(Reuters) – DC United’s new manager Wayne Rooney urged his side to use their 2-1 win over Orlando City as a platform for the rest of the Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign as the former Manchester United forward got his reign off to a successful start.
Goals in added time from Chris Durkin and Taxiarchis Fountas gave DC United the win after Junior Urso had put Orlando ahead in the first half at Audi Field.
Rooney was appointed manager last month but had to wait to receive his work visa before he could take charge of the MLS strugglers, who are bottom of the Eastern Conference with 21 points from as many games.
“I believed we would win the game, but the one thing we had to do was up the tempo,” Rooney told reporters. “I asked the team at halftime to be more positive. To put the work in. I thought the second half was excellent.
“The players needed that. This season has to start now. They’ve had some bad results in the first half of the season.”
DC United next face Charlotte FC on Wednesday and Rooney said it was important to build on Sunday’s win.
“We can’t rest and think ‘we’ve won a game,'” he added. “We have to be consistent and we have to go on a run.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
