With D.C. United moving into the new digs last year at Audi Field, the team wanted to also make a splash on the field. While playing at RFK Stadium, the team had been one of the lower-spending teams in MLS, but they had already decided to make a couple of bigger signings before the move to Buzzard Point. What was still missing, though, was that marquee player, someone who would bring attention to the team while also delivering results where it mattered most.

The club did just that last year when they brought in England legend Wayne Rooney as the highest-paid player in team history. Far and away, Rooney was the biggest player in terms of global recognition to join the club, after spending a majority of his career excelling with Manchester United.

There were a couple of questions as to what United might get out of Rooney before he joined. Rooney had in the previous summer moved back to boyhood club Everton, but fell out of favor in the second half of the season. His goal tally wasn’t what it used to be, and while part of that was attributed to his move to midfield, he was also closing in on 800 career professional games, a boatload for a player who was still 32 years old at the time.

Rooney didn’t mark his arrival on the field in the same explosive manner that Zlatan Ibrahimovic did a couple of months earlier in the season with the LA Galaxy. After a slow start, though, Rooney quickly showed why he was still capable of being one of the best in MLS, and even had his own signature moment.

Here’s our breakdown of United’s forward corps, highlighted by Rooney himself.

Starter: Wayne Rooney, of course

Rooney had plenty of career-defining moments in his career, mostly playing with Manchester United and England. One in MLS wasn’t going to change a person’s perception of him, but when D.C. United needed him the most in August 2018, he came up with a moment of brilliance that made him talk of the soccer world, putting D.C. in a spotlight it’s rarely ever been in.

Needing a victory against Orlando City to jump-start their season, United conceded a goal to a 10-man Lions side to enter stoppage time at 2-2. A draw wouldn’t have been the end of the world for United, but they needed a win in a bad way, and sent keeper David Ousted up to the box late in the game for a corner. The Lions cleared, and Will Johnson looked set to run the ball in from his own half, with no one in front of him. 

And then this happened:

? @WayneRooney goes beast mode, @LuchoAcosta94 calls game. #DCU | #DCvORL pic.twitter.com/Pd05OPlWMA

— D.C. United (@dcunited) August 13, 2018

It was the play for the ages. A tired Rooney, playing in the first of three games that week for United, chased down Johnson in the dying embers of a game, and then he delivered an otherworldly ball into the box from midfield for Luciano Acosta to secure his hat trick, giving United all three points. 

That moment, more than other moment on the field in 2018, changed the course of United’s season. United would win all three games that week, and though they followed that up with two losses, they would then end the season on a 10-game unbeaten streak, rising up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Rooney played his part perfectly, on the way to a 12-goal, seven-assist season in 20 games, earning MLS Player of the Month honors for October, and being named to the league’s Best XI at the end of the season. And even more impressive than his own accolades was his unlocking of Acosta, who went from a good playmaker into the league, to one of the best, joining Rooney on the Best XI.

United were bounced early from the playoffs, giving Rooney an offseason break like he never had before. It wasn’t all rosy during the break for Rooney, but the now 33-year-old seemed to pick up right where he left off in the preseason, scoring against the Philadelphia Union. 

For United to be successful in 2019, they need Rooney on the field as much as possible. There aren’t many options behind him, and there is no replacing what he brings to the team anyway. He played in every game after joining the club last year, but there will be times in 2019 where he likely won’t be able to start, or might have to skip a game. If he can replicate his success this season though, the Black-and-Red should be right back into the playoffs.

The Backup(s): Quincy finally announced

Quincy Amarikwa has been with the club since mid-February, but his signing was only made official by the club on Friday. Amarikwa has played 200 games in his MLS career, but only 98 of those appearances came in starts. Except for a couple of years, he’s been an option off the bench for several clubs in the league.

One thing that Amarikwa isn’t known for in MLS though is scoring goals. In 10 years, he has amassed 25 goals to go along with 19 assists in his 200 appearances. That’s not a great return for a center forward, and his production drops off even more when he’s coming off the bench. But United needed someone to fill the role, and it had to be someone who would be content with playing second fiddle to Rooney — something that Darren Mattocks didn’t want to do after last year.

If everything goes well for United this season, Amarikwa might have a handful of starts, to go along with maybe another 10 to 15 appearances off the bench. If it’s more than that, then United might not be on course for another playoff appearance. But if Amarikwa can chip in a couple of goals and assists then he might help relieve some of the pressure on Rooney for filling in the minutes at the striker position.

Before Amarikwa’s arrival, Ulises Segura was used as a striker. Though he has a slightly bigger build and can work hard, using Segura in this role is far from ideal. Ben Olsen could go with an extra midfielder in the starting lineup as a false nine if all else fails, but that would be a risky solution to cover for Rooney.