Gay Footballer Robbie Rogers Trains with L.A. Galaxy; Back to MLS? - VIDEO

Could Robbie Rogers, who retired in February after announcing he is gay, be planning a return to Major League Soccer?

The Guardian reports:

The former international, 25, was released by Leeds United in January, after a loan spell at Stevenage, and in February said he was leaving the game that had "hid his secret". But on Tuesday he trained with the Galaxy, whose coach, Bruce Arena, said it was "open-ended" as to what his future with the club might hold. The Chicago Fire hold Rogers' Major League Soccer rights, meaning the Galaxy would need to work out a trade in order to sign him.

"He looked a lot sharper than I thought he would today, given the fact he's been away from the game for a while" Arena told the Galaxy's website. "The timing I guess is good. I think our league is a progressive league. Our league is a league comprised of all different races, colours and creeds, and to be accepting of a gay athlete I don't think is anything that's difficult for our league.

Watch video of Robbie training as well as interviews with head coach Bruce Arena, and players Landon Donovan and Mike Magee about his chances of returning, AFTER THE JUMP...

Gay Footballer Robbie Rogers Proud of Jason Collins; Speaks to Anderson Cooper : VIDEO

AC360 aired Anderson Cooper's interview last night with Robbie Rogers, the footballer who came out in February and promptly retired. The interview was supposed to air earlier this month but was preempted by the tragic bombings in Boston.

Jason Collins' coming out, however, provided a perfect opportunity to air the clip because in it Rogers discusses having to live a straight stereotype while playing professionally. It would be really nice for CNN to post some longer clips of these interviews.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

In related news, Rogers spoke with E! News about Collins:

I think I was surprised like everyone else. Obviously, I know what it is like going through being gay and being a professional athlete and being closeted and all the emotions and all the thoughts that go through your mind. I don't know him, but I was very happy and proud for him. But most of all, I was happy that our society gave him such a positive response including athletes from all over the world on Twitter. Society is really changing, people are moving along and accepting gay athletes and I think more athletes will follow in his footsteps.

Footballer Robbie Rogers Talks to 'Nightline' About Coming Out, Gays in Pro Sports: VIDEO

Robbie Rogers, the pro soccer player who came out in February and simultaneously retired, speaks with Nightline tonight about being gay and hiding one's sexuality in the world of pro sports.

Said Rogers: "I think the same things that made it difficult for me to come out also gave me the strength. I was raised to be a voice, to be myself, to be unique, not to follow a pack."

Watcha preview, AFTER THE JUMP...

Rogers is also doing an interview with Anderson Cooper on AC360 at 8 pm.

Gay Footballer Robbie Rogers Talks About the Closet, Coming Out: VIDEO

Footballer Robbie Rogers, who came out of the closet in February and announced his retirement from football, gives a lengthy interview to The Guardian's Donald McRae about how it felt to be a closeted footballer and what life was like for him then, and now.

Said Rogers:

"I was just fearful. I was very fearful how my team-mates were going to react. Was it going to change them? Even though I'd still be the same person would it change the way they acted towards me – when we were in the dressing room or the bus?"

In all professional sport, dressing room "banter", in that euphemistic phrase, can be callous. "Especially football," Rogers stresses. How did he react when homophobic quips were made – even though his team-mates were oblivious to his sexuality? "There were different emotions. Sometimes I would feel bad for them. Sometimes I would laugh because it was kinda funny. And, sometimes, it got malicious.

"That was when I would get this awful feeling in my stomach. I would turn my head and try to chat about other things. They often don't mean what they say. It's that pack mentality – they're trying to get a laugh, they're trying to be the top guy. But it's brutal. It's like high school again – on steroids."

He's asked if he could face down the hate and abuse shown from fans in the stadiums as an out player:

"Sure," Rogers says. "I've thought about that. I might be strong enough but I don't know if that's really what I want. I'd just want to be a footballer. I wouldn't want to deal with the circus. Are people coming to see you because you're gay? Would I want to do interviews every day, where people are asking: 'So you're taking showers with guys – how's that?'

"If you're playing well it will be reported as: 'The gay footballer is playing well.' And if you have a bad game it'll be: 'Aw, that gay dude … he's struggling because he's gay.' Fuck it. I don't want to mess with that."

Watch part of the interview on video, AFTER THE JUMP...

Read the full piece HERE.

Pro Soccer Player Robbie Rogers Comes Out as Gay, Retires from the Sport

Former Major League Soccer player Robbie Rogers came out of the closet in a blog post on Friday and also announced that he's leaving football.

Wrote Rogers, in part:

Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple.   Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.

I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined… I will always be thankful for my career. I will remember Beijing, The MLS Cup, and most of all my teammates.  I will never forget the friends I have made a long the way and the friends that supported me once they knew my secret. 

Now is my time to step away. It’s time to discover myself away from football.  It’s 1 A.M. in London as I write this and I could not be happier with my decision. Life is so full of amazing things. I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest.  Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear.  My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended. 

Rogers said that fear held him back for 25 years:

For the past 25 year I have been afraid, afraid to show whom I really was because of fear. Fear that judgment and rejection would hold me back from my dreams and aspirations.   Fear that my loved ones would be farthest from me if they knew my secret.  Fear that my secret would get in the way of my dreams.

Dreams of going to a World Cup, dreams of The Olympics, dreams of making my family proud.  What would life be without these dreams? Could I live a life without them?

Life is only complete when your loved ones know you.  When they know your true feelings, when they know who and how you love. Life is simple when your secret is gone.  Gone is the pain that lurks in the stomach at work, the pain from avoiding questions, and at last the pain from hiding such a deep secret.

Tweeted Rogers Friday morning: "Just getting some sh*t off my chest."

Writes Goal.com: "The 25-year-old California native became a star in five seasons with MLS side Columbus Crew, winning the 2008 MLS Cup and the 2008 and 2009 MLS Supporters' Shield titles and being named to the 2008 Best XI squad. He made 18 appearances with the United States national team, scoring two goals."