Wayne Rooney kicked off his reign as DC United manager with a comeback victory, as two injury time goals saw off Orlando City in MLS.
Rooney, in the dugout for the first time since return Stateside, had looked set to taste defeat in his home opener at Audi Field after a fine early strike Junior Urso gave the visitors a ninth minute lead.
The ex-Derby County boss, who had waited almost three weeks to take to the touchline since returning and handed a debut to new recruit Ravel Morrison at the heart of his side’s midfield, watched on as his side huffed and puffed but struggled to create notable chances. And with time running out, it looked like a 13th defeat was on the cards for a side languishing in the Eastern Conference, with just six wins to their name.
But from nowhere, midfielder Chris Durkin fired home a 91st minute equaliser from just inside the penalty area after fine work from Ola Kamara, sent on as a substitute by Rooney.
And in the 95th minute, after two more substitutes, Chilean winger Martín Rodríguez and midfielder Kimarni Smith, combined, striker Taxi Fountas volleyed home a clinical winner to send the home fans into rapture and lead to wild celebrations from Rooney and his backroom staff on the touchline.
“The season has to start now,” said Rooney post-game. “Character is a big word I have used over the last couple of weeks with the team. We need to be a team that shows a lot of character and fight and togetherness.
“A big thing which I’ve seen in my research on the team is when a player makes a mistake, they suffer and really found it difficult to come back from that.
“I understand players will make mistakes — no problem. I want them to try things. I want them to risk the ball in the right areas. And if they make a mistake and give the ball away, try it again. That’s part of the game. Giving the players that freedom of mind and to be able to do that is starting to make a difference.”
Ex-Manchester United youngster Morrison, who joined the side earlier this month as he continues his nomadic career, following Rooney to Washington from Derby, played the full 90 minutes and was a key component of the victory with his composure and passing ability.
“Now it’s about consistency,” defender Brendan Hines-Ike said. “Can DC United put together a string of results? Or does it go back to the same old same old the last few months? We can’t accept that anymore.”
