The stats highlighting Wayne Rooney’s incredible impact at DC United
When Wayne Rooney finally concluded a drawn out transfer to MLS, many questioned whether he was fit enough to make the same impact that a number of strikers have in recent years having made the move to the US.
He arrived at DC United with the club in desperate position, five points adrift at the foot of the Eastern Conference prior to the former Manchester United star’s debut, albeit with four games in hand owing to the lack of a home stadium in early months of the season.
That said, Ben Olsen’s side had won just two of their opening 14 matches, 12 of which were away from home, and any hope of a play-off finish seemed to be all but lost.
However, just one three months on from Rooney’s MLS bow against Vancouver Whitecaps, DC United are up in fifth and guaranteed a place in the top six with a fifth consecutive victory, over New York City. The all-time record United and England goalscorer bagged a brace in a 3-1 win and, heading into the upcoming play-offs, his side are the form team in the race to lift the MLS Cup.
Since Rooney’s debut, DC have picked up more points than any other side in the Eastern Conference (39), winning 11 of the 17 matches that their summer signing has started, averaging two goals per game in said outings.
Of the 34 goals in that period, the 32-year-old has had a direct hand in more than half, scoring 12 times and registering six assists, deployed back where he started out, as a centre-forward. Excelling in that role, he is one of just five MLS players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic and leading scorer Josef Martinez, to have take fewer than 90 minutes on average to have a direct hand in a goal this season.
It remains to be seen just how long Rooney can maintain his form and fitness in MLS, but having arrived at the same age as David Villa, he’ll be hoping to replicate the Spaniard’s impact on the sport in America. With three years still to run on his deal, silverware could still be up for grabs in a career that seemed to have petered out.
