Wayne Rooney says MLS football is 'like basketball' | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney believes the end-to-end style of play in MLS is similar to another popular American sport.

Rooney joined DC United in July and transformed the team’s fortunes as he inspired their run to the MLS Cup Playoffs, where they were ultimately knocked out on penalties by Columbus Crew.

But the 33-year-old says he has thoroughly enjoyed the experience so far, and has hinted that a few more quality players could be joining Black-and-Red during the off-season.

“The team when I joined was lacking confidence but I saw they had ability so it was just a case of helping the players show that ability,” the Englishman told Eurosport.

“I really enjoyed it. It’s a competitive league and we were unlucky to go out of the playoffs on penalties.

“I’m looking forward to next season now and we’re waiting on a few more new players coming in so hopefully that will happen soon.”

Rooney is of course a Premier League legend after what he achieved at Manchester United and Everton, and he says there are some similarities between the English game and MLS, and some pretty stark differences too.

“In terms of fitness levels, everyone in the Premier League is at the top of their game and the fitness levels are very similar [in MLS],” he said.

“In terms of the quality of the players, it’s a little bit different but it’s very competitive, it’s aggressive and a bit more like a basketball game at times so physically you do have to be ready for that.

“It’s a good league. It’s growing, it’s getting bigger and hopefully that will continue.”