In the Eastern Conference half of the Major League Soccer postseason race, the newer clubs rule while the older franchises are sputtering. For a few of these longer established clubs, it’s full on rebuilding time now. D.C. United in one of the MLS O.Gs- been there since the beginning. But they are just slogging through till the end of this season, one that has been long lost. In a league where literally more than half the teams make the MLS Cup playoffs, D.C. will miss out for the sixth straight time.
The Wayne Rooney as a player era was the last time they reached the postseason.
While Rooney was on his very last legs as a player then (2018-2019), the perfect epitome of the stereotypical MLS “retirement home” signing. D.C. later hired him to be the manager, but that failed massively. Although to be fair, Rooney has flopped at every single turn of his managerial career.
Now the reigns at D.C. have been handed over to Rene Weiler, who became the team’s new head coach in July. Right now D.C. United are in 14th place, just one point ahead of dead last CF Montreal.
Weiler and the Black and Reds will play out the string with pride, with just three matches left.
“In the end, we are sporting professionals and we want to succeed,” Weiler said in an interview with R.Org. “It doesn’t matter if we reach the playoffs or not, we have to try to win every game and perform well… that’s the only thing I’m asking for.”
We’ll see if Weiler can succeed where Rooney and others have failed.
D.C. defender Connor Antley has seen the first green shoots of growth already.
“With René coming in, everybody is being looked at,” Antley said in the same interview R.Org.
“Everybody is being watched because he’s got a lot of decisions to make in the offseason. Every training session and game is different now, it’s a little bit of a trial.
“Everybody is trying to put their best foot forward these last few games, so I don’t think it’s necessarily the relaxation of being eliminated from the playoffs [that’s helping us], but the eagerness to show our new coach that, ‘I’m here, I’m ready to go next year, and I want to build on the foundation that you’re putting down here.’”
Up next for the Eagles is a visit from top of the table Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter