Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich thumped MLS outfit D.C. United 6-2 during the first game of their pre-season tour of the United States. Netherlands international defender Matthijs de Ligt scored his debut goal for the club, along with Senegalese winger Sadio Mane. Marcel Sabitzer, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Zirkzee, and Thomas Müller rounded out the scoring for the German side.

De Ligt’s goal comes less than a week after the center-back completed his move to the Allianz Arena for a transfer fee of €77 million from Serie A club Juventus.

This crushing defeat no doubt gives retired Manchester United star Wayne Rooney a lot to think about ahead of his managerial debut for D.C. United. Despite being unveiled as the club’s new head coach on July 12, the 36-year-old coach had to resort to watching the game from the stand as he still awaits his work visa approval.

German and Bayern Munich legend Bastian Schweinsteiger expressed confidence in Rooney’s ability to steer the MLS club in the right direction. “By the way, it’s great to see my friend Wayne Rooney on the MLS sidelines very soon,” Schweinsteiger remarked prior to the game.

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MLS club D.C. United announced on Tuesday that Wayne Rooney has been appointed as the team’s new head coach. “I feel the experience again at Derby County of the past 18 months has been great in my development as a coach, as a manager, and to really come here back to the MLS, back to D.C. United was an exciting challenge for me, something which I feel can develop me as a coach, but also, the team needs to improve,” Rooney stated following this confirmation.

The former Manchester United striker resigned from his role as manager of Championship side Derby County last month, where he assisted the side to make a major turnaround performance-wise. Unfortunately, due to a 21-point deduction after being placed in administration, the club was relegated, ending the season with 34 points as a result of the penalty.

Rooney’s managerial appointment will see the 36-year-old return to D.C. after 2 years, where he served the club from 2018 until 2020 in a playing capacity. During his two seasons in Washington D.C., Rooney scored 25 goals in 52 appearances.

With Rooney at the helm, D.C. United hopes to make a strong recovery from what has been a disappointing season. Currently, the team is second from bottom in the Eastern Conference standings, having won just five of their 17 matches. Following the dismissal of the previous coach Hernan Losada in April, Chad Ashton oversaw the team in an interim capacity.

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Philadelphia Union cruised to a 7-0 win over D.C. United on Friday night to show once again that their form in 2022 isn’t a fluke. The win tied the MLS record for the biggest win margin in the history of the league.

Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya was first on the scoreboard in the 9th minute, followed by two goals from forward Julian Carranza in the 22nd and 25th minute. Carranza’s first goal was particular beauty as he got the ball into the net with an overhead kick.

D.C. United didn’t even have the time to process everything that happened, and they already had two more balls in their net by the end of the half. Bedoya added his second goal in the 36th minute, while Mikkel Uhre scored in added time.

The second half saw more of the same. Uhre scored again in the 59th minute, while Carranza completed a hat-trick 13 minutes later.

Besides the goal-scoring trio, left-back Kai Wagner, midfielder Daniel Gazdag, and goalie Andre Blake also made a significant contribution to the big win. Wagner finished the night with three assists, Gazdag had two, while Blake kept his goal intact with three saves.

The win allowed Union to keep their top spot in the Western Conference with a one-point advantage over New York Red Bulls on the second spot.

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D.C. United’s veteran midfielder Federico Higuain is ready for action once again. According to United’s head coach Ben Olsen, Higuain recovered from last year’s ACL tear and returned to training as a full participant in recent weeks.

Higuain, who hasn’t played since May 2019, is also expected to take part in the team’s matches at the upcoming MLS is Back Tournament. The 35-year-old midfielder is expected to provide a significant boost during the competition with his veteran leadership and experience.

The tournament, which serves as the first step in the resume of the 2020 MLS season, will take place in Orlando on July 8th.

Federico Higuain signed with D.C. United in March as a free agent, inking a one-year deal. Due to his injury, United primarily expected him to be a mentor for their younger players and possibly help them make a playoff push once he recovers. But due to the delay of the season, the club will now have Higuain for the majority of 2020 games, and he could prove to be a significant factor in their success this year.

Higuain previously spent eight years with Columbus Crew, making 210 appearances in all competitions with the franchise and scoring 59 goals alongside 70 assists. However, Crew opted not to extend his contract following the end of the 2019 season.

Before coming to MLS, Higuain spent the majority of his early career in native Argentina, where he played with River Plate and Godoy Cruz among other teams. He also had a brief stint with Turkish club Besiktas.

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D.C. United secured another important piece of their defense after previously keeping goalkeeper Bill Hamid on a permanent deal. United announced on Tuesday that they have re-signed reliable center back Frederic Brillant to a new two-year deal.

Brillant had a stellar 2019 MLS season, which saw him play 34 games in which he managed to score twice and provide two assists. His performances also brought him three MLS’s Team of the Week selections in a row at one point.

“One of our focuses this off-season was bringing back the backline that performed so well in 2019,” – said D.C.’s general manager Dave Kasper in a statement. “Frederic was a main component of the defense that conceded the second-fewest goals in the league last season and we’re excited to retain him for the 2020 season and beyond.”

Frederic Brillant, who turned 34 in June, spent the majority of his professional career in Belgium before coming to MLS in 2016 when he signed with NYCFC. Brillant played two seasons in New York, making 54 appearances and providing two goals. He was released by the club following the end of 2017 MLS season.

Brillant then joined D.C. United on a two-year deal, which proved to be a great decision as he became irreplaceable in the team’s back four. During his two years in D.C., he made 58 starts.

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A DC United and Yamil Asad reunion might be on the cards this week according to The Washington Post‘s Steven Goff.

Goff reports that United is currently engaged in talks with Asad, and have “grown increasingly confident in striking a deal.” The two sides have time until Friday’s MLS roster freeze deadline to strike an agreement.

Asad spent the 2018 MLS season on loan at DC United from Argentina side Vélez Sarsfield and managed to put up some impressive performances. He finished his loan stint with 31 appearances while scoring nine goals and providing five assists.

DC United was very interested in keeping Yamil Asad on a permanent transfer after the loan agreement ended, but they couldn’t find common ground with Vélez. Asad returned to Argentina in January but failed to carry over his good form from MLS. The 25-year-old played only one game in the second part of 2018/19 season of Superliga Argentina before being released by the club.

According to reports, Asad is currently also engaged in negotiation talks with several other teams besides United. He drew interest from clubs from Greece as well as other MLS teams.

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D.C. United isn’t wasting time trying to get another European star in the wake of Wayne Rooney’s departure from the club at the end of 2019. According to ESPN, D.C. is now targeting Arsenal’s star midfielder Mesut Ozil.

Reportedly, D.C. will meet with Ozil’s representatives on Monday and present them with an offer for the 30-year-old. Washington Post adds that presumed move would take place in January if the two sides manage to come to an agreement.

While there is a certain level of interest from Mesut Ozil to come to the United States, his astronomical salary might be too much for D.C. United to handle. Ozil signed a new deal with Arsenal in 2018 and is reportedly earning close to $22 million a year. If he was to come to MLS, he would probably have to take a massive pay cut.

Although Ozil leaving Europe might seem unlikely to some, the fact is that the German isn’t having the best relationship with Arsenal’s manager Unai Emery. He struggled to have a significant role in Emery’s system in 2018/19 which ended up reflecting on time spent on the field and his productivity.

Ozil played 24 games and recorded only 1,741 minutes last season in Premier League. He contributed with five goals, and only two assists, which was the lowest since he joined the club in 2013.

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The Norwegian forward Ola Kamara is on the verge of making a surprising return to MLS. According to The Washington Post‘s Steven Goff, Kamara is currently in the final stages of negotiating a deal with D.C. United.

Kamara left LA Galaxy in February to join Chinese side Shenzhen FC. His time in China, however, wasn’t a success as he only made six appearances in all competitions while failing to score a single goal.

D.C. will reportedly pay $2.5 million for Kamara’s services, which will make the 29-year-old the second most expensive player in the team’s history. They will also send up an undisclosed amount of allocation money to Colorado Rapids to move at the top of the allocation order.

Ola Kamara began his MLS adventure in 2016 when he signed with Columbus Crew. In two seasons with the organization, he made 65 appearances and scored 35 goals. After a strong showing with Columbus, Kamara signed with LA Galaxy, where he continued to be productive having scored 14 goals in 32 games.

Kamara also represents Norway national team on the international level. So far he made 15 appearances for his country and managed to score seven goals.

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Ever since Wayne Rooney’s arrival at the club in 2018, DC United has become a different club.

After a 0-1 road victory over the Columbus Crew on Thursday night, DC United moved to first place in the MLS’s Eastern Conference, showing that they will be a force to reckon with in the 2019 season.

It should be no surprise that the player who scored the goal to lead United to their win was none other than legendary English forward Wayne Rooney.

The former Manchester United legend scored a picture-perfect free kick goal to put DC on top in the 27th minute of the game.

DC United kept the talented Crew off of the board for the rest of the game and took home a hugely important road victory to move to 5-2-2 on the season.

With 17 points, DC is now first in the standings in the early going of the 2019 season.

Time will tell if United can keep up its hot pace, but their win on Thursday and Rooney’s goal have proven that they will be a force to be reckoned with during this MLS campaign.

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The 2018 MLS season didn’t look well for D.C. United. They had two wins in the first 14 games and were stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Then the team secured a move for former Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney, and their luck changed.

Since Rooney came to Washington, D.C. United started playing like a different team, managing 10 wins and collecting 33 points. The latest win against FC Dallas even moved them to a playoff spot with just three games left in the regular season.

According to Rooney, the reason why they managed to win Dallas in a close game is that the whole team is “thriving” on the pressure to get into playoffs.

“I think that’s where you want to be in soccer — to have these pressure moments,” – the 32-year-old striker told the reporters. “No one wants to be in the middle or the bottom of the league and just playing for the fun of it. You want pressure moments and to feel that pressure, it’s important what we’re doing. We’ve got that pressure and we’re thriving on it and we’re picking up results and wins.“

D.C. United is currently sixth in Eastern Conference with one point ahead of Montreal Impact on the seventh spot. The good news for United is that they also have one game less than Impact, which gives them more room for errors.

Rooney doesn’t want his team to satisfy themselves with making the playoffs as the last seeded team. He is already thinking about catching fifth-seeded Columbus Crew.

“We’ll have the game against New York City on Sunday,” – he added. “As I’ve said before, every game is a pressure game and if we can win Wednesday we know we’re three points away — regardless of what Montreal do — from making that last spot. And you never know, we could even catch Columbus, so we keep pushing and see where we finish.“

Since joining D.C. United in June 2018, Wayne Rooney played 16 games in Major League Soccer and managed to score nine goals while adding seven assists.

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Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich thumped MLS outfit D.C. United 6-2 during the first game of their pre-season tour of the United States. Netherlands international defender Matthijs de Ligt scored his debut goal for the club, along with Senegalese winger Sadio Mane. Marcel Sabitzer, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Zirkzee, and Thomas Müller rounded out the scoring for the German side.

De Ligt’s goal comes less than a week after the center-back completed his move to the Allianz Arena for a transfer fee of €77 million from Serie A club Juventus.

This crushing defeat no doubt gives retired Manchester United star Wayne Rooney a lot to think about ahead of his managerial debut for D.C. United. Despite being unveiled as the club’s new head coach on July 12, the 36-year-old coach had to resort to watching the game from the stand as he still awaits his work visa approval.

German and Bayern Munich legend Bastian Schweinsteiger expressed confidence in Rooney’s ability to steer the MLS club in the right direction. “By the way, it’s great to see my friend Wayne Rooney on the MLS sidelines very soon,” Schweinsteiger remarked prior to the game.

The post De Ligt Scores on Debut as Bayern Thrash D.C. United appeared first on SportzBonanza.

MLS club D.C. United announced on Tuesday that Wayne Rooney has been appointed as the team’s new head coach. “I feel the experience again at Derby County of the past 18 months has been great in my development as a coach, as a manager, and to really come here back to the MLS, back to D.C. United was an exciting challenge for me, something which I feel can develop me as a coach, but also, the team needs to improve,” Rooney stated following this confirmation.

The former Manchester United striker resigned from his role as manager of Championship side Derby County last month, where he assisted the side to make a major turnaround performance-wise. Unfortunately, due to a 21-point deduction after being placed in administration, the club was relegated, ending the season with 34 points as a result of the penalty.

Rooney’s managerial appointment will see the 36-year-old return to D.C. after 2 years, where he served the club from 2018 until 2020 in a playing capacity. During his two seasons in Washington D.C., Rooney scored 25 goals in 52 appearances.

With Rooney at the helm, D.C. United hopes to make a strong recovery from what has been a disappointing season. Currently, the team is second from bottom in the Eastern Conference standings, having won just five of their 17 matches. Following the dismissal of the previous coach Hernan Losada in April, Chad Ashton oversaw the team in an interim capacity.

The post Wayne Rooney Appointed Head Coach Of D.C. United appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Philadelphia Union cruised to a 7-0 win over D.C. United on Friday night to show once again that their form in 2022 isn’t a fluke. The win tied the MLS record for the biggest win margin in the history of the league.

Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya was first on the scoreboard in the 9th minute, followed by two goals from forward Julian Carranza in the 22nd and 25th minute. Carranza’s first goal was particular beauty as he got the ball into the net with an overhead kick.

D.C. United didn’t even have the time to process everything that happened, and they already had two more balls in their net by the end of the half. Bedoya added his second goal in the 36th minute, while Mikkel Uhre scored in added time.

The second half saw more of the same. Uhre scored again in the 59th minute, while Carranza completed a hat-trick 13 minutes later.

Besides the goal-scoring trio, left-back Kai Wagner, midfielder Daniel Gazdag, and goalie Andre Blake also made a significant contribution to the big win. Wagner finished the night with three assists, Gazdag had two, while Blake kept his goal intact with three saves.

The win allowed Union to keep their top spot in the Western Conference with a one-point advantage over New York Red Bulls on the second spot.

The post Philadelphia Union Beats D.C. United 7-0, Ties MLS Record appeared first on SportzBonanza.

D.C. United’s veteran midfielder Federico Higuain is ready for action once again. According to United’s head coach Ben Olsen, Higuain recovered from last year’s ACL tear and returned to training as a full participant in recent weeks.

Higuain, who hasn’t played since May 2019, is also expected to take part in the team’s matches at the upcoming MLS is Back Tournament. The 35-year-old midfielder is expected to provide a significant boost during the competition with his veteran leadership and experience.

The tournament, which serves as the first step in the resume of the 2020 MLS season, will take place in Orlando on July 8th.

Federico Higuain signed with D.C. United in March as a free agent, inking a one-year deal. Due to his injury, United primarily expected him to be a mentor for their younger players and possibly help them make a playoff push once he recovers. But due to the delay of the season, the club will now have Higuain for the majority of 2020 games, and he could prove to be a significant factor in their success this year.

Higuain previously spent eight years with Columbus Crew, making 210 appearances in all competitions with the franchise and scoring 59 goals alongside 70 assists. However, Crew opted not to extend his contract following the end of the 2019 season.

Before coming to MLS, Higuain spent the majority of his early career in native Argentina, where he played with River Plate and Godoy Cruz among other teams. He also had a brief stint with Turkish club Besiktas.

The post D.C. United’s Federico Higuain Returns to Training after ACL Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

D.C. United secured another important piece of their defense after previously keeping goalkeeper Bill Hamid on a permanent deal. United announced on Tuesday that they have re-signed reliable center back Frederic Brillant to a new two-year deal.

Brillant had a stellar 2019 MLS season, which saw him play 34 games in which he managed to score twice and provide two assists. His performances also brought him three MLS’s Team of the Week selections in a row at one point.

“One of our focuses this off-season was bringing back the backline that performed so well in 2019,” – said D.C.’s general manager Dave Kasper in a statement. “Frederic was a main component of the defense that conceded the second-fewest goals in the league last season and we’re excited to retain him for the 2020 season and beyond.”

Frederic Brillant, who turned 34 in June, spent the majority of his professional career in Belgium before coming to MLS in 2016 when he signed with NYCFC. Brillant played two seasons in New York, making 54 appearances and providing two goals. He was released by the club following the end of 2017 MLS season.

Brillant then joined D.C. United on a two-year deal, which proved to be a great decision as he became irreplaceable in the team’s back four. During his two years in D.C., he made 58 starts.

The post D.C. United’s CB Frederic Brillant Gets a New 2-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A DC United and Yamil Asad reunion might be on the cards this week according to The Washington Post‘s Steven Goff.

Goff reports that United is currently engaged in talks with Asad, and have “grown increasingly confident in striking a deal.” The two sides have time until Friday’s MLS roster freeze deadline to strike an agreement.

Asad spent the 2018 MLS season on loan at DC United from Argentina side Vélez Sarsfield and managed to put up some impressive performances. He finished his loan stint with 31 appearances while scoring nine goals and providing five assists.

DC United was very interested in keeping Yamil Asad on a permanent transfer after the loan agreement ended, but they couldn’t find common ground with Vélez. Asad returned to Argentina in January but failed to carry over his good form from MLS. The 25-year-old played only one game in the second part of 2018/19 season of Superliga Argentina before being released by the club.

According to reports, Asad is currently also engaged in negotiation talks with several other teams besides United. He drew interest from clubs from Greece as well as other MLS teams.

The post DC United Reportedly Close to Making a Deal with Winger Yamil Asad appeared first on SportzBonanza.

D.C. United isn’t wasting time trying to get another European star in the wake of Wayne Rooney’s departure from the club at the end of 2019. According to ESPN, D.C. is now targeting Arsenal’s star midfielder Mesut Ozil.

Reportedly, D.C. will meet with Ozil’s representatives on Monday and present them with an offer for the 30-year-old. Washington Post adds that presumed move would take place in January if the two sides manage to come to an agreement.

While there is a certain level of interest from Mesut Ozil to come to the United States, his astronomical salary might be too much for D.C. United to handle. Ozil signed a new deal with Arsenal in 2018 and is reportedly earning close to $22 million a year. If he was to come to MLS, he would probably have to take a massive pay cut.

Although Ozil leaving Europe might seem unlikely to some, the fact is that the German isn’t having the best relationship with Arsenal’s manager Unai Emery. He struggled to have a significant role in Emery’s system in 2018/19 which ended up reflecting on time spent on the field and his productivity.

Ozil played 24 games and recorded only 1,741 minutes last season in Premier League. He contributed with five goals, and only two assists, which was the lowest since he joined the club in 2013.

The post D.C. United Set to Have Talks with Arsenal’s Star Mesut Ozil appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Norwegian forward Ola Kamara is on the verge of making a surprising return to MLS. According to The Washington Post‘s Steven Goff, Kamara is currently in the final stages of negotiating a deal with D.C. United.

Kamara left LA Galaxy in February to join Chinese side Shenzhen FC. His time in China, however, wasn’t a success as he only made six appearances in all competitions while failing to score a single goal.

D.C. will reportedly pay $2.5 million for Kamara’s services, which will make the 29-year-old the second most expensive player in the team’s history. They will also send up an undisclosed amount of allocation money to Colorado Rapids to move at the top of the allocation order.

Ola Kamara began his MLS adventure in 2016 when he signed with Columbus Crew. In two seasons with the organization, he made 65 appearances and scored 35 goals. After a strong showing with Columbus, Kamara signed with LA Galaxy, where he continued to be productive having scored 14 goals in 32 games.

Kamara also represents Norway national team on the international level. So far he made 15 appearances for his country and managed to score seven goals.

The post Ola Kamara Returning to MLS, Will Sign with D.C. United appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Ever since Wayne Rooney’s arrival at the club in 2018, DC United has become a different club.

After a 0-1 road victory over the Columbus Crew on Thursday night, DC United moved to first place in the MLS’s Eastern Conference, showing that they will be a force to reckon with in the 2019 season.

It should be no surprise that the player who scored the goal to lead United to their win was none other than legendary English forward Wayne Rooney.

The former Manchester United legend scored a picture-perfect free kick goal to put DC on top in the 27th minute of the game.

DC United kept the talented Crew off of the board for the rest of the game and took home a hugely important road victory to move to 5-2-2 on the season.

With 17 points, DC is now first in the standings in the early going of the 2019 season.

Time will tell if United can keep up its hot pace, but their win on Thursday and Rooney’s goal have proven that they will be a force to be reckoned with during this MLS campaign.

The post Wayne Rooney Scores in 0-1 DC United Victory appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The 2018 MLS season didn’t look well for D.C. United. They had two wins in the first 14 games and were stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Then the team secured a move for former Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney, and their luck changed.

Since Rooney came to Washington, D.C. United started playing like a different team, managing 10 wins and collecting 33 points. The latest win against FC Dallas even moved them to a playoff spot with just three games left in the regular season.

According to Rooney, the reason why they managed to win Dallas in a close game is that the whole team is “thriving” on the pressure to get into playoffs.

“I think that’s where you want to be in soccer — to have these pressure moments,” – the 32-year-old striker told the reporters. “No one wants to be in the middle or the bottom of the league and just playing for the fun of it. You want pressure moments and to feel that pressure, it’s important what we’re doing. We’ve got that pressure and we’re thriving on it and we’re picking up results and wins.“

D.C. United is currently sixth in Eastern Conference with one point ahead of Montreal Impact on the seventh spot. The good news for United is that they also have one game less than Impact, which gives them more room for errors.

Rooney doesn’t want his team to satisfy themselves with making the playoffs as the last seeded team. He is already thinking about catching fifth-seeded Columbus Crew.

“We’ll have the game against New York City on Sunday,” – he added. “As I’ve said before, every game is a pressure game and if we can win Wednesday we know we’re three points away — regardless of what Montreal do — from making that last spot. And you never know, we could even catch Columbus, so we keep pushing and see where we finish.“

Since joining D.C. United in June 2018, Wayne Rooney played 16 games in Major League Soccer and managed to score nine goals while adding seven assists.

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