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
2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season post by David James before things went from bad to worse for the Manchester side. With 12 minutes to play, Portsmouth counter-attacked down the right hand side, forcing a two-on-two situation. The ball was squared to Milan Baroš, who was felled by Kuszczak in the box. The referee had no hesitation in sending Kuszczak off, despite both Rooney and Anderson having gotten back behind the ball before the foul. Nevertheless, referee Atkinson's decision meant that United had no recognised goalkeeper available for the remaining time. Wayne Rooney offered his services, but that would have left United without a recognised centre-forward,