SANDY, Utah — For a fun few days, D.C. United’s pursuit of Wayne Rooney created a riveting distraction to the problems of a slow-starting campaign and, depending on how one felt about the potential blockbuster move, offered hope or greater despair.
On Saturday, seven time zones from where the coveted English legend sorts out his future, United returned to the reality of a bad season.
A promising start turned rancid in the span of seven minutes midway through the first half, resulting in a 3-2 defeat to Real Salt Lake before an announced crowd of 16,961 at Rio Tinto Stadium.