‘There’s no way I’m going to bottom again’: New footage in the DC United dressing room shows Wayne Rooney’s demeanor as manager telling stars ‘go home now’ after kicking others out
- Wayne Rooney was filmed delivering an impassioned speech to his DC United squad
- The manager addressed his players as they prepare for the new MLS campaign
- Rooney and DC United finished bottom in the Eastern Conference last season
- The former striker vowed ‘not to end up at the bottom of this freaking league again’
Footage has emerged of manager Wayne Rooney speaking passionately outside his DC United dressing room ahead of the club’s 2023 MLS season.
The Washington-based team, who finished last year at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 27 points, have just over a month to prepare for their first game of the new season on Feb. 26 against Toronto.
After taking DC United’s hot seat midway through last season in July, Rooney has yet to oversee a preseason in the US capital and didn’t need a second invitation to quash his authority ahead of the campaign ahead.
Footage showed Wayne Rooney addressing his DC United players ahead of the new campaign
During his first speech of the season, filmed and revealed by DC United on Thursday, the 37-year-old manager struggled to hold back the swear words as he insisted his side’s mentality was improving after a fruitless year last season must.
He asked his players: “How are we going to improve day by day? There are different things: from training sessions, from games, from the referee.
“The guys who were here last year, you know, you heard me talk about it all the time. The damn mentality has to be right every day. This belief must be true every day. Because if not, you might as well go home now.
The 37-year-old took over mid-last year when DC United finished bottom in MLS
“That mentality has to be at a damn high level for us to be able to perform every week. It’s a tough, tough league. There are some very good teams in the league. And we have to compete this year. We have to have this damn desire to be successful.
Rooney, who played over 500 games in England during his playing days, insisted there was little difference between Premier League football and MLS and urged the sport to be the same anywhere in the world.
The ex-Manchester United star made over 500 appearances during his time in England
He continued: “I’ve been walking around England, even going on holiday to Dubai for a couple of weeks, and people come up to me and say, ‘Oh, how’s America? Is it beautiful? Football is different over there.’
“No, damn it, it’s not. Soccer is soccer.
“We have to stick together as a group. So just a reminder, if we stay together we’re a hell of a team.
“We now have time to work on how I want to play, how we want to develop as a team, how we want to improve and how we want to get better. How we want to be successful. ‘Cause there’s no chance I’ll be bottom of this damn league again.
Rooney’s DC United squad, led by former Premier League stars Christian Benteke and Ravel Morrison, endured a streak of four defeats at the end of last season’s MLS season.
Benteke, who joined the club in August as a record signing, scored once in seven appearances for the Black and Reds.