Our long national nightmare is over. After 17 days, Minnesota United FC have a game again, traveling to the nation’s capital to face a D.C. United side that kicks off a seven game home stand. The Loons will go against a team surging toward a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, fueled by the opening of a new stadium and, more importantly, the presence of Wayne Rooney. Since July 14—the day of the stadium’s opening and the first appearance of Rooney—the Black and Reds have been 6-4-2, after starting the year 2-7-5.
The surge has been partly fueled by their imbalanced home/away schedule, having played just two games before the opening of Audi Field at Washington-area sites, but Rooney’s late career renaissance in MLS has been nothing short of remarkable.