D.C. United Forward Wayne Rooney to Depart Following 2019 MLS Season

The day has come, Wayne Rooney is leaving DC United. The saga has started and ended very quickly after the poor performance against Philly. News broke out that the Chairman of Derby County was in Washington DC to discuss terms of a transfer and the signs were there. There had been stories breaking out in the UK too about unhappiness in the Rooney family and that they wanted to be back in England. But we all hoped that wasn’t the case and it was just horrible tabloid rumours. Roll on to August 6th, and the transfer was complete. DCU have released this statement.

D.C. United have announced that following the conclusion of the 2019 MLS season, star forward Wayne Rooney will be departing the club to continue his career in England in order to be closer to family. It was announced today that, with the consent of D.C. United, Rooney completed negotiations to become a player-coach for Derby County in the English Championship in 2020.


“I remain fully focused on giving my all for the team for the rest of this season and repaying the support shown by the Black-and-Red faithful by hopefully delivering an MLS Cup to Audi Field,”Rooney, said. “My time in Major League Soccer is something I will always be proud of. The supporters in the Screaming Eagles, Barra Brava and District Ultras have made my time in America so enjoyable. While the decision to move home was a tough one, family is everything to us and we make this change to be closer to the ones we love back in England. The opportunity to go back home and start the next step of my career in coaching was the factor that made my mind up. I would like to thank everyone at D.C. United for the incredible support my family and I have received over my two seasons at the club.”


“After speaking to Wayne and understanding his difficult situation of being so far away from his family, we have accepted that this is the best decision for all parties,” Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien, D.C. United Co-Chairmen, said. “Our main focus now is the 2019 MLS Season and ensuring we make a push towards the playoffs with the ultimate goal of bringing an MLS Cup back to the District. Wayne is an exceptional leader and one of the most iconic players to play the game so we look forward to his continued contributions to the team this season.”


Terms of the deal with Derby County are undisclosed. Rooney will become a club ambassador for D.C. United. 

We wish Wayne all the best for the future, but hope that we can finish 2019 on a high. You’ve given us some great memories since you’ve joined and we thank you for that. Here is one of my favourite ones.