- Man accused of beating woman in Troy parking lot faces new murder charge in Wayne County WDIV ClickOnDetroit
- Stabbing suspect on the run • Detroit murder suspect faces charges • Driver dead after going airborne on Lodge FOX 2 Detroit
- Man accused of beating woman in parking lot faces new murder charge in Wayne County Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV
- Troy Target assault suspect Andrew Hall arraigned on murder charge in Detroit WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit
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Tag Archives: Wayne
Councilman Wayne Williams has conceded Colorado Springs mayoral runoff as Yemi Mobolade takes strong early lead – Colorado Public Radio
- Councilman Wayne Williams has conceded Colorado Springs mayoral runoff as Yemi Mobolade takes strong early lead Colorado Public Radio
- Yemi Mobolade elected mayor of Colorado Springs — the first Black man elected to lead the city — in political upheaval The Colorado Sun
- Yemi Mobolade defeats Wayne Williams in Colorado Springs mayoral race FOX 31 Denver
- Yemi Mobolade projected to be the next mayor of Colorado Springs as Wayne Williams concedes KKTV
- Governor Polis congratulates new Colorado Springs Mayor FOX21News.com
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‘These kids are not safe. Our staff is not safe’ — Wayne County Executive Warren Evans declares public health emergency at juvenile jail – Detroit Free Press
- ‘These kids are not safe. Our staff is not safe’ — Wayne County Executive Warren Evans declares public health emergency at juvenile jail Detroit Free Press
- Wayne Co. issues public health emergency order amid ‘untenable’ situation at juvenile jail Detroit News
- Michigan lawmakers to discuss overcrowding, safety issues at Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit
- Wayne County executive declares public health emergency at juvenile detention facility WDIV ClickOnDetroit
- Michigan lawmakers to hold hearing on Wayne County juvenile jail Detroit Free Press
Wayne Gretzky’s goals record was once considered unbreakable
“I think a thousand goals is possible for him, especially after what we’ve seen tonight,” former NHL defenseman and ESPN analyst P.K. Subban said this month after Ovechkin recorded a hat trick to become just the third player in NHL history to reach 800 goals. “ … There’s no doubt in my mind that he can hit 900, but I think a thousand is there. Why not?”
One thousand goals might be ambitious, but 895 is attainable for the 37-year-old Ovechkin, who passed Gordie Howe for No. 2 on the all-time list .
As the Great Eight continues his pursuit of the Great One, here’s a look at several other records from the four major professional sports that are considered — or were once considered — unbreakable.
Wayne Gretzky’s 2,857 points
Take away his 894 goals and Gretzky would still hold the NHL record for points thanks to his ludicrous 1,963 assists in 1,487 games. With 1,921 points in 246 more games, Jaromir Jagr is a distant second on the career list.
“For me, it’s like number one,” Jagr said after passing Mark Messier for second place in December 2016. “I don’t really count Wayne Gretzky. He was from another planet. I don’t think he was from this planet. Whatever he did, it’s unbreakable.”
Martin Brodeur’s 125 shutouts
For years after he retired in 1970, goaltender Terry Sawchuk’s record of 445 wins seemed untouchable. Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche great Patrick Roy eclipsed Sawchuk’s mark in 2000, and Brodeur blew past both of them, finishing his 23-year career in 2015 with 691 wins.
It’s Brodeur’s shutout record, though, that seems the most secure. While seven goalies now have more wins than Sawchuk, Brodeur is the only one who surpassed his 103 shutouts. The next-closest active goalie is 38-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury with 72.
Cy Young’s 749 complete games
Unless Rob Manfred or a future commissioner shortens games to six innings or robot umpires are eventually calling balls and strikes for robot pitchers, no one will challenge this century-old mark. Consider: MLB pitchers combined for 36 complete games in 2022. Young pitched at least 36 complete games in 11 of his 22 seasons, and he finished with 103 more complete games than Pud Galvin, who is second on the list.
The leader in complete games among active pitchers is St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright with 28. Young’s records for starts (815), wins (511) and losses (315) are probably untouchable, too.
Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,632 consecutive games
Lou Gehrig’s unbreakable streak of 2,130 consecutive games played stood for 56 years before Ripken broke it Sept. 6, 1995. The Iron Man played two more seasons without missing a game until finally deciding it “was time” to take a day off.
“That’s one record I do think will be around for a generation,” then-Commissioner Bud Selig said.
Combine the consecutive games played for the players with the third- and fourth-longest streaks (Everett Scott and Steve Garvey, respectively) and it doesn’t equal Ripken’s mark. The longest streak since Ripken’s ended belongs to Miguel Tejada, who played in 1,152 straight games from 2000 to 2007.
John Stockton’s 15,806 assists
Stockton led the league in assists in nine consecutive seasons from 1987-88 to 1995-96. The Utah Jazz legend has 3,715 more assists than Jason Kidd, who retired in 2013 second on the all-time list. Phoenix Suns 37-year-old point guard Chris Paul, who is No. 3, could average 10 assists per game over a full season for the next five years and still not pass Stockton. Paul is averaging 9.1 assists this season but has been limited to 18 games by a heel injury.
“I don’t like saying never, but ain’t nobody catching that,” Paul said in 2019.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 points
Wilt Chamberlain still owns several unbreakable records, including career rebounds (23,924) and points in a game (100), but Abdul-Jabbar passed him to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer April 5, 1984, and played five more seasons.
A knee injury in Karl Malone’s age-40 season derailed his quest to break Abdul-Jabbar’s record, leading him to retire 1,459 points shy of the mark in 2005. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who passed Malone in March and is averaging 27 points in his age-38 season, is on pace to break Abdul-Jabbar’s record in February.
“To sit here and to know that I’m on the verge of breaking probably the most sought-after record in the NBA, things that people say will probably never be done, I think it’s just super humbling for myself,” James said in September.
Emmitt Smith’s 18,355 rushing yards
Smith ran for at least 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons during his 13-year career with the Dallas Cowboys and retired after rushing for 937 yards as a 35-year-old with the Arizona Cardinals in 2004.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to last,” Smith said after breaking Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton’s record of 16,726 rushing yards in 2002. “The game is still evolving.”
Offenses have become much more passing-oriented in the 20 years since, increasing the likelihood that Smith’s record will stand for eternity.
“No one will ever break this record,” LaDainian Tomlinson, who retired nearly 5,000 yards shy of Smith’s mark, said this year. “There’s not enough opportunities that running backs will get.”
Jerry Rice’s 197 receiving touchdowns
As with Gretzky and Young, Rice’s résumé includes multiple records that could be considered unbreakable, including his 1,549 catches and 22,895 receiving yards. Even with the proliferation of passing in today’s NFL — teams combined for 694 passing touchdowns in 2002 and 840 last season — Rice’s touchdown record doesn’t figure to be surpassed anytime soon, if ever.
Randy Moss, who broke Rice’s single-season touchdown record with 23 in 2007, retired 41 touchdowns shy of Rice’s career record in 2012. Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams is the active leader with 85; Rice had 118 by the same point in his career.
Lil Wayne Celebrates 40th Birthday with Star-Studded Party
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images
Wayne’s world, party on!
Lil Wayne kicked off his 40th birthday celebration with a party fit for rap royalty. Weezy was joined by family and friends during a dinner at The Nice Guy in West Hollywood on Sunday night.
The star-studded guest list included YG, Yella Beezy, Mack Maine, Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe, and Marcus Wiley, along with Wayne’s daughter Reginae, his sons, and mother Cita.
Keith Sweat serenaded the birthday boy with his 1987 hit “Don’t Stop Your Love,” and Wayne couldn’t resist getting out of his seat and singing along. The GOAT also received a star-studded salute from friends including Kanye West, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, NBA YoungBoy, Snoop Dogg, and Drake, who poked fun at Wayne’s recent Instagram Live snafu.
“I ain’t shit without you,” said Drake, while Missy celebrated Wayne’s “superstar” status. “I just want to thank you for giving us the timeless classics.”
The menu included chicken parm, roasted salmon, and filet mignon, with drinks with Weezy-inspired names like “Best Drink Alive” and “Back That Drink Up.” For dessert, Tunechi was presented with a five-tier cake, decked out with a skateboard on top.
Wayne’s actual birthday is not until tomorrow. On Saturday night, he headlined a show in Beverly Hills where he brought out YG.
Lil Wayne celebrates his 40th birthday with a performance from Keith Sweat pic.twitter.com/Z0qfeHx1vj
— Daily Loud (@dailyloudclips) September 26, 2022
Sacheen Littlefeather: John Wayne Tried to ‘Assault’ Me at the Oscars
Sacheen Littlefeather dominated headlines this week after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a formal apology to her for the mistreatment she faced at the 1973 Oscars. Littlefeather, who was 26 years old at the ceremony, took to the stage on behalf of Marlon Brando, who was named best actor for “The Godfather,” and declined the award for him. Brando cited Hollywood’s problematic portrayal of “Native American Indian people in film and television” as his reason for rejecting the Oscar.
To mark the news of the Academy’s apology, plus an upcoming special program to be held in her honor at the Academy Museum in September, Littlefeather gave an in-depth interview to the Academy in which she recalled in detail what happened the night she declined Brando’s Oscar.
Littlefeather walked up to the Oscars stage and said, “I’m Sacheen Littlefeather. I’m Marlon Brando’s official representative here this evening. Unfortunately, he cannot receive this Academy Award because of the image of Native American Indian people in film and television today.”
“That’s when people started booing, and the other half started cheering,” Littlefeather remembered. “And that’s when all the people started getting into commotion in the audience. And I focused in on the mouths and the jaws that were dropping open in the audience, and there were quite a few. But it was like looking into a sea of Clorox, you know, there were very few people of color in the audience. And I just took a deep breath, put my head down for a second, and then, when they quieted down, I continued.”
Littlefeather said that when she left the stage she spotted John Wayne, who was furious about her speech and approached her in such a way that she thought he would assault her.
“[John Wayne] did not like what I was saying up at the podium,” Littlefeather said. “So, he came forth in a rage to physically assault and take me off the stage. And he had to be restrained by six security men in order for that not to happen.”
“It was interesting because some people were giving me the tomahawk chop. I thought, ‘This is very racist. Very racist indeed.’ And I just gracefully walked and ignored them,” Littlefeather continued. “They put two armed guards around me, and said they were going to take me to these different press rooms. One was for television press, radio press and international press. And I would have about 10 minutes in each press room, and that was it. And then, I was escorted out the door.”
Littlefeather became the first Native woman to stand on the stage at any Academy Awards ceremony back in 1973. She will join the Academy on Sept. 17 for a special program and conversation titled “An Evening With Sacheen Littlefeather.”
“We are delighted and humbled that Sacheen has so generously chosen to engage with the museum and Academy to reflect upon her trying experience at the 1973 Academy Awards,” said Jacqueline Stewart, director and president of the Academy Museum.
In Wayne Rooney debut, D.C. United rallies for stunning win
What transpired over the subsequent two hours in misty conditions rekindled some of the magic that Rooney injected as a striker in 2018 and 2019. Staring at another defeat, United not only tied the score in the waning moments but won it in the last seconds of stoppage time, 2-1.
Chris Durkin scored the equalizer on a one-timer from the heart of the penalty area, then Taxi Fountas volleyed in from 12 yards, triggering bedlam among the 15,805 at Buzzard Point.
“The season has to start now,” said Rooney, who was hired three weeks ago but, until he received his work visa late last week, was limited to a consulting role. “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.”
After falling behind early, United (6-12-3) showed those qualities in a stirring second half and won for just the second time since early May.
“That’s exactly what we needed,” defender Brendan Hines-Ike said. “We need to know we can win games. You lose so many games, you forget what it’s like to win.”
United’s persistence finally paid off in staggering fashion. As the first minute of stoppage time elapsed, substitute Ola Kamara snapped a left-sided cross to Durkin for a rising effort and his first goal of the year.
“When we got the goal,” Durkin said, “we were still pushing and still wanting to score another goal.”
Martín Rodríguez, a substitute, served a long ball to Kimarni Smith, a sub. Smith volleyed the ball from the left side into the center of the box, where Fountas one-timed it into the right corner for his team-best 11th goal. Almost four weeks ago, Fountas recorded a hat trick in Orlando.
“I am proud the guys didn’t settle for a tie,” captain Steven Birnbaum said.
As a player, Rooney bedeviled Orlando (8-9-6) with goals, including a 60-yarder, and a remarkable tackle-assist sequence that cemented his place in United history. As a coach, with United undergoing roster changes and the team at the bottom of the standings, his influence Sunday had limits.
What he has instilled, the players said, is belief and the freedom to express themselves.
“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,” Rooney said. “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.”
It did not start well. Orlando went ahead in the ninth minute, the fifth time in seven matches United had conceded a goal in the opening 15 minutes.
After a D.C. giveaway in midfield, Alexandre Pato slipped the ball ahead to Júnior Urso in stride for a one-timer from the top corner of the box. With goalkeeper Rafael Romo well off his line, Urso delicately chipped it into the far side.
In the 28th minute, Romo was caught surging forward on a long ball and, amid a mad scramble by his defenders to cover an open net, Pato missed high. Ten minutes later, Orlando’s Benji Michel missed an open net.
The match began to swing with the entrance at halftime of Rodríguez, a Chilean winger who debuted the previous weekend. Fountas had a glorious chance to equalize in the 61st minute, but Pedro Gallese made a sensational leg save.
United buzzed with energy and opportunity, culminating with the two late strikes.
“Now it’s about consistency,” Hines-Ike said. “Can D.C. 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.”
Here’s what else to know about United’s victory:
Romo made his eighth consecutive start and Jon Kempin was the usual backup, but with the acquisition of David Ochoa from Real Salt Lake last week, the pecking order is about to change.
Ochoa, 21, is scheduled to travel to Charlotte on Wednesday and seems almost certain to start. In that case, Romo would drop to No. 2 on the depth chart.
Bill Hamid, the longtime starter who is in the final year of his contract, continues to rehabilitate a hand injury that required surgery June 30. The initial timetable for his return was two to three months.
Estrada left off roster again
Forward Michael Estrada was a healthy scratch for the second straight game, a sign United probably is planning to end his season-long loan from Mexican club Toluca soon. The Ecuadoran national team member has four goals and four assists in 16 league matches (11 starts) but hasn’t scored since May 21.
United has an option to purchase his contract after this season for $5 million. By returning him to Toluca, the club would clear senior roster space, including an international slot. …
Forward Nigel Robertha, who has one goal and three assists in 14 matches (five starts), also was scratched. He is under contract through 2023. …
Midfielders Russell Canouse (leg injury) and Ted Ku-DiPietro (non-covid illness recovery) were unavailable. Midfielder Victor Palsson, acquired from German club Schalke last week, is awaiting a work visa. …
Rooney’s debut wasn’t the only one Sunday. Ravel Morrison, a well-traveled attacking midfielder who played for Rooney at Derby County, logged 90 minutes.
Starting at the six-minute mark, a minute of applause was conducted in memory of Len Oliver, a National Soccer Hall of Famer and longtime figure in D.C.-area soccer who died July 24. He was 88. Family members in attendance wore jerseys with No. 6, Oliver’s number as a player.
33 Dead & Sick Friends Since Our Wedding Only 8 Months Ago. All 33 Vaxxed. A “Vaccine Death & Disease Cluster.”, by Wayne Allyn Root
Yes, you read correctly. There are (so far) 33 friends and relatives dead or sick since our wedding eight months ago. I’ve done the research. All 33 were vaxxed. Every one of them.
This is a “vaccine death and disease cluster.”
This is like the Love Canal, New York, cancer cluster of the 1970s. It can’t be ignored when you see so many people dead, or very ill in just one group.
But it has nothing to do with our wedding. Open your eyes. This is happening everywhere. Non-COVID-19 deaths are up dramatically in the United States (and all over the world). Life insurance companies report non-COVID-19 deaths are up 40% or more among young, working-age Americans. Lincoln National reports death benefit payouts are up over 163% in the year since COVID-19 vaccines came out. These are death increases not seen during World War II.
Read the headlines: Every day a new celebrity, actor, rock star, athlete or CEO is dropping dead “suddenly and unexpectedly.” Most of them are way too young to die or suffer strokes or heart attacks. I’m betting they all have one thing in common: they are VACCINATED.
I surfed over to TMZ.com one night this week. Here were the headlines:
—”American Pickers’ Frank Fritz hospitalized after stroke.”
—”‘Little Women: Atlanta’ star Ms. Juicy suffered stroke, out of ICU.”
—”Hailey Bieber (Justin Bieber’s 25-year-old wife) had mini-stroke, underwent heart procedure.”
—”‘Elvis’ actress Shonka Dukureh found dead in apartment at age 44.”
—”‘Sopranos’ Star Tony Sirico dead.”
—”‘AGT’ & ‘Voice’ contestant Nolan Neal dead at 41.”
Add to the list…
—”Paul Duncan, 35, former Notre Dame football star died of heart attack while jogging.”
—”The autopsy of Sam Bruce, former Miami Hurricanes football player, was released.” He died of a heart attack while driving in April at the age of 24.
These were all headlines in one day this week!
Have you ever heard of anything like this in your life? This is a tsunami. This is a plague. This is a REAL pandemic. These are all relatively young Americans either suddenly dead or very ill with the two most common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine (heart attacks and strokes).
Everything I have warned about on my national radio show since the first day of the vaccine has (sadly) happened. The chickens have come home to roost. I believe it’s clear the COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous and deadly, that it is the biggest disaster and failure in the history of health care and that it is a nonstop death and injury machine.
I’ve personally compiled a detailed list of studies released by governments and medical authorities around the world that all point to three absolute conclusions:
A) The COVID-19 vaccine is a horrible failure.
B) The COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous and deadly.
C) Those who take two or more vaccines may be much more likely to get COVID-19… to be hospitalized with COVID-19… and to die from COVID-19.
But it gets much worse. The vaccinated are dropping like flies from heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and cancer and are being disabled by a multitude of illnesses and diseases.
Two of the latest credible studies show…
—The COVID-19 vaccine may damage and destroy the immune system like a form of AIDS.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9167431/
—91% of those in the U.K. who have died of COVID-19 this year are triple or quadruple vaccinated: https://expose-news.com/2022/07/22/uk-gov-confirms-91percent-covid-deaths-triple-vaccinated/
Have you heard about these studies in the mainstream media? Why not?
Want to see all these credible studies pointing to a COVID-19 vaccine disaster? I’ve compiled the most extensive list of anyone, anywhere. I’ll send it to anyone who asks.
Now we come to my personal story. It’s been only eight months since I wed my beautiful bride Cindy Parker Root. And in that time, people we know and love have been dying and suffering deadly non-COVID-19 illness in huge numbers.
Thirty-three of them.
Thirty-three dead, or injured, crippled or disabled in only eight months. That’s a lot of friends and relatives. That’s a “death cluster” that should be investigated by scientists, MDs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a story that should garner media headlines. But wait, there’s more…
All 33 were vaccinated.
It’s important to note that I’m a conservative talk show host who has warned LOUDLY of the dangers of the vaccine since day one. So, my friends are overwhelmingly conservative and unvaccinated too. Yet the few friends I know who did choose to vaccinate are almost all dead or ill.
Just think about those percentages. The ranks of my few vaccinated friends are decimated like a platoon of Marines shredded by an enemy ambush, who came home in body bags.
Wait, here’s the clincher. Among my friends and family who are unvaccinated, not one of them has died or been sick since my wedding eight months ago.
Do you detect a pattern here? Even Democrats have to notice a pattern, right? Even Dr. Anthony Fauci has to notice a pattern, right? Even President Joe Biden has to notice a pattern. Well, let’s not get carried away. Nursing home patients with dementia can’t be expected to understand simple patterns.
Something is very wrong. Anyone can see it in the headlines every day. Americans are dropping dead at the highest rate in history. These are all non-COVID-19 deaths. These are young working-age Americans. And I’m betting they all have one thing in common: they’re vaccinated.
But in the end, nothing is more telling than my personal story. Call it a “vaccine death and disease cluster.”
The media needs to report on this disaster. The Food and Drug Administration and CDC need to admit it’s happening. The vaccines must be stopped. But instead, they’re doubling down. Remarkably, they’re recommending coronavirus vaccine jabs for babies, toddlers and teens.
This is either the biggest health scam and coverup in world history, or mass murder on a grand scale. Or both.
Wayne Allyn Root is known as “the Conservative Warrior.” Wayne’s new No. 1 bestselling book is out, “The Great Patriot Protest & Boycott Book.” Wayne is host of the nationally syndicated “Wayne Allyn Root: Raw & Unfiltered” on USA Radio Network, daily from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST and the “WAR RAW” podcast. To find out more about Wayne Allyn Root and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
Photo credit: spencerbdavis1 at Pixabay
Wayne Rooney is walking into a daunting task at D.C. United
It was a familiar sight to D.C. United fans: that of Wayne Rooney emerging from the international arrivals gate at Dulles International Airport, ready to start an American sojourn. It was only four years ago that Rooney first touched down in Washington, D.C. to join the city’s Major League Soccer club as their biggest-ever signing.
Rooney won the club’s fans over quickly with his play on the field, but in a flash he was gone, returning to England after a season and a half to join Derby County.
In that summer of 2018, hundreds of D.C. United fans were joined by a throng of journalists who tailed Rooney through the airport. But on Sunday evening there was no fanfare — only a handful of club employees and a few civilians who recognised the 36-year-old as he walked through the terminal and car park to an SUV that whisked him away. There were no flash bulbs, no autograph-seekers.
Truth be told, before Sunday evening, very few people in D.C. knew Rooney had already agreed to manage the MLS club.
Yet that fact became readily apparent as soon as Rooney emerged into view, accompanied by four massive travel cases — not the sort of luggage you bring if you’re merely visiting for a job interview. Rooney seems in it for the long haul this time.
Given D.C. United’s current state of affairs, he’ll need to be.
The club are in disarray.
Along with Chicago Fire, United have the fewest points in MLS and are fresh off a 7-0 rout at the hands of the Philadelphia Union at the weekend that ranks as the worst loss in club history, and joint-worst in league history. In the past weeks, they have lost several key players to injury — namely defender Brad Smith, formerly of Liverpool and Bournemouth, who will miss the remaining three months of the season with a torn ACL, and first-choice goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who underwent hand surgery and won’t return until late in the season (if at all).
Chad Ashton, the interim coach who Rooney will replace, has been shepherding the club through this rough stretch.
Ashton, an assistant at United for the past 15 years, replaced Hernan Losada in April after the Argentinian was dismissed amid allegations that he had lost the dressing room and was pushing players too far in regards to fitness and lifestyle demands. With the exception of a handful of bright spots — mid-season addition Taxiarchis Fountas has impressed — United have been tough to watch, and even tougher to support.
Rooney’s history with the club is brief but memorable.
He arrived four years ago just as United opened their new stadium, Audi Field.
Historically, D.C. United are among the most successful clubs in the league, winners of four MLS Cups, three U.S. Open Cups and a host of other trophies. But by 2018, they were in dire straits and had become irrelevant both in MLS and the local sports scene. They were a mid-table team, at best, who almost never progressed past the opening round of the playoffs and often missed them altogether.
Rooney changed that immediately.
He looked reborn with D.C. United after his 13 years with Manchester United ended in 2017, followed by a season back at boyhood club Everton, completely remaking the club on the pitch.
The former England captain was a model team-mate, choosing to remain in the trenches with players who made a fraction of his wages and had none of his fame. Despite his advanced age, he was a highlight specialist, deadly on set pieces, and before long, he began speaking of his desire to enter the coaching ranks. For a time, he seemed a shoo-in to be D.C. United’s next manager.
WAYNE ROONEY FROM PAST MIDFIELD!!!! pic.twitter.com/dJ5BriAOx3
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 27, 2019
But Rooney departed midway through a three-year deal, choosing to return to the UK and join Derby, then of the second-tier Championship. He signed initially as a player with an eye on a future coaching career, and within a year was the club’s manager.
In his absence, D.C. slipped back into irrelevance, both on and off the pitch. They have not made the playoffs since his departure and have struggled to recapture local fans — a matter not helped by the pandemic. Rooney’s return, some observers have noted, may be as much about raising the profile of the club as it is about helping improve their results.
Because of this, some supporters remain sceptical. Fans in the D.C. area are discerning; the region is multicultural and has long been a hotbed of soccer support in the United States. Rooney’s brief history as a manager at Derby is nearly impossible to analyse in any black-and-white sense, as fielding a competitive side amid the club’s financial issues seemed difficult at best — something D.C. United fans are largely aware of.
Still, many of United’s most ardent supporters are undeniably excited by his arrival, seduced not only by his name but by the fact that he was, by and large, the last truly captivating player they had.
Fans have raised other questions as well, though — Rooney’s early departure from D.C. was framed, at the time, as a personal decision made in part by his wife Coleen seeming unhappy living in the States, something later confirmed by texts entered into evidence during her defamation case against Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy’s wife, Rebekah.
Some wonder whether a move back to the US is viable in the long-term, given those circumstances.
Others in MLS are more optimistic about Rooney’s potential as a manager in the North American league.
Rooney made almost 50 appearances for D.C. United from summer 2018 (Photo: Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Inter Miami manager Phil Neville, a Rooney team-mate at the start of his Manchester United career who later coached him as a member of David Moyes’ Old Trafford staff near the end of it, offered his thoughts on the appointment during a press conference on Monday.
“I suppose Wayne’s got a slight advantage over me coming into the league, because he played in MLS,” Neville told reporters. “He’s got experience in MLS, he’s been on the road trips, he’s played with some of these players, he’s played in these stadiums, been in the environments and the climates. He knows what it’s all about and that gives him a great advantage.
“He’s not one of those managers you read about in MLS that come from foreign shores and it takes them 12 months to 18 months to get used to it and the salary caps. He’s been involved in the salary caps and knows everything about the league.”
Rooney has kept in touch with a handful of D.C. United’s players and retained an excellent relationship, by and large, with the club’s executives — something made readily apparent by his hiring and his rumoured salary of $1,000,000 a year, which would be nearly triple that of his predecessor.
The club have reassured Rooney he’ll have fair influence over personnel selections as the league’s summer transfer window remains open for another few weeks. United have two open “designated player” slots, a distinction reserved for an MLS club’s highest-paid players, and it seems likely they will fill at least one of those in this window.
D.C. United have been linked recently with unattached Uruguayan legend Luis Suarez, though the 35-year-old former Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid attacker has openly stated that any MLS club he plays for would need to be a playoff contender ahead of this year’s World Cup.
United need help all over the pitch. Aside from 26-year-old Greek attacker Fountas, a mid-season acquisition from Austria’s Rapid Vienna who is off to a blistering start with nine goals in his first 10 matches, the club have had few bright spots this season.
Their back line, which has kept them in matches for years, has suddenly become unreliable. They lack fluidity and precision through midfield and they have struggled to score goals. Hamid’s absence doesn’t help, either.
Yet things change fast in MLS.
Generally speaking, if you hit on your designated player signings, for example, you’ll contend. But the league is full of teams who spend meagerly and still make the playoffs, though that pack thins year by year as MLS continues to grow and money continues to flow in.
What kind of outlay United, who are joint-bottom of the Eastern Conference table but don’t have to worry about going down as there’s no relegation in MLS, will make on talent under Rooney remains to be seen.
They are typically not among the league’s highest-spending sides — far from it. And that has been true for some time, a fact Rooney has always been keenly aware of. During his time as a player in D.C., he pushed the club to spend more on players, facilities and the like. MLS is a league increasingly filled with billionaire owners who are able to test the limits of the league’s nuanced salary cap structure. D.C. United’s owners, who are also co-owners of Swansea City, do not have the same resources as some others.
By accepting this job, Rooney must be confident he can thrive in the circumstances he’s being offered. Confident or not, one thing remains clear: he has a lot of work to do.
(Photo: D.C. United suffered a record 7-0 loss at the weekend. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Wayne Rooney agrees to coach D.C. United
D.C. is 5-10-2 for 17 points, tied with Chicago for the fewest in the 28-team league.
Team officials said they did not want to comment. Paul Stretford, Rooney’s longtime agent, did not travel with Rooney but was expected to arrive in Washington this week.
Those close to the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter freely, said the sides are soon expected to finalize a multiyear deal worth at least $1 million annually, which would be the highest coaching salary in club history.
Once the deal is completed and he receives a work permit, Rooney will take the reins from interim coach Chad Ashton, who replaced Hernán Losada six games into the season. Ashton will continue to guide the team until then. Ashton is then expected to return to the assistant role he has filled for most of the past 15 years. Until he receives the permit, which typically takes two to three weeks, Rooney will serve as a team consultant, one person said.
Ashton was informed of the coaching decision over the weekend, and via a virtual team meeting Sunday, club officials told the players of Rooney’s impending arrival.
Rooney — a Manchester United legend and the greatest scorer in English national team history — retired in January 2021, shortly after being named coach of Derby County, a second-flight English squad. He stepped down last month after Derby, riddled by financial problems, was relegated to the third division.
Rooney plans to hire an assistant from English circles, one person said, and attempt to persuade European-based players he knows to sign with United during the transfer window — which is open until Aug. 4 — or before the 2023 season.
Among the targets, that person said, is Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez, the 35-year-old former Liverpool, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid star who is a free agent. United has two open slots for designated players, the MLS classification for high-end acquisitions.
Since leaving United after the 2019 season, Rooney has remained friendly with some D.C. players and team executives, who have consulted with him multiple times on possible player signings.
United has not qualified for the playoffs since Rooney’s second year in MLS. He had planned to play in Washington at least one more season, but because his family wasn’t comfortable living abroad, he and the club agreed to part ways. It’s unclear when his wife and four children will join him here.
What also remained unclear Sunday was whether United complied with MLS’s diversity hiring policy, which requires at least two non-White candidates among the finalists for technical staff positions. No other names have surfaced publicly.
The league does grant waivers under “extenuating circumstances.” United did not have to follow that policy when Ashton replaced Losada because it was filling the job on an interim basis.
An MLS spokesman said the league would provide an update Monday.