Revised target - Wayne Rooney forces Darren Mattocks to reconsider goalscoring aims

Despite the reduction in his playing time following the arrival of former England captain Wayne Rooney, Reggae Boyz Striker Darren Mattocks remains steadfast in his quest to lead Major League Soccer (MLS) side DC United in the scoring chart this season.

The 27-year-old Mattocks told STAR Sports from his base in Washington yesterday that the arrival of the former Manchester United and Everton star forced him to reduce his target of 20 goals to 15 this season.

"This has been my only setback because I targeted 20 goals this season, which I was definitely on target for because at one point, I had eight goals in 11 games and because Rooney is playing upfront now," said Mattocks.

"But you never know what the coach (Ben Olsen) is going to do, because maybe he will start using two strikers upfront or maybe they may drop Rooney in midfield and put me upfront," he said. "Based on what is going on, my aim is to lead the team in scoring, and that would be a good target for me personally and also to help the team win matches," Mattocks said.

SCORED TWICE

The talismanic striker scored a career high ninth goal of the season in MLS on Wednesday night to help DC United to a 4-1 win over Portland Timbers. Mattocks' national teammate Oniel Fisher also netted for DC while Rooney scored twice.

Mattocks added that he has been enjoying his time with DC United, and he is now aiming to lead the club into the play-offs.

"I know what I am capable of doing, but it never worked out before because of playing time, but now I have been getting a better opportunity and I have been making the most of it," he said.

"However, since Wayne Rooney came, my playing time has dropped dramatically, but whenever I get the opportunity, I am going to do what I have been doing. Last night (Wednesday) was a perfect example of that because that is probably the best goal of my career," said Mattocks, who last represented the Reggae Boyz in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in the United States last year.