Wayne Rooney brings empathy and progress as DC United head coach

Of all the intimate details that surfaced during the Wagatha Christie trial, DC United fans most likely took note of one point in particular. According to text messages read out in court, Coleen Rooney never much liked Washington DC, which she called “a nice place to visit, but different to live.” Her husband, however, appears to have a much stronger connection to the city and its club.

After two seasons with the club as a player, Wayne Rooney is DC United’s head coach. The former England captain was linked with several jobs – most notably at his boyhood club, Everton – after getting his managerial start at Derby County. A return to Major League Soccer, however, appealed most of all despite DC United sitting second-bottom of the Eastern Conference when he arrived last season – they’d also suffered their worst-ever MLS loss just days before Rooney was appointed.

DC United still finished bottom of the East in 2022, raising doubts over Rooney’s suitability for the job, but this season has been more encouraging. Fifteen games into the season, the club occupy a wildcard playoff place. The rebuild of DC United’s squad is going well and Rooney’s team are playing some good stuff too.

Rooney has carried over much of what worked for him at Derby County where a perilous financial situation forced him to use youth, mostly because almost every other player had been sold to ease bankruptcy concerns. In challenging circumstances, though, Rooney built a vibrant, energetic team who fought for a fanbase that felt the world had turned against them. Youth has been an important part of what Rooney has built in MLS too.

“There’s no point in having an academy if you’re not going to use it,” said Rooney. Teenagers Kristian Fletcher and Matai Akinmboni were promoted to the first team not long after Rooney took over while Theodore Ku-Dipietro (21) and Jason Greene (20) have received regular game time this season. “I always think to bring academy players up brings a good energy,” the Rooney added.

This isn’t to say Rooney hasn’t also used experience – 30-year-old Tyler Miller, Mateusz Klich and Christian Benteke (both 32) lead DC United for minutes in 2023. But there are similarities between the age profile of his current team and the Derby County side that battled fiercely against relegation from the Championship in 2021-22 – DC United’s average age in 2023 is 23.1 while Derby’s in 2021-22 was 22.9.

More similarities can be drawn. DC United embarked on a three-game winning streak in April once Rooney fully leaned into playing into a physical centre-forward (Benteke) with width from two advanced full backs (Ruan and Pedro Santos), the same blueprint that worked well for him at Derby County.

DC United aren’t a possession-orientated team. Only six MLS teams are averaging fewer passes completed per 90 minutes (336) than Rooney’s side this season. Since the switch to a 3-5-2 in April, DC United have dropped even further – to dead last – for passes completed per 90 minutes, but their Expected Goals (xG) per 90 minutes has grown by nearly 25%. Benteke has scored three times in five games.

It may not be the most modern approach, and it could put a ceiling on what DC United can achieve over the course of a full season but, after three years of missing out on the playoffs, any progress is welcome. This is, after all, a franchise that has recently lacked direction. Rooney can only address so much, but DC United are finally heading upwards again, even if some inconsistency remains.

Great players often find the transition into management frustrating due to an inability to handle lesser players – that certainly seemed to be true of Thierry Henry at Montreal. Rooney, however, seems to have a good grasp of man management. He has focused on immersing himself in DC United’s culture to such an extent that he reportedly even considered living with some of his players. It’s unclear whether Benteke would have taken the top or bottom bunk.

Under Rooney’s predecessor, Hernan Losada, the locker room culture crumbled. The Argentinian departed amid suggestions of internal tension, but Rooney has helped restore the spirit within Audi Field. The 37-year-old has a natural empathy that has rebuilt the confidence of several of his players this season.

That empathy perhaps doesn’t extend to referees who have frequently taken fire from Rooney. “Maybe I shouldn’t ask questions,” he vented after a frustrating loss to Columbus. “I don’t think anything was given to us tonight. It’s a difficult job for the officials, but maybe it’s different here.” The fire that made Rooney such an explosive player is still there now he’s a manager. It’s this quality that inspires players to fight for him.

Rooney (who will be MLS All-Star XI head coach against Arsenal this July) wants to be a Premier League manager at some point in the future. “That’s a goal for me, but you need to put the work in,” he said. Unlike some of his English ‘golden generation’ peers, though – see Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard – he is learning the managerial craft away from the glare of his homeland’s media. Gerrard and Lampard were fast-tracked into Premier League jobs before they were truly ready for them. Rooney is seemingly determined to avoid making the same mistake.