Coach Wayne Rooney and D.C. United will open the 2023 MLS season Saturday by hosting Toronto FC in a meeting of teams eager to improve from last year.
But outside the locker rooms, only Toronto size up as a popular choice to do so.
After the arrival of Italian national team stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi last summer, followed by the offseason signing of MLS veterans Matt Hedges and goalkeeper Sean Johnson, Toronto is a popular choice to be a playoff contender.
They showed brief promise after the Italian duo’s debut, going eight matches with only one defeat, but then closed the season with five successive defeats to finish second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference.
The only team behind them? D.C. United.
The Reds scored a respectable 49 goals but allowed 66, third-worst in MLS. At times, they might have to simply outscore opponents again in 2023.
“Our pure ability to create good chances, score goals, that has to improve,” Toronto FC coach Bob Bradley said, “but there’s a lot of things there that tell us we have the chance to have a good team.”
Rooney took over last summer after their season was already effectively lost and D.C. United would win just two of their remaining 16 games (2-3-11). They were shut out 11 times under Rooney, losing their last four games by a combined 12-4. Their 71 goals conceded on the year was worst in MLS.
Unsurprisingly, D.C. had a busy offseason, but without established names coming in it is a far less popular pick for a rebound. Their staple offseason move was to bring in central midfielder Mateusz Klich after the 32-year-old Polish national fell out of favor at Leeds United in the Premier League.
“I don’t care what people think as long as myself, the players, the staff, we know what our expectations are, we know what we’re able to achieve,” Rooney said. “Myself, I don’t really look at other teams and what they’re doing. I’m focused on us. And for us, it’s just about going out and trying to be a lot better than what we was last season.”
–Field Level Media
