CARSON, Calif. – Robbie Rogers believes he’s fit and ready to return to action after overcoming a left Achilles injury that has sidelined him for the past month.
In his first action since May, Rogers went 61 minutes for Galaxy II during their 2-1 victory over Orange County Blues last Saturday. After a successful rehab stint with Los Dos and a solid week of training, Rogers is confident that he can return to the lineup this Saturday when the Galaxy travel cross-country to face Columbus Crew SC.
“I feel alright. It’s something that I’m going to have to deal with all season because I feel like it’s a tendonitis thing now,” Rogers told reporters. “But Training [on Tuesday] felt good and I feel better and sharper every day. I think that I’ll be ready to play this weekend, and go forward from there.”
Rogers’ injury first surfaced prior to the team’s trip to New York back in April, and although the left back tried to battle through it for several weeks, the pain from the swelling became too great, and he was forced to miss the Galaxy’s last five matches. Even now, Rogers’ ankle remains so inflamed that the defender has had to cut out a piece of his left cleat to relieve some of the pressure.
The left back admits that the injury situation is difficult but Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena believes that the defender is moving forward with an eye on this weekend’s match.
“I know that he played 60 minutes and did OK [on Saturday],” Arena. “It’s important to get him back on the field, if he gets through the week of training there’s no reason to think that he won’t be traveling to Columbus.”
If Arena deems Rogers fit and ready to play, the left back is expected to make his return when the Galaxy take on Crew SC on Saturday. Rogers helped lead Crew SC to an MLS Cup back in 2008, and now as a member of the defending champion Galaxy, the defender is eager for a chance to return to face his old club.
“I’m excited to go back to Columbus and play,” Rogers said. “It’s a big game for us because we still need to get a win on the road. It’s an important game.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
