“You’re asking for trouble.”
The arrival of Wayne Rooney to DC United has not been able to arrest the slide of a club that has the club bottom of the Major League Soccer standings. Even a superb Ravel Morrison goal could not help them in their latest outing.
The Washington side have the lowest points tally across the Eastern and Western conferences, with DC United sitting on 22 points after 27 games, and 32 points off Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia.
Heading into their latest game, against Atlanta, on Sunday, Rooney’s side were on a five-game scoreless streak, the franchise’s worst record in 20 years. That poor trend was arrested after 46 minutes when Ravel Morrison thumped in his first ever MLS goal to put DC United 1-0 up.
Morrison is a former Manchester United teammate of Rooney, albeit briefly from a senior squad playing time perspective. Rooney signed up Morrison when he was Derby County boss, and the 29-year-old followed him to the United States, in July, when he got his new coaching gig.
The commentary alone of Morrison’s first MLS strike is worth watching for alone:
Ravel Morrison got his first #MLS goal last night for @DCUnited, and what a goal it was! 🤩
(📹 @MLS) pic.twitter.com/CPyZwUFA8t
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) August 29, 2022
“We keep on making too many mistakes” – Ravel Morrison
Unfortunately for Wayne Rooney, Ravel Morrison and everyone else at DC United, that was where their night peaked.
The Washington side were pegged back, minutes later, before Ola Kamara restored their lead. They conceded two more goals in quick succession, though, and fell to a 3-2 defeat. United have now lost four on the bounce and have only one league win since Rooney took over as manager.
“Basic errors,” Rooney reflected to The Washington Post after his side’s loss. “The goals speak for themselves… we allowed [Atlanta’s goalscoring sub] Jose Martinez to be alone. You’re asking for trouble.”
The sheen taking off a positive performance that included his first MLS goal, Morrison admitted his side are making ‘too many mistakes’ and being duly punished.
If DC United fans are looking for a glimmer of hope, it could soon arrive in the form of former Crystal Palace and Liverpool forward Chriatian Benteke. The club’s marquee summer signing has not played for them yet, due to visa issues, but Rooney hopes he can feature in their next game, against reigning league champions New York City FC.
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