Wayne Rooney’s impact with D.C. United has been great for both the team and Major League Soccer. With the offseason not far around the corner, the former Manchester United and Everton forward has guaranteed his commitment to his new club.
Rooney signed a multi-year deal with D.C. this summer and is not considering a return to Europe on loan in the January window, ESPN reported. He is also not considering a return to the England National Team even if manager Gareth Southgate makes a call.
“No. I think I committed myself to D.C. and that’s why I’m going to give everything to D.C.,” Rooney said. “In the offseason I’ll stay here for a lot of that time with my children in school. I’ll go back during Christmas to see some family and friends. I’m committed to D.C. and I don’t think it’d be right for me to fly back and forth to play on loan with another team.”
Since Rooney’s arrival in mid-summer, D.C. has picked up 39 points and earned 12 victories which currently has them in fifth place in the Eastern Conference heading into Decision Day. D.C. concludes their regular season on Sunday against the eliminated Chicago Fire, knowing a win paired with other results could see them move even higher in the standings.
“I think [we tried] to go on a bit of a run of winning games and bringing confidence back to the team,” Rooney said. “Trying to build some momentum, mainly going into next season. I know it would be difficult to make the playoffs but we went on a great run with confidence and belief in ourselves.”
Report: Tottenham enters chase for Miguel Almiron
Miguel Almiron has made a huge splash in Major League Soccer and yet another Premier League club has become interested in his services.
According to Paraguayan outlet AM 1080, the midfielder is subject to a €25 million bid from Tottenham Hotspur. The report comes after both Arsenal and West Ham United have also been linked to the 24-year-old.
Tottenham será el nuevo club de Miguel Almiron, la transferencia será por 25 millones de euros. Vía @riquelmeandres #AM1080
— Fútbol a lo Grande (@FALG1080am) October 25, 2018
In his second MLS campaign, Almiron has helped the Five Stripes to a current first place spot in the Eastern Conference heading into the final match of the season. In 31 games, Almiron has scored 12 goals and added 14 assists despite suffering an hamstring injury which will keep him out of Sunday’s finale against Toronto FC.
The Five Stripes are scheduled to kick off their playoff schedule on Nov. 4th after clinching a knockout round bye.
Kofi Opare undergoes foot surgery, to miss remainder of 2018
As D.C. United aim for a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs, they will be without the services of one of their central defenders.
Kofi Opare underwent foot surgery on Friday ultimately keeping him out for the remainder of the 2018 season, the club announced. The expected recovery time for Opare in 4-5 months, who made 11 appearances for the Black and Red in 2018.
Opare was acquired from the LA Galaxy back in July 2014, and has made 65 appearances since for the Eastern Conference club. His last appearance came on Sept. 12th against Minnesota United, as he battled with Steve Birnbaum and Frederic Brillant for consistent playing time.
Houston Dynamo president Chris Canetti resigns, joins 2026 World Cup bid
After 13 seasons with the Houston Dynamo and eight years as president, Chris Canetti is resigning from his post.
Canetti announced his resignation as both Dynamo and Dash president on Friday, but will remain with the team through the end of his contract which expires on December 31. His departure from the club also sees him taking over as President of the Houston World Cup Bid Committee, which will be run by the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority. He will start his new position in January 2019.
“Today, I am filled with mixed emotions. I love this club, cherish my time here, and feel sadness about it coming to an end, Canetti said. “But I am confident that this is the right time to move on to the next challenge. And with this next challenge comes the opportunity to work on something vitally important to the game of soccer and our community, and that’s ensuring that Houston secures World Cup matches in 2026.”
Canetti has been with the Dynamo since their inaugural season in 2006, serving as president since 2010. Under his leadership, the Dynamo has lifted four MLS Conference titles, two MLS Cup titles, and one U.S. Open Cup title. He also led the effort to bring professional women’s soccer to Houston with the addition of the Dash coming to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) as the league’s first expansion franchise.
2018 has been a disappointing season for the Dynamo in MLS play, as they can only finish as high as ninth following Sunday’s regular season finale against the LA Galaxy.
Who are the Dynamo? Since they open they’re stadium they’ve been non existent in MLS.
Yeah, I was thinking this might not be a bad thing. They need some new blood to shake things up and get the city excited about the team again.
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With as much as they have tinkered with the mechanics of the product on the field, I think MLS has dropped the ball for not focusing on team presence off the field and bringing in new fans. Especially in some of the legacy markets.
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SaveTheCrew is the obvious one, but there has been too much marketing/tv presence for the new shiny and not enough attention paid to the rest of the league. Attendance for nearly every team has plateaued or is dropping since their inception, where interest in soccer in general has gone up. Garber has not been able to capitalize on this, and I don’t think it has been his focus at all either. It will be interesting to see what happens when his contract runs out at the end of the year.