Impact of SOCOM on the Manchester United team
SOCOM, a PlayStation series that was active between 2002 and 2011 on the PS2, PSP, and PS3 platforms, played a significant role in the success of Manchester United under Alex Ferguson, as stated by Wayne Rooney.
Rooney revealed on a recent episode of his podcast on BBC that SOCOM for the PSP was essential for the team’s achievements. The 5v5 matches promoted constant communication among players, which had a positive impact on their real-life performance.
“I genuinely believe that a major part of our success was due to playing on the PSP. It forced us to communicate more, whether we were playing on the plane, on the team bus, or elsewhere. It was me, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, John O’Shea, Wes Brown. Communication, tactical thinking, lifting teammates when they were down – it all contributed to our success. Ask any of those players, they’ll tell you how important it was,” Rooney shared.
According to Rooney, the gameplay style in SOCOM mirrored the players’ real-life actions. “Michael Carrick was sly and quiet, hiding and waiting for the right moment, while you’d always find me at the front, leading the charge. It was a perfect reflection of our on-field dynamics,” Rooney explained.
However, the legendary Edwin van der Sar wasn’t too thrilled about the team’s loud strategizing on the bus, with players shouting out positions and calling for assistance.
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