Watch the video of Wayne Rooney scoring his first hat-trick for the MLS club DC United.
Wayne Rooney, who spent 16 years in the English top tier with Manchester United and Everton scored his first hat-trick for DC United against Real Salt Lake in the Major League Soccer (MLS). The 33-year-old captained his side to a 5-0 victory on Saturday.
The English International made his move to the United States Club and has scored 15 goals from 24 appearances.
DC United finished fourth in the league table last campaign, they have now redeemed themselves. They are currently top in the Eastern Conference table with two wins and a draw from three games.
Wayne Rooney moved to DC United in January 2018 and has made a big name for himself at the club. Upon moving to the USA outfit, he scored 12 goals last campaign and opened his account with a hat-trick against Real Salt Lake after going goalless in the first two games.
WAYNE ROONEY’S HATTRICK:
The Skipper took the penalty in the first half to open his scoring this campaign. That goal was followed by a cheeky dink over the goalkeeper when he was under no pressure. It was a finish of the highest order to double the scoring.
For the third goal, the DC United striker had to make sure about tapping the ball in from close range to complete a resounding hat-trick against the strugglers Real Salt Lake. Wayne Rooney reached a trademark by scoring in 18 consecutive years since breaking as a teenager at Everton under David Moyes.
Not only did he score in 18 consecutive years, but he has found the back of the net against 100 different opponents in his joyous career. The forward famously scored against Barcelona in the Champions League finals, but that did not count as the Blaugrana made a tremendous comeback to put the game to bed.
Rooney has had a great impact on DC United’s side. Before the England International joined the side, they were able to collect just 11 points from possible 42 last campaign. Since his arrival at the club, they have bagged won 12, drawn 5, and lost just three which is a remarkable turnaround for the club.
The former Everton forward does not even bring only goals, but he will be able to set up his teammates as well. Wayne Rooney has assisted 7 times in his DC United career which speaks volumes about the amount of impact the forward is having on this side.
In the post-match interview, Wayne Rooney said that the red card helped DC United’s course to gain much advantage and score goals.
“It was a difficult game. We stuck to our game plan which worked for us. The first goal and the red card gave much more space for us and we were clinical. We had a chance, but apart from that, we were clinical in front of the goal.”
“I’m pleased for the team as I scored three goals. We won and it was a great victory for us. After preparing a lot in the pre-season, it was a good goal tally for us and not to forget about the three clean sheets which are vital for us.
“We are working hard defensively to keep the opponents on bay especially in the last two games where we had to work more than we did tonight. If we can be solid defensively, we have the players to go forward and score goals in the frontline.”
When he was asked about the chance he missed, he said that he was thankful to have completed the hat-trick.
“It was an easy chance. I should have tried to guide the ball a bit more, but it happens. Thankfully I got the third goal, so it did not seem to be a big miss after the overall performance.”
