MLS Week 24 review: Wayne Rooney goes all out

Wayne Rooney had his iconic MLS moment, the Red Bulls keep adjusting and more from a wild MLS Week 24.

When D.C. United sent in a 96th-minute corner-kick, with the score tied 2-2 with Orlando City SC at Audi Field, already at a critical juncture in the season due to their far-away position in the playoff race, I had to do a double take: a blue shirt, contrasting the white and black shirts of the players, and Orlando goalkeeper Joe Bendik’s red shirt, was poking around in the box. It couldn’t be goalkeeper David Ousted, could it? D.C. couldn’t be bold enough to leave an empty net in a tie game, right?

On second glance, it was indeed Ousted, marauding like Manuel Neuer in the World Cup. Sending the goalkeeper forward on a late set piece is a common tactic when trying to save a result. It’s much rarer when the game is tied.

The corner was slashed clear by Orlando into the path of a sprinting, determined Will Johnson, with dreams of an empty net. Johnson, longtime MLS midfielder and notorious for his vein-popping anger outbursts at referees, cut an earnest, fervid figure as he churned towards the ball, which sat nicely for him on the left side of midfield. He had acres of green sprayed in front of him, and no goalkeeper to beat.

Johnson darted his head back, and then again, anticipating some trailing D.C. player to be casting a similar figure as he was. Indeed, there was an opposing player doing exactly that. The player had his head down and appeared to be spending every last bit of energy chasing Johnson down. It seemed at first like a futile attempt. All Johnson had to do was hit the ball into open space and either him or a teammate would finish the job, completing a miraculous, bizarre win for Orlando, and a devastating loss for the home team.

The chasing D.C. United player was Wayne Rooney. The Wayne Rooney that was playing his sixth game in MLS. As Rooney approached, it seemed increasingly like he would actually prevent Johnson from launching a winner from midfield, and sure enough, the 32-year-old made it. Not only did he make it, he made a glorious slide tackle and got up in time to dribble calmly back into the attacking half. Wayne Rooney, of all people, had just sprinted 50 yards to save D.C. United. It was heroic.

Rooney then dribbled a bit more and felt center-back Shane O’Neill on his back, so he flung a high-arching, throw-one-last-kitchen-sink cross in the direction of the back-post, where a number of players remained as they watched Rooney produce one of the most remarkable, and to some extent surprising, moments of commitment MLS has ever seen.

The cross hung in the air forever, as though there the gods of soccer were watching over it, deciding in that moment whether to reward Rooney’s bit of brilliance. It looked for a second like it could either go into the stands or right to the head of a United player, because Rooney is just that good and he can hit a cross from that far away exactly where he intended it to go.

To fulfill a certain cosmic justice for Rooney’s effort, the cross found the head of the shortest player on the field, Luciano Acosta, who headed it delightfully into the goal and leapt into the arms of happily stunned D.C. supporters, the fact that he had just secured a hat-trick not even in consideration at this point. The fact that it was a header by the 5-foot-3 Acosta that finished the play epitomizes its generally astonishing nature, and the mystique already forming.

A lot went into this play, and that doesn’t take into account the obvious athletic efforts of Rooney. This will forever be considered the time that Rooney proved he cared, that he wasn’t here to waltz around the field and enjoy the popularity. He put himself in the tier of popular European MLS players who gave their all in this league.

D.C.’s boldness in sending the goalkeeper forward (that was reportedly coach Ben Olsen’s decision) should not be overstated. That was a serious gamble, and they have my respect for it.

Referee Jose Carlos Rivero checked the play on replay afterwards, delaying Rooney’s elation until Rivero triumphantly confirmed the goal after checking vaguely for offside. All Rooney could do when the goal officially counted was sit back and smile.

The Red Bulls adjust to ArmasBall

Under coach Chris Armas, the New York Red Bulls want to be a more possession-oriented club. Even with the wins still coming, there have been subtle complications for a team that built their identity on pressing and counter-pressing under Jesse Marsch.

The modified tactics emphasize keeping the ball and creating chances from high-volume possession rather than using the press to generate turnovers close to goal. It’s not drastically different to what Marsch did. They still heave numbers forward and run hard without the ball, and they’re still pinning teams deep with their aggressive style. They’re just doing it in a different way.

They’re less direct with the ball now than with Marsch, resulting in the occasional stagnation. In some ways, it’s more difficult to generate chances with the ball than without it. They don’t have the opportunity to force as many giveaways in important spots.

They have the ball a lot in the attacking third, but they are more patient with it:

NYRB, essentially, complete more passes relative to shots under Armas. This is a risk in that it’s a departure from what has worked long-term, with a roster designed for Marsch’s lung-busting system. A number of players are put in new positions on the field, having not played in such dedicated possession shapes in New York. (That’s how you get Tyler Adams on the wing.)

There are positives to this new style. They’re less likely to get burned on the counter for throwing so many players forward in the press. This style requires less tactical perfection for success. Pressing can open significant gaps if broken.

Their next step is to turn that possession into more quality chances. The Red Bulls notoriously struggle at that, a big reason for their playoff failures and their CONCACAF Champions League exit against bunkering Chivas. So far, none of that has mattered, because they’ve won five of Armas’s seven games in charge.

It will be fascinating to see how these adjustments play out in future big games.

Awards

The best team in the league

It’s still Atlanta United, who enjoyed a bye week. Seeing their biggest competition for the Eastern Conference title, the Red Bulls and NYCFC, both win on Saturday will make them just a little less confident in their spot atop the Supporters’ Shield standings. Both New York teams are just a point back, and the Red Bulls have a game in hand.

NYC beat 10-man Toronto FC on the road, 3-2. Jozy Altidore’s 10th minute red card skewed this game, but it was a huge win for the Light Blues, even if they didn’t dominate the game nearly as much as they should have given their 80 minute advantage. It took a late Ismael Tajouri-Shradi golazo to grab three points, and they were beneficiaries of defensive mistakes and a goalkeeper howler.

TFC are seven points out of the playoffs. They continue to beat themselves in every way they possibly can. I have no idea how to diagnose the struggles of this team. Everyone is back from injury. It makes no sense.

The worst team in the league

San Jose! The two teams who have had this title all season played on Saturday, and the newly-promising Colorado Rapids left it late against the Earthquakes, winning 2-1 on a Nana Boateng stoppage time goal. The Rapids are playing a 4-4-2 diamond and look pretty good.

The Earthquakes keep losing. Their left-back, this time Shea Salinas, got another late red card that indirectly resulted in a late winner conceded. (It also happened with Kevin Partida against LAFC. It’s happened twice.) At least new midfielder Luis Felipe has looked competent.

Predictable result of the week

Their were goals between the LA Galaxy and Minnesota United, MLS’s two worst non-Orlando defensive teams. The score was 2-2, with Minnesota substitute Romario Ibarra scoring an 84th minute equalizer. Sebastian Lletget replaced Giovani dos Santos in the Galaxy midfield and scored what at point looked like the winner. He should play more.

Random result of the week

Portland’s 15-game unbeaten streak ended Saturday as the Timbers lost 2-1 at home against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Diego Valeri missed a penalty and Jeff Attinella had an error, as we’ll see in a second. Vancouver keep finding themselves in this section, as they alternate between getting good results against good teams and giving up three goals to non-playoff sides.

Goalkeeper howler of the week

Attinella made a mess of this cross:

Any cross anywhere near the top of the box is probably not worth coming for.

And Alex Bono let this one slip:

Bono has been a bit high on the howlers this season. He may have been screened on this play, but the state of USMNT goalkeeping is not great at the moment.