Without being asked about the sour result, the English striker said: “We didn’t play well at all, but also a bit of the fight in the team wasn’t there, which we need. We need to fight in every game like we did toward the end of last season to get to where we want to be.”

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Beyond the captain’s title, this is very much Rooney’s team. He is United’s quiet but pointed leader. So when he identifies an issue and speaks of it publicly, it means something.

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Continuing his take on the setback, Rooney said: “It was actually a good time for that to happen, just before the season starts. It’s a wake-up call and a reminder that, if we [want] to achieve good things this season, then we’ve got to make sure we’ve got that fight in every game.”

United will need to get its act together in short order with MLS Cup champion Atlanta visiting Audi Field for the season opener Sunday.

Rooney, 33, will begin his first full MLS season after arriving amid great fanfare in the middle of the 2018 campaign. His scoring touch, partnership with playmaker Luciano Acosta, experience and leadership helped lift United from last place to a playoff berth.

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Asked what he has witnessed from Rooney in the preseason, Coach Ben Olsen said: “More of the same in that he is a really well-respected player on the field and in the dressing room. He continues to be about the right things. Leaders are hard to come by nowadays in the game of soccer. He is a very good one.”

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With his wife and four children settled in a rented home in Bethesda, Rooney spent much of the offseason in Washington.

“I realized how cold it gets,” he said with a smile. “A lot colder than back in England.”

In general, “Life with children is like a lot of people who’ve got kids: You take them to school, pick them up and take them somewhere to play or take them home to do homework. It’s quite boring, but that’s our life and we enjoy it.”

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It was not all boring. In December, Rooney was arrested at Dulles International Airport and fined $25 for public intoxication after returning from a sponsorship assignment in Saudi Arabia. He had consumed three drinks and taken a sleeping pill, then opened a security door in the terminal.

He also has had to tolerate the English tabloids, who have breathlessly speculated about the state of his marriage and happiness in the United States.

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Asked in a recent interview whether anything funny or strange occurred at training camp in Florida, Rooney said: “Probably how stupid the story was that came out in England. It was a load of nonsense, but I’ve come to expect that from the English press. I’m sure they believe it was accurate.”

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On Tuesday, he added: “That happens a lot with me — some true, some not true.”

After the whirlwind of a partial season, Rooney said he has greater appreciation for MLS, which remains far behind the quality of leagues with greater history and money but continues to make strides.

“The standard of play maybe took me by surprise a little bit with the amount of quality that is in the league,” he said.

He cited Miguel Almiron, the former Atlanta star who, in his second Premier League appearance with Newcastle over the weekend, “was the best player on the pitch, by a mile. That’s great for this league, to have players going over [to Europe] and give fans maybe a different opinion of MLS.”

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Rooney, too, helped improve the league’s perception by posting 12 goals and seven assists in 20 matches last year. French power Paris Saint-Germain’s interest in Acosta this winter also bolstered MLS’s credentials. The proposed deal faltered, which, while disappointing to Acosta, “is good news for us,” Rooney said. “We’re happy he’s still here. Again, he’s going to be a big player for us.”

With his Manchester United experience as a point of reference, Rooney said: “Sometimes when things like this happen, you worry the player might be down and not give everything to the team, but he’s been great in training and great around the players. His attitude has been great.”

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Olsen is eager to see Rooney and Acosta reconnect.

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“The way they play together, it wasn’t a coaching thing," he said. "They enjoyed playing with each other, and they read each other very well. You see this throughout your coaching career or playing career — two guys who, just like that, they click. We’ve seen glimpses of that in the preseason so far, and they’ll continue to be a pretty dynamic duo in this league.”

Notes: United is still waiting for the league to finalize Quincy Amarikwa’s contract. Olsen said he is confident the veteran forward will be eligible for the opener. . . . United is building up midfielder Lucas Rodriguez’s fitness in hopes he can start Sunday. He missed more than two weeks of camp with a hip ailment before playing 33 minutes in the preseason finale.