Following the arrival of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, DC United manager and former Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has asked the MLS to bring much-needed changes to the league.
After snubbing a return to Barcelona and a lucrative contract with Saudi club Al Hilal, Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami on a free transfer. The move, widely considered by many to be the best-ever transfer to the league, will boost the revenue and popularity of the MLS.
But ahead of his potential debut in Major League Soccer, Wayne Rooney the current manager of DC United wants the league to make some important changes.
Rooney blasts MLS for assigning USL refs
After his side lost 2-1 to Real Salt Lake, in part thanks to a Puskas worthy goal from Pablo Ruiz, the English manager spoke in the press conference.
In the game, Rooney and his side regularly complained about the refereeing, including a clear penalty not being given according to them. The referee in particular is actually a United States League referee, which is the second tier of football in the USA.
After the game, Rooney spoke about his feelings about the refereeing. He blasted the league as he believed they should not have put a USL referee in charge of an MLS game.
According to the Daily Express, he said, “There is six games tonight, so why do we get a USL referee? The guy has refereed four games in the MLS before, I don’t get it. Where are the MLS referees? Because that is not good enough.”
“It is not just the referee. There is a group of people who are getting these decisions wrong and it needs to improve.”
Wayne Rooney wants pleas to be heeded for the league’s growth
Rooney also added, “And they can ban me if they want, or fine me, but I am sick of it. If this league wants to grow and improve they have to do it with the officials as well.”
Clearly, Rooney believes the refereeing decisions are not good enough and asked the MLS to regard the issue as important.
Already the MLS is about to see the arrival of several stars from Europe. After Messi, both former Barcelona legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are set to move to Inter Miami. Luis Suarez and others could also arrive.
If the MLS truly wants to be seen as a serious and rising league, they have to listen to Rooney’s pleas. Millions of fans are going to be watching the games as Messi will play. If such controversies occur in the games, it would be a matter of laughing stock for the league.
The MLS also needs to work on several other changes. They may have to consider removing or expanding the salary cap to attract more superstars from Europe.
Overall, the MLS has to work on a lot of things to ensure the league keeps growing as Lionel Messi arrives in the States.
What changes do you think the MLS should make to improve the league? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
