HOW FORMER ENGLAND CAPTAIN WOWED NITED STATES MLS loves Wayne... he’s bigger than Becks
Steve Bates
WAYNE ROONEY has been English football’s best export to America – and has fast-tracked the global growth of the MLS.
David Beckham was big – but according to former Everton star Adrian Heath, now manager of Minnesota United, Rooney has made the bigger impact.
Heath, a member of the famous Howard Kendall titlewinning team of the mid-1980s, reckons Rooney will leave a huge void when he heads for a new challenge as Derby County player-coach in January.
Critics were convinced the England and Manchester United all- time record goalscorer would be on easy street at DC United in Washington, free- wheeling towards retirement. But Heath says Rooney has been a smash-hit and has paved the way for more big names to follow him to the MLS.
Heath said: “Wayne has left his mark on n the MLS and is going to be missed when he leaves America, erica, and that’s testimony to o the way he’s performed.
“People here hoped
Rooney was s coming f or t he ri ght reasons and d that was quickly kly evident. He was all- in n right from the he start.
“If players s think they can come here ere in their mid- thirties es for a holiday, forrget it – those e days have e gone. The MLS is too athletic and there are too many good players. We’ve all seen Wayne lose his rag and run 60 yards to make a tackle.
“With the reputation h he had coming here, people would have been OK w without him doing that. The They did no not exp pect it, but we’ve had the th real Wayne Rooney.
“When he c chased back against Orlando Or to prevent a certain c goal, winning the tackle, then setti setting up Luciano Acosta for f the winner, that t hat said everything.
“My players know g guys at DC and they all love Ro Rooney. His character and work ethic have made him hugely popular. He’s completely revived DC from the moment he came. Now they are in the play-offs like us.
“No one was on Acosta’s wavelength and he struggled, but he’s been ignited by Wayne and now Paris Saint-germain want him.
Impressive
“That’s the effect he’s had. Last time we spoke he said he’d really enjoyed his time here but felt the call to go into coaching so it’s maybe the right time to go. But he definitely won’t be forgotten.
“Just like David Beckham (left) and Robbie Keane, he’s been a flag-bearer for players from the Premier League.
“And doing it at a club like DC, who weren’t really on the map, has made it even more impressive.”
Heath’s been a successful export too – and today he will lead Minnesota into their first ever play- off game against Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s LA Galaxy at the swanky Allianz Field Stadium in Saint Paul.
The former Stoke, Everton, Manchester City and Burnley star has been in US management for 11 years.
He was head- hunted by healthcare magnate and owner Bill Mcguire to lead Minnesota into the MLS and has helped build the club into a Western Conference force.
“On our first day in the MLS in 2017 we had two players and in six weeks we bought 26 more,” he said. “When you
bring in that many you make mistakes, but we won 10 out of 33 games.
“We are getting a lot of plaudits, but that first season was as good an achievement as anything. Now we sell out with 20,000 every week in a $300million stadium with a
6,000 waiting list.
“The owners have spent a total of half a billion dollars to get this project to where we are – it’s been a great adventure.
“There are a lot of positives staying here. I live in a beautiful place at Lake Minnetonka and
I’m negotiating a new contract. Life is good.”