Wayne Rooney secured a debut victory as DC United recorded a thrilling 2-1 win over Orlando City.
The former Manchester United superstar got Major League Soccer (MLS) team DC United off to a winning start under his leadership.
Junior Urso gave Orlando the lead in the first half, but Chris Durkin and Taxiarchis Fountas scored a goal each in extra time to steal the victory.
For the team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, it was their first victory in five games.
Before ending his playing career in Major League Soccer, Wayne Rooney made a name for himself as a teenager with some impressive performances for Everton. He then carried on his goal-scoring exploits for Manchester United and his native England.
Now that he has retired, Wayne Rooney’s job is to make the most of the current group of players that work for him.
Rooney, the all-time leading scorer for both Manchester United and England’s national team, joined D.C. United during the 2018 season, the same year the team made its home debut at Audi Field.
In 48 games (45 starts) with the Black-and-Red, he finished with 23 goals and 15 assists, forming a potent duo with Luciano Acosta at the capital city club.
Wayne Rooney had his first victory as DC United coach
For his first goal since his return from Belgian first division club St Truiden, Durkin scored a minute into extra time.
Four minutes later, Fountas scored his 11th goal of the year by volleying Kimarni Smith’s cross into the back of the net.
After the game, Rooney, 36, stated, “I thought we would win the game, but the one thing we had to do was lift the tempo.
“At halftime, I urged the players to be more upbeat and work harder.
“The second half, in my opinion, was terrific. The athletes required that. The current season must begin. In the first part of the season, they had some disappointing outcomes”
When his team plays Charlotte FC on Wednesday, Rooney, who played for DC United for 18 months before joining Derby as a player-coach in January 2020, says it’s critical to build on this victory.
“We cannot stop after a victory and go to sleep, he continued. “We need to run, and we need to be consistent.” Following the team’s MLS triumph over Orlando City, the legendary England and Manchester United former player issued a call for more of such performance to his new troops.
Wayne Rooney, the newly appointed manager of DC United, encouraged his team to build on their 2 -1 victory over Orlando City for the remainder of the Major League Soccer season.
As the team entered a new era, Rooney was the big name they were looking for, but could he make a difference in the MLS?
Early in the MLS as a player, he answered that question definitively, with an outstanding play against Orlando City on August 12, 2018; hence, the fans would hope that he would do more as the club’s coach.
A fantastic start to @WayneRooney's tenure 👏
— D.C. United (@dcunited) August 1, 2022
We go again on Wednesday. #VamosUnited https://t.co/1mkVpYoMJ9
