England with Derby County barely 12 months later despite still having two years left on his contract in Major League Soccer.
However, after taking over as manager of Derby and failing to prevent the crisis-hit Rams from being relegated from the Championship, the former England international resigned from his position and ultimately returned to D.C. United in July 2022 as the club’s new head coach. This proved that he really did want to help the club succeed, even if he wasn’t going to be able to do it on the pitch himself. “Wayne is a soccer legend and one of the most exciting and dynamic up-and-coming managers in our sport. He’s already proven in his young coaching career that he knows how to lead a group through adversity,” said Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan, co-chairmen of D.C. United, through a team press release at the time of Rooney’s hiring.
“He has an understanding of our league and what it takes to be successful in Major League Soccer thanks to his time with us as a player. The passion he showed while wearing Black-and-Red electrified our city and our club and we are so excited to welcome him back as our Head Coach.”
Rooney knew he would have his work cut out considering the shape D.C. United were in when he took the helm, but he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and be involved straight away. His experience as a player with the club ensured he knew exactly what to expect from both the city he was moving to and the league he would be coaching in.
The club ended the 2022 campaign with the least number of points in all Major League Soccer, having picked up just 27 from 34 games – the latest in a succession of disappointing finishes. They had been struggling long before Rooney’s arrival and there wasn’t a lot of time left in the campaign for him to make much of a difference. Both management and Rooney understood that the squad desperately needed to be revamped and they didn’t even wait for the offseason to start making it happen.
Rooney was able to convince veteran striker Christian Benteke to agree to a two-and-a-half-year deal with D.C. United as a Designated Player in August 2022, worth a little over $4m per season. The 32-year-old had spent the last 10 years of his career plying his trade in England’s top flight with the likes of Aston Villa, Liverpool and Crystal Palace. He also has 18 goals with the Belgian national team over 45 appearances at senior level. Rooney was very familiar with the striker and spoke highly of the quality he would bring to D.C. United.
“Christian is a top player who has played at the highest level for a long time,” Rooney said through a press release at the time of the signing. “His experience and ability to score goals and help the team will be invaluable. It’s exciting for the team and myself to get him in and playing. He will make a huge difference.”
The organisation had been looking to bring in a player that fans would be familiar with, and they did just that with the acquisition of Benteke.
“We’ve been working hard over the last few weeks to bring in talent to bolster our squad,” said Dave Kasper, D.C. United President of Soccer Operations. “Being able to bring in a world class player of Christian’s caliber is a huge testament to what’s going on behind the scenes at the club and our ability to draw top talent globally. We have been extremely active in the transfer window bringing in six players and since Wayne Rooney’s appointment as our Head Coach we believe we have made major steps in putting together a roster that can both make a push to finish this season strong and build a foundation for us moving forward.”
The club didn’t stop there though and went right back to the Premier League market to sign Polish midfielder Mateusz Klich from Leeds United as a Designated Player in January. Klich immediately became an important player in Rooney’s starting XI this year and scored an absolute stunner after just 13 minutes in his MLS debut against Toronto FC in February. “This offseason was important for us to analyse our roster and see where we can make improvements after a disappointing 2022 season,” Kasper said in a team press release when the signing of Klich was made official.
“Bringing in a top-class Designated Player was atop our priority list, and Mateusz has played at the highest levels for both club and country. He will add a ton of experience in the midfield and will be an impact player for us this season and beyond. We’re excited to welcome him to the nation’s capital.” It wasn’t just big money Designated Players the club were looking to bring in either as they had an interest in revamping their entire roster. As soon as the 2022 campaign ended, the front office got to work and acquired a total of 12 players that were not part of the squad that had began play at the start of the 2022 season. The player turnover was so drastic that only one player who started in the team’s season opener in 2022 also started in the team’s 2023 season opener – Andy Najar. Six players who started that match against Toronto FC weren’t even on the team prior to the previous summer.
Despite all the new faces, D.C. United picked up a massive victory to get the season off to the perfect start, knocking off the Reds 3-2 with a dramatic late comeback as Benteke joined Klich by getting on the scoresheet with a trademark header, before Ted Ku-DiPietro finished off a wonderful team move with only seconds remaining. It was the kind of performance and show of spirit that suggests D.C. supporters have every reason to be optimistic this year.
It has not been all smooth sailing for D.C. United though, as they did go winless in the six consecutive games following that success. They find themselves in a battle for a playoff spot and will likely be fighting to get into the postseason for most of the year. However, the thought of qualifying and playing in the playoffs a year ago was unfathomable.
Given the structure of the MLS season, it’ll be difficult to fully gauge the impact Rooney has made on the club until the end of the campaign but there certainly seems to have been quite a lot of progress made since his appointment as head coach. Only time will tell if it was ultimately the right move for the English legend and the club, but this D.C. team which has had very little joy over the past 10 years and frankly has done little more than make up the numbers in MLS, finally has an identity on the pitch again with players understanding their responsibilities which wasn’t the case prior to Rooney’s arrival.
“I just think the hard work that we’ve put in over the last few months [has made the team more competitive], and every player knows their roles when they come into the team,” said Rooney in a press conference in May. “We’re very organized and hard to beat.”
And that is a trait they will aim to maintain during what the club hopes will be a season that marks the start of a renaissance.
