Wayne Rooney struggles in MLS examined as Man Utd icon set for Birmingham City
Wayne Rooney’s stint as manager of D.C United came to a rather underwhelming ending.
With the club's MLS season now over, the England legend announced he was leaving the club after they failed to make the Playoffs for the fourth year in a row. After two years in charge of Derby Country, the 37-year-old made the switch across the pond to take charge of the Eastern Conference team in July 2022.
This came three years after spending 18 months at D.C. United as a player, when he scored 23 goals in 48 matches. During his 15 months in charge, the Manchester United icon took charge of 53 matches and won just 14 of them. The team just never really got going under Rooney’s leadership and he fell short of most of the goals he wanted to achieve, one of which was qualifying for the postseason.
They did improve on their league position from 2022, but only slightly. They managed just 27 points and finished bottom of the table last season, but Rooney hauled the club to a 40-point finish in 2023. They currently sit ninth but could drop lower with other teams still with a game to play. Recruitment may also have been an issue for Rooney, who stressed that he wanted more players of his choice to try and turn D.C’s fortunes around.
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There were significant changes to the squad as former Premier League players Christian Benteke and Mateusz Klich, were signed, in addition to young homegrown talent and several MLS veterans. But the group of new players struggled to gel together and this showed on the field as the United lost 14 games in the regular season.
“I think as a head coach, you always want more," said Rooney. "That’s normal. If you ask any head coach that, of course, you always want more. As I’ve said, I’m grateful. I’ve got some really good players in. The owners backed me with that. Sometimes, you don’t always get what you want, but the players we got in I think were good players. We all fought right till the end.”
Back in August Rooney had to navigate the racism allegations and ultimate departure of forward Taxi Fountas. On July 15 he was alleged to have directed a racial slur toward teammate Nigel Robertha, and his contract was terminated a month later. These issues are always going to be challenging for a manager tasked with making a significant improvement to the team within a short timeframe.
Rooney failed to lead D.C. United to the MLS Playoffs (Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)Results over the last two months in which the club won just two matches after the Leagues Cup all but sealed Rooney’s fate. There did not seem to be any signs from either the manager or D.C. before the exit announcement that he was going to sign a new contract with the American club.
With his tenure in Washington D.C now over, this has opened the door for Rooney to return to England and he has been tipped to become the new manager of Birmingham City. The West Midlands club parted ways with John Eustace after 15 months in charge and the appointment of a new boss is imminent. If Rooney is offered the job, he will become the club's seventh appointment in just over six years.
"A new first-team manager will be announced in the coming days who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear 'no fear' playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace," a club statement said. "It is essential that the board of directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire football club."
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