Wayne Rooney needed just 32 minutes in last week’s 3-1 win over Vancouver to show why D.C. United agreed to pay him a reported $13 million.
One assist. Four shots. Good vision. Nice passing in a playmaking/striker role in his debut with the MLS original. It was reminiscent of his heyday with Manchester United, before wear and tear on the legs, and the churning roster of talent, turned him into a player without an identifiable position. He moved on to Everton before joining D.C. United.
Atlanta United will get its first chance to try to neutralize the 32-year-old English superstar when it hosts D.C. United for the second time this season.
“Biggest thing about someone like him is he brings up the level of the team around him,” Atlanta United captain Michael Parkhurst said. “Saw the same thing with (Bastian) Schweinsteiger when he came to Chicago.
“They become a better team because everyone wants to play well, everyone wants to show the star that they belong as a professional, that the league is good, their team is good, individually they are good. They are going to be a lot different than the team we played earlier this season.”
Rooney has had an interesting career.
He broke into Everton’s first team in his hometown of Liverpool when he was just 16 in 2002. He scored 15 goals in 67 appearances, including four for England in the 2004 Euros. Manchester United came calling, as it typically does in the pursuit of young superstars, and paid the Toffees $33.5 million. He went on to score 183 goals in 393 appearances in helping the Red Devils win five Premier League titles and one Champions League.
As Rooney aged, not only did his hair and hairline reinvent itself, so did his game. Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who faced Rooney a handful of times when both were in England, said Rooney’s mobility and runs off the ball were once among his biggest strengths.
Now, Rooney relies more on the fast-twitch parts of his brain, rather than his legs, to be effective. Just as former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo transformed from a marauding midfielder into a clinical striker in his final years at Real Madrid, Rooney has transitioned from a rampaging striker into a more subdued, but still effective, threat.
That was on display for D.C. United. His cleverness with passes -- without needing to move around too much -- put teammates into very dangerous positions.
Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino said he hopes Rooney plays only 15 minutes Saturday. Either way, the team expects that Rooney likely will adopt that same playmaking role that he had against Vancouver.
Julian Gressel said stopping Rooney, as is the case with the more talented players in the league, starts with denying him the ball. When Rooney does get it, it’s about making sure that he doesn’t have time and space on the ball. Most of that will fall to him and Jeff Larentowicz in the middle of the field.
It will be an interesting tactical battle to watch, as well as seeing if Rooney can pull D.C. United into the playoffs. The team ranks last in the East with 14 points, 13 behind sixth-place Montreal, but has 14 home games remaining.
If so, $13 million will be well spent.
“From a pure sporting aspect, does he have the quality: yes,” Guzan said. “Big name? yes. someone who can make the locker room better? Yes. Someone who can make their team better? Yes.
“From that side of thing he ticks a lot of boxes.”
