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
Wayne Rooney open play came on 1 January 2011 in a 2–1 away win over West Bromwich Albion. On 1 February, Rooney scored twice and assisted Nemanja Vidić's goal in a 3–1 home win over Aston Villa. On 12 February, Rooney scored an overhead bicycle kick in the 78th minute of the Manchester derby, which proved to be the winning goal in their 2–1 win over Manchester City. After the match, Rooney said it was the best goal of his career, before Sir Alex Ferguson described the strike as the best goal he had ever witnessed at Old Trafford. Two weeks later,