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During the first two weeks of his new life in the United States, Wayne Rooney was a little sheepish because of DC United's press events, mumbling the usual banalities. But then came Saturday night, and his debut in MLS, which was also United's first match in their new stadium. He walked on the field in the 59th minute and suddenly, it was obvious to everyone that he was anything but ordinary.
Rooney is nearing the end of his career and came to the United States right away on vacation, yet he was the best player in DC's 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps. He pulverized passes to his teammates with such precision and velocity that they sometimes seemed surprised to see the ball arrive. He beat the defenders to shoot shots on goal. A header led Vancouver goalie Brian Rowe to a desperate rescue.
And when the match was over, with Rooney helping to create two goals, the United players realized that they had something they had never seen before.
"To be honest, I have never played with players like Wayne," said midfielder Paul Arriola, author of both goals initiated by Rooney.
Forgive DC players if they did not know exactly what they were getting. Everton's Rooney transfer last month had the effect of a public relations cascade by a desperate club for a big name with whom he unveiled his stellar $ 400m stadium with a view of the Washington Monument and the US Capitol. The story of desperate overseas superstars desperate for a last payday is long in American sports and since Everton seemed to no longer want him, those in Washington had to ask themselves about They were getting a distant reply one time. great Wayne Rooney.
The Rooney who arrived, however, had none of the arrogance that they could have imagined. "Humble" is the word used by Arriola. The team's head coach, Ben Olsen, was more direct on Saturday night: "A high-quality elite soccer player."
Rooney did little to his subject in his first match here. However, he improved the players around him. His impact was immediately obvious. The United States had a 1-0 lead, but looked lethargic when Rooney ended up with 20,504 spectators shouting "We Want Rooney." A few seconds after it came into play, DC got a free kick. Rooney picked up the ball, lining it with confidence as he had done it hundreds of times before. It was a daring move, perhaps, given the circumstances, but he was Wayne Rooney and the determination with which he set up the shot seemed to ignite something in his teammates. The night felt like it was divided into two parts: the game before Rooney came in and the game after.
"It's great to have young players around you and I feel that I can bring a lot of experience to help them, which I felt very strongly in the Last 30 minutes, "said Rooney during his post-match press conference.
If Everton did not want him anymore, which he has implied in his public comment since his arrival in Washington, United needs him. His arrival comes at a difficult time for the franchise. Once, one of the most dominant teams in the MLS, with four championships in its first nine seasons, United has struggled since. They entered Saturday's game of the Eastern Conference, a record in part due to the fact that they played all their matches except two on the road, while they were waiting for the Audi Field is over.
Even the opening of the stadium has been controversial. Barra Brava, United 's hippest supporter group, has protested outside, angry at a new team policy that has named a predominantly white suburban fanclub as the main supporters of the United. team on the Latin American members of Barra Brava. Without Barra Brava, the crowd was significantly quieter than in the old house of United, RFK Stadium, which was strange because the most important selling point of the new stadium is that it was built to generate noise
. He is only asked to adopt at a league whose quality is much lower than what he left behind, he should also be mentoring a young team and caring for a fractured fan base. . Much to ask of any star player but especially one who has never seemed comfortable to be the face of any effort.
Yet he went to every engagement to speak in public, visited with fans and posed for photos. He has been the leader United has been hoping for.
"I say since I came here two weeks ago that I want to win," Rooney said. "I'm vocal on and off the pitch Vocal with the coach Vocal with my teammates We're talking about what's the best way to win a football game And next week could be completely different I think that the most important thing is communication, both with myself and with the players. "
He said this with the hint of a smile. He had tried to make Saturday a match day as normal as possible, lying in bed watching England in the morning, taking a midday stroll, getting ready to play. He seemed happy. Filled. That could have been embarrassing for him, the best scorer of all time in England, far from the best World Cup in his country for a quarter of a century. He shook his head.
"A great tournament for England as a country and for fans," he said.
He always wore his shirt DC United, a shirt that always seems strange to him. Washington is far from Moscow. It's far from Manchester and Liverpool too. DC United needs him. It turns out that he may need it too.
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