Name: Robbie Rogers
Born: May 12, 1987, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Position: Fullback
Pro club: LA Galaxy
Why is he in the news?
His LA Galaxy are playing the New England Revolution in the MLS Cup on Sunday. Also, he just signed a multiple-year contract extension with the team in mid-November. But Rogers, an American soccer talent who’s also laced up boots for Leeds United and Columbus Crew, is no stranger to headlines. In May 2013 he became the first openly gay male athlete to sign with a team in a major North American sports league. Jason Collins, a recently retired NBA veteran who came out shortly after Rogers, cited him as someone who helped pave the way for other gay athletes. Rogers also just released his autobiography, Coming Out to Play, on Nov. 25. So, yeah—a lot of reasons he’s in the news.
He’s special because
Beyond helping blaze a trail to a place where gay athletes feel safe on and off their chosen fields of play and sexual preference ceases to matter in discussion of professional sports, Rogers is a versatile player who excels all over the field. Long a winger, he’s currently playing left fullback for the Galaxy in a role that allows him to utilize his attacking instincts.
Club career
The now 27-year-old is in his seventh year of MLS play. He joined Columbus Crew in 2006 and stayed for five seasons. In 2008 the team won both the MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield, and he was named one of the league’s best XI as a member of the Crew. He left in 2011 to sign on with Leeds United, but his time there was marred by injury and he abruptly retired from the game in February 2013 before coming out for the first time on his blog. Rogers then had a change of heart and joined LA Galaxy in May 2013, the team chosen so he could stay close to his family in Southern California. Since his move to fullback earlier this season, Rogers has had an integral starting role with the team.
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International career
After suiting up for 20 games with the U.S. under-20 and under-23 sides, Rogers made 18 appearances for the U.S. men’s national team between 2009 and 2011. He also scored the first goal of the Jurgen Klinsmann era of the USMNT in a 1–1 draw with Mexico on August 10, 2011:
His most famous moment
He’s had bigger moments performance-wise, but hitting the field for the first time as an openly gay player has to rank right up there amongst his career highlights (also, you know, calling the exact score for the time he’ll leave the bench, as he does in an interview before the start of the match, is pretty awesome):
Here’s an interesting fact
Rogers was a regional judo champ in his youth. So were two of his sisters.
He said it
“I’m a soccer player, I’m Christian, and I’m gay. Those are things that people might say wouldn’t go well together. But my family raised me to be an individual and to stand up for what I believe in.”
What they’re saying about him
“For me, he’s been brilliant since he converted to left back. He’s a player who has grown in stature in that position. If you’re looking at the best left backs in the league, certainly he’s up there. There’s no question about that.” — Robbie Keane, who, along with Galaxy teammates Landon Donovan and Omar Gonzalez, was recently named to the 2014 MLS Best XI