CARSON, Calif. – Robbie Rogers knows that he has big shoes to fill.
After being traded to the Galaxy in a deal that sent fan favorite Mike Magee to the Chicago Fire, Rogers must deal with the pressure of replacing the club’s former leading goal scorer.
During his 10 appearances with the Galaxy in MLS regular season play, Magee notched six goals, but he’ll now be taking his talents to his native Chicago. As Rogers looks to replace Magee’s production, he views the expectations as just another challenge.
“As a professional player, there’s always pressure. Mike is a great friend of mine and a great soccer player and I would love to play with him because he makes the game easy for everyone,” Rogers said. “I know that I’m very motivated to prove myself and I want to be better than I was before. I don’t want to be the last cut for the World Cup team; I want to be on the World Cup.
“I want to prove to everyone in this room and everyone in this world that I’m a great footballer, a great soccer player. It doesn’t matter that I’m gay or where I’m from so that’s not important,” said Rogers. “I’m very motivated and really excited because I think that this is going to be a great challenge for me.”
And as for what he’d say to Galaxy fans still skeptical or even upset about the deal?
“They want to win. It’s great for them, those are the ones that [my sexual orientation] isn’t a big deal to them,” Rogers said. “I applaud them because it’s not a big deal for them that I’m a gay athlete. All I can say to them is that I hope to be better and I hope to be an exciting player to watch, so I’m excited for that challenge to win them over.”
