ClapAs we all know, Wayne Rooney is going to be leaving his American adventure sooner rather than later in favour of a return to English football. He’ll be taking on a player-coach role with Championship side Derby County in January, and while that was a somewhat surprising move on his part, it’s gradually starting to become more and more clear as to why Rooney is so disenchanted with Major League Soccer right now.
As reported by AS and Deadspin, Rooney was more than happy to voice his displeasure in the wake of DC United’s most recent league loss. He let it be known that he wasn’t happy with the state of the referring in the North American league, and subsequently, he also lashed out at the poor travel arrangements that the league has put in place.
Wazza isn’t happy
“I have my opinions of the referees. It’s not very good. I feel they need to improve the game. I got kicked, and the referees do nothing. All I’m asking for is a bit of protection. I feel it’s happening game after game. It’d be nice if Mr. Howard Webb came down to the training ground to speak with us to get some clarification.”
“Gutted about result last night. We deserved more. Looking forward to a 12 hour travel day which could be done in 6 but hey this is MLS. We will get ready for Red Bulls Wednesday. #Charterflights #msl.”
One thing you can’t say about Rooney is that he isn’t passionate about his time in the MLS, because he quite clearly wants to see things change in one way or another. Sure, he isn’t going to be around for all too much longer in order to capitalise on that, but perhaps this is a message that will continue to linger and have an impact long after he is gone.
DC United are in with a good chance of causing an upset here and there in the playoffs, but they need their talisman to be in the best position possible. Rooney isn’t the only catalyst behind them being successful, but if the referees don’t clamp down on the kind of tackles he’s being subjected to, then there could be issues.
Finding the issue
It’s not like this is an issue that has popped up overnight, either. All you need to do is go back and look at all of the red cards that have been issued in recent months to realise that the inconsistency is painfully evident for all to see.
We honestly believe that Major League Soccer is going to be right up there with some of the best leagues in world football one day, but not if they keep living in the 80s with some of these refereeing decisions.
When it comes to Rooney, it’s going to be interesting to see how he plays in the next few months. He could either switch off completely ahead of his switch over to Derby, or he could throw everything he’s got into winning the MLS Cup.
