While the Premier League overseas actually has an exciting title race for once, the best race of 2019 might be across the pond in Major League Soccer. We’re less than 10 games into the season, but the 2019 MLS Golden Boot race is shaping up to be something special.
Case in point: Wayne Rooney’s free kick against Columbus on Wednesday night.
FOX had a rare soccer doubleheader on Saturday, for once not relegating its soccer coverage to FS2. The national network aired Der Klassiker between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, followed by the anticipated matchup between LAFC and D.C. United, the top teams in their respective conferences in MLS entering the weekend.
A meeting between Wayne Rooney’s D.C. United and Nani’s Orlando City on Sunday was dominated by the 33-year-old United captain, who scored with an outrageous free kick and contributed an assist in his side’s 2-1 victory.
Rooney did all the damage in the first half, beginning with an assist on Steven Birnbaum’s opening goal in the sixth minute.
Straight off the training ground!
D.C. United dropped five goals on Real Salt Lake to continue its undefeated start to the 2019 season, and the match was highlighted by Wayne Rooney’s first-ever hat-trick in MLS play.
The 33-year-old Englishman opened the scoring from the spot in the 34th minute, applied a delicate chip in the 41st for the second and then guaranteed D.C. all three points in the 65th when sliding in to provide a close-range finish.
The Nike Total 90 brand was introduced in 2000 and effectively ended in 2013 with the launch of the Hypervenom, but the legacy of the boot was secure with the introduction of the Total 90 Laser range in 2007.
The Total 90 Laser I was synonymous with a 21-year-old Wayne Rooney — the Manchester United forward was in the midst of winning his first English Premier League title while scoring a then career best total of 23 goals in 55 appearances.
Was there ever really any doubt the most earth-shattering moment of the regular season would win MLS Goal of the Year?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 22 goals during his inaugural Major League Soccer campaign. But it’s his first that will forever be memorialized.