From Wayne Rooney’s plans to leave after the season to a swell of transactions and a burst of rumors, D.C. United has been caught in a 48-hour tempest.
But when calm is restored, and Rooney is back at practice and the newcomers have found their lockers, Coach Ben Olsen will begin plotting a course over nine weeks to steer a wayward team into the MLS playoffs.
Although United is in the thick of the Eastern Conference race, four points out of first place and three above the postseason threshold, this season of heightened expectations has been a disappointment.