Wayne Rooney window opened on 10 July. On 14 July, in a 3–1 win against the Vancouver Whitecaps, Rooney made his debut for United, coming on for Darren Mattocks in the 59th minute, and assisted a goal by Paul Arriola. Rooney's debut came on the unveiling of DC United's new $400 million stadium, Audi Field. After three games, Rooney was named captain by manager Ben Olsen. His first goal for the club came on 28 July in his first game with the armband, slotting past his former Manchester United teammate, goalkeeper Tim Howard, securing a 2–1 win over the Colorado Rapids at
2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season may have contributed to a lethargic performance from the home team. An awful back pass fifteen minutes into the match gave Wayne Rooney the chance to equalise for United, which he duly did, but the poor performance from United continued, with Porto putting United under regular pressure. Despite this, United created a number of chances throughout the game and finally took one on 85 minutes when a Rooney flick was buried by Carlos Tevez. This goal looked to have given United an important win but Mariano González scored in the 89th minute to give Porto two away goals and a