TORONTO — Wayne Rooney gathered his belongings and ignored a semicircle of digital recorders and video cameras waiting to document his thoughts after a last appearance with D.C. United, one spoiled by his missed chances and his team’s extra-time fiasco Saturday.
In Rooney’s mind, words were not necessary to express his disappointment in the way the season — and his 15-month stay in MLS — ended in a 5-1 defeat to Toronto FC in a first-round playoff.
And with that quiet departure — a deviation from Rooney’s typically accommodating norm — United began to turn the page on an exciting if short-lived experience employing one of soccer’s most famous players.