Wayne Rooney announced on Saturday that he is leaving DC United after 18 months with the MLS outfit and is looking for his next job.
The black and red’s quest to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs came to an end on Saturday night, with Rooney announcing his departure from the club shortly after the final whistle.
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After the game, Rooney said: “This is the right time.” “I’ve been doing everything I can to get this club into the playoffs. There’s more than one thing that happened. It’s a matter of timing.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve seen a lot of coverage in the media. I’m going home unprepared. I want to say for the record to everyone involved at the club: Staff, players: Thank you. I am.”
DCU are still over the line with 40 points, but one of the New York Red Bulls, Chicago Fire, Charlotte FC or New York City FC will overtake Rooney’s old club by the end of the season.
Wayne Rooney’s time at DC United
Although DC United were never able to regain MLS honors during Rooney’s time as player-coach, he will go down as more than just a big name on the pitch and on the touchline.
The Manchester United and Everton hero spent two seasons at DCU before finishing his career with Derby County in the Championship. Rooney played 52 games in both the Black and Red competitions, scoring 25 goals and providing 14 assists.
He retired as a player at Derby County and was manager of the Rams before slipping into the black and red DC United manager’s chair in July 2022 in the midst of a terrible season.
Although DC won their debut game, they didn’t achieve much in the rest of the season, and Rooney led the way in 2023 with Christian Benteke scoring 14 goals in 31 games and Mateusz Klich scoring 4 and 7 goals. Despite this, the club improved, but failed to advance to the playoffs. Assist for the club.
Despite strong performances in April and July, there were poor performances elsewhere and too many draws to survive the final playoff spot — DC has 2 wins, 2 losses and 4 draws since September 3rd. It ended with…
What’s next for Wayne Rooney?
Whether or not Wayne Rooney has the talent to be at the top, given his age, a top manager is yet to emerge, but the England legend has taken on two positions with little guarantee of remuneration. There is no doubt that he has earned respect for this.
Rooney showed his commitment to the club by managing Derby County and DC United and playing with tenacity. Derby’s struggles off the pitch have been historic and Rooney could have pulled a crack on a few occasions.
This is therefore different to other ex-England legends of his generation who have jockeyed for a spot with some of Europe’s leading players, or who have not been involved in management at all rather than risk their internationals in inferior circumstances.
It’s clear that Rooney has been linked with a job in the Premier League, but wouldn’t it be surprising if he found himself in a promising situation in the Championship? After two impressive efforts outside of the top flight , there will be many neutral players who can pull him along.
DC United statement regarding Wayne Rooney’s departure
“We have spoken with Wayne and agreed that it is best to part ways at this time. This decision provides ample opportunity for our next general manager to introduce a new philosophy and structure to our athletic operations. This begins with determining the best fit for the head coach,” CEO Jason Levien said. Co-chairman of DC United. “We are grateful to Wayne Rooney for all he has done for our club and for football in the capital, first as a player and captain at DC United and more recently as a coach. He will continue to be an important part of the DC United family and a valued and valued friend.”