NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Flying cattle class, reporters in the dressing rooms and plastic pitches. Watch out Wayne, the USA is...
PERHAPS it will come when he is jostling for elbow room in cattle class 35,000 feet in the air, or when he walks from the shower into the dressing room after a gutwrenching loss to see an eager crew of reporters ready with their questions.
Maybe it will be when his new manager comes over and asks him if his knees are up to playing on plastic next week.
At some point, Wayne Rooney will realise that MLS is a different ball game from what he has been used to as he adjusts to life in the US capital after leaving Everton.
It may have already happened. Certainly, if 32-year-old Rooney has spoken to old friend Steven Gerrard about what lies ahead, he will have a good idea that this will not be a walk in the park.
Yes, MLS may not be as technically advanced as Europe’s big leagues, but it is a gruelling competition. Some would say it is no country for old men.
Gerrard may agree. After his leaving of Liverpool, the Anfield legend became part of an underachieving Galaxy team and did not leave behind the legacy of a David Beckham or a Robbie Keane.
At times during his two seasons Galaxy looked better without him. Gerrard (below) cited altitude, humidity and travel as issues and pointed out the standard is higher than many believed.
Travel should not be underestimatches mated. This is not the Premier League, where two hours on a train are a big deal. MLS rules dictate that teams can charter just four flights a year. That means bored footballers playing cards, fiddling with their phones and trying to keep amused, are a common sight at departure gates across the nation.
From there, unless you have scored business class, it is into the main cabin for some time. Former Southampton striker-turned-MLS hero Bradley Wright-Phillips thought they were joking on one of his early flights, when he finished watching a movie and was told they were still five hours from landing.
‘I thought I’d have a drink and we’d land,’ he said.
The good news for Rooney is that this will not be an issue in his first season. Prior to the opening of DC United’s brand new Audi Field on July 14 and ending with this weekend’s cross-country schlep to LA Galaxy, his teammates will have played eight consecutive games on the road. The Washington Post calculated a total of 19,539 miles. Short hops of two hours or less are what remain in the regular season. He will, however, have a decision to make on his first road trip. Six MLS teams currently play home on fake grass, including Atlanta United, who DC visit on July 21. David Beckham famously refused to play at New England Revolution’s Gillette Stadium while Thierry Henry played there just once. At his age and after several knee injuries, will Rooney risk the plastic? We will have to wait and see. Rooney will also be spared from playing at RFK Stadium, DC’s much-maligned former home which they left after 22 seasons last year. His likely debut coincides with Audi Field’s debut. It promises to be a world away from the old concrete shell with its crumbling walls, giant cockroaches and dead birds. In 2011, the Post reported that feral cats had made themselves at home at RFK. And then there was the raccoon which camped above the press box before moving to the club shop roof. The shop then had to deal with its urine leaking through the roof. Then there are the beasts of the press. Rooney will be relieved to hear that scrutiny of both the public and private lives of ‘soccer’ players is not what it is in Britain. When it comes to MLS, most of the beat reporters are on the side of the team they follow and this should ensure an easier ride.
However, clubs are much more open to the media than in the Premier League and Rooney will be expected to do his share of the workload.
Players are often grabbed for a chat to camera as they leave the field at half-time.
At full time, regardless of the result, journalists are allowed in the dressing room to ask questions with many players barely out of the shower. Alex Ferguson does not reside here.
What of the football? DC are having a miserable time. They sit bottom of the Eastern Conference, five points adrift of Toronto FC, albeit with three games in hand. This is not good for a franchise with expensive seats to sell at their shiny new home.
This is also reason for optimism. Rooney has a three-and-a-halfyear contract. Things can change quickly on the field in MLS. DC is a magnificent city and the club has a loyal, loud fanbase. If he can help turn their fortunes around, this could be a fitting end to a storied career.