WASHINGTON: Former England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney was named on Tuesday as the new head coach of DC United and has been tasked with reviving the moribund Major League Soccer team.
It was a reunion for the 36-year-old British icon, who played for DC United from July 2018 to October 2019, scoring 25 goals in 52 appearances before leaving to serve as a player and coach at England’s Derby County.
“To come back to MLS, to DC United, was an exciting challenge for me and something which I feel can develop me as a coach, but also the team needs to improve,” Rooney said.
“I’m an ambitious person. One day I want to manage at the top level. This is part of that process.”
DC United stands 5-10 with two drawn on 17 points, sharing last overall in the 28-team league. United fired coach Hernan Losada after six matches, replacing him with interim manager Chad Ashton.
“I really believe with my abilities to develop young players, we can really get this club back to successful ways again,” Rooney said.
“It’s going to take a lot of hard work but that’s what I’m here to do and really improve the team.”
Rooney resigned as coach of Derby County last month after the team’s relegation to League One, England’s third-tier, opening the door to his MLS return.
“I’ve seen a few (news articles) certainly back in England on this as possibly a backward step in my managerial career,” Rooney said.
“I really find that disrespectful to this league.
“I feel the experience of guiding Derby County over the past 18 months has been great in my development as a coach.”
DC United hasn’t made the playoffs since Rooney helped the squad get there in 2018 and 2019 as a player, but must duplicate his revival of a league-worst club from four years ago to reach the post-season.
“There a mentality I have to put into the players so when they go on the pitch they become a real horrible team to play against,” Rooney said.
“That’s exciting. That’s what I plan on doing.
“We know it’s going to be difficult. We have to go on a good run. They know how I want to play. If we can do that right off, then why can’t we make the playoffs?“
Philadelphia beat DC United 7-0 last week, matching the league record for the largest margin of defeat.
“I believe they have been underperforming,” Rooney said. “I believe there’s a lot more for those players to give.”
DC United’s next match is Wednesday at home against Columbus but Rooney awaits final visa paperwork before his official coaching role can begin. DC’s following match is Saturday at Minnesota.
Rooney’s family will stay in England but he said, “That’s not an issue whatsoever,” and that he had support from his wife to take the job.
“I’m excited to bring my skills,” Rooney said.
“It’s going to be a lot of hard work I have to put in. I’ll have demands and principles the players will have to stick by.
“I want players to come to this club who are hungry. I’m committed to getting the best out of myself and the players.”
DC United captain Steve Birnbaum was a former Rooney teammate and says players are looking forward to learn from Rooney.
“The group is excited to have him,” Birnbaum said.
“We know the energy and passion that he brought as a player and we know he’s going to do the same thing as a coach.
“The guys are excited to learn from him. He has a soccer IQ that’s probably second to none. The group is extremely excited to see him uplift us.”
United chief executive Jason Levien noted that the club produced 40 points in 20 matches after Rooney’s arrival as a player to make the 2018 playoffs.
“I’ve told Wayne we expect the same this time,” Levien said. “But even if we don’t do that well, I think we’re going to quite well. I think you’re going to see a real uplift in our play.
“Having Wayne around has put a pep in everyone’s step. We’re excited about the future.”
Rooney excited for challenge as new DC United head coach
https://arab.news/gwzdc
Rooney excited for challenge as new DC United head coach
- “I really believe with my abilities to develop young players, we can really get this club back to successful ways again,” Rooney says
Mid East Falcons and Mumbai Cobras to meet in historic United Series in Dubai
- The league’s top 2 teams collide in a best-of-3 series this weekend at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai
DUBAI: The Mid East Falcons and Mumbai Cobras face-off on Friday night at Baseball United Ballpark in the United Series, the sport’s first regional championship.
Both teams finished tied atop the Baseball United season one standings with 6-3 records. However, Mumbai will start and close game three, if necessary, as the home team, since they finished first in the standings after winning the head-to-head series.
The Cobras are the first professional baseball team in the history of India. They represent nearly 30 million people in Mumbai and 1.5 billion people in India, the majority of whom are fans of bat-and-ball games, with cricket the nation’s top sport.
Baseball United has reached tens of millions of those fans this year through broadcasts on several of the network’s linear channels as well as the Zee 5 app.
The Mid East Falcons represent the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, and they have quickly grown both a regional following across the GCC, as well as a global fanbase in Japan.
More than half of the Falcons’ roster is made up of Japanese players, including Nippon Professional League legends Munenori Kawasaki and Hiroyuki Nakajima.
The team also has young prospects from the Yokohama Bay Stars, one of Japan’s top professional baseball teams, adding to its appeal within that baseball-loving nation.
Locally, the Falcons have drawn the largest attendance for each of their games at Baseball United Ballpark, with attendees from more than 50 nationalities coming to support the Mid East team.
“This is the United Series matchup that fans across the world were craving,” said Kash Shaikh, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Baseball United.
“We have Mumbai vs. Mid East, the two top teams from the regular season who have rosters full of talent, character, and personality. The Falcons are both the UAE’s team and Japan’s team.
“The Cobras represent 1.5 billion people in India. All three nations, as well as fans across the baseball world, will be watching closely as we crown our first-ever United Series Champion this weekend.”
The United Series is a best-of-three championship contest. After Friday’s opening game, games two and three will follow on Saturday and Sunday.
The Falcons are managed by Dennis Cook, a 15-year MLB veteran who won a World Series title with the Florida Marlins in 1997. Cook has been a part of Baseball United since its inaugural showcase games in November 2023.
“Baseball United’s leadership team has done an outstanding job to get us to this point,” Cook said. “We are very excited to play against Mariano (Duncan) and the Mumbai Cobras, and we are very focused on becoming the first Baseball United champions in history.”
Cook has had a unique challenge of managing a roster in which the majority of the players do not communicate in English.
“We are a very diverse team, it’s been great to work with the Japanese kids. I admire them and I like the way we communicate. I don’t speak Japanese, but we have our own way to communicate and it has been a lot of fun.”
The Falcons led the league in both batting (.271 BA) and pitching (2.25 ERA) as a team, and nearly swept the league’s regular season awards, with Kazuki Yabuta (Best Pitcher), Manato Tanai (Best Fielder), Munenori Kawasaki (Clubhouse Award), and Alejandro De Aza (Sportsmanship).
In addition, Nakajima has been atop the league leaders in batting (.400) throughout the year. LHP Shuto Sakurai will be the starting pitcher for game one of the United Series.
Brantley Bell (.441 BA, 1.213 OPS), the star third baseman from the Cobras, won the league’s first-ever Most Valuable Player Award. In addition to Bell, Caleb McNeely (3 HRs, 10 RBIs, .688 SLG), Lou Helmig (2 HR, 10 RBIs) and Miguel Ojeda Jr. (2 HR, 8 RBIs) led the Cobras’ batting attack.
The Mumbai bullpen was also solid all year behind Akeel Morris (0.00 ERA) and LHP Brandon Kaminer (0.00 ERA), who together have accumulated 18.0 scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts.
In addition, there are three Indian-born pitchers who have caused a sensation in their country: Akshay More, Tushar Lalwani and Saurabh Gaikwad.
More is 2-0 with 11.1 innings pitched and a 1.59 ERA. Karan Patel, the franchise’s No. 1 starter, will take the mound to start the United Series on Friday night. Patel has 14 strikeouts in 10.1 innings.
Duncan, a 12-year MLB veteran who won two World Series Championships, manages the Mumbai Cobras. He has also been a part of Baseball United since the Dubai Showcase in 2023.
“It’s been an honor to be part of Baseball United. The first season has been an amazing experience, I’m so proud to be part of this history.
“This team has a great chemistry and passion for the game of baseball, but we also have good batting, good pitching, power and speed, and we are going to close strong to make history this weekend.”
