He hasn't played well in like 4 seasons. Can't see it turning around now. The whole unburden/now will maybe play better thing, I would say if that's the case, Jason Collins might be an all-star next season.
Maybe Jason left it too late in his career. I would say that RR, although older, has still not reached his prime in terms of soccer and the position he plays.
Yeah, if you read/watch some of his interviews, it sounds like one of his lowest points was after the 08 Cup and everyone was celebrating and he just wasn't happy. Most people would agree that this is when he started going stale/declining. What he went through has got to be tough, and now he has a huge weight off of his shoulders. He's only 25, maybe now he's ready to get after it, uninhibited. Maybe he's ready to explode. Or maybe he's been away too long and will be worthless. Who knows. But everyone has seen his potential. Maybe there is nothing to prevent that potential from emerging. He's worth taking a chance for just about any MLS team.
When he was still with the Crew, it was difficult to figure out what is issue was. I couldn't tell if he just didn't have any confidence, lacked the tactical awareness to be effective, or what was holding him back. I don't know how coming out would affect his play or mental approach to the game, but I still think that in the right environment he could be a dangerous MLS player. If I'm tRR, I'd be hoping to either go back home with the Galaxy and Bruce Arena, who has a track record of getting the best out of players (see: Mike Magee), or up to Seattle; where Sigi was the last coach to consistently get a good performance out of him.
I think he could be an effective player on a talented, well-coached club where his role is appropriate to his talents. That role for the Crew changed dramatically when Robert took over in '09. The year before, he'd had minimal defensive responsibilities, and Sigi used Guille as an assists man, slotting through perfectly weighted pass after perfectly weighted pass to Robbie (and a shitload of other goal scorers that year); it was Robbie's job to get behind opposing defenses, which he did very well. A year later, Robert asked Robbie to track back a LOT more on defense, while he pushed Guille up directly into the attack. Schelotto was a gifted enough player to make the switch, going from someone who racked up a huge pile of assists in '08, to becoming the team's leading scorer (by far) in '09. Robbie, it always seemed to me, struggled with the shift in his role. I do think he became a much better player defensively, but in so doing his offensive production virtually disappeared. And that can't happen as a starting left wing player. Maybe he'd excel as an offensive sub, or for a club that wouldn't ask him to play a lot of defense. Who knows. I'd welcome him back to MLS, but the Crew certainly wouldn't be a the right fit for him (if that were even being considered, which I assume it is not).
Well, knowing the mess that is Seattle, they're probably thinking anybody could be positive potential.
I think that it was more that he became predictable instead of any big change implemented by Robert. Unless, of course, Robert told him to take it straight down the wing to the flag and try and cross it and to NOT cut in toward the middle.
Frankly, Robbie's problems were NEVER his athleticism, it was always in his head and decision making. I mean, the stigma attached to being gay and hiding it might come to a point of being similar to hiding a murder or something for all I know. It is possible that now that he is free and out in the open and more comfortable in his own skin, that he will be able to put together all of the stuff he picked up by osmosis from GBS etc and put it to good use. Frankly, there is no better option, and I have said this for a few years, for him than Seattle. Sigi can get the best out of him. And I predict that best will exceed anything he did here from 2009-2011.
Still say he should be transitioned into a left back. He could do well there, for a club and for the USMNT.
Jeez, we're still talking about Rogers? How about the fact he wasn't very physical. After his hot start to 2008, teams starting hacking him a lot and his effectiveness diminished sharply. MLS is a fairly physical league where I doubt he prospers.
This was Kyle Martino's problem too also with the same issues in decision-making/confidence. I see a lot of parellel in K-Mart and tRR.com, not in their style of play or roles, but in the hype, potential, natural ability, decline, stagnation, frustratingly inconsistent (or the consistent run of short hot and long cold streaks) play, and lack of physicality.
We could all just go back to talking about how unhappy we are with RW and speculate more on scoreboard repairs/changes.
I'm just not buying into this. Yeah, I'm sure keeping that to himself for all those years was a burden that weighed on him heavily. And I'm sure your mind is clearer once that burden is gone. But if you truly have a gift for soccer, shouldn't the 90 minutes between the lines be the escape from it all? Even if the culture around it and in the locker room is awful? I'm not saying this stuff couldn't have had some effect on his play -- far from it. But, based on Rogers' own words, he would have been gay in 2008, right? And he seemed to play pretty well then. So if that's his excuse, it's not a complete one. Having a different attitude can help, but I just saw too many instances of horrible play out of him to think that that was the main reason for it all. Who knows? Maybe he gets back into soccer with a clear head, lands in the right situation and starts performing. But I'd be amazed if he gets above the level of a halfway decent, middle of the road MLS-er.
Well I think that was the point. Like I said in last post, it seems like after 08 is when he realized he just couldn't keep this up any more. Since he was a kid he had used soccer to distract, deflect, escape, whatever. And after a lifetime of dedication he wins the championship (in his hometown in front of his family and friends), but he just couldn't be happy. That had to be extremely difficult. I 100% believe it affected his play. Now that he doesn't have this mental baggage weighing him down (although I imagine there would be a new set of challenges), who knows what he is capable of. The kid had loads of unrealized potential. It would seem now that one of the barriers preventing him from realizing his potential is gone. This is not a guarantee that he will evolve into a great player, but there is definitely a better chance. Based on some flashes we have all seen and given that he is still young, he is definitely worth taking a chance on. I hope he picks up somewhere just to see how he can do.
In Kyle's case I don't think he shied away from playing physically--it's just that he was so spindly that his body wasn't up to it over the long haul, and the refs did not protect him from the hacks.
I was going to include this in my post about his predictability, but I didn't want to be seen as stereotyping considering what we now know. In general, while there are times some teams start hacking, MLS is typically physical without too much hacking. Much like Premier League.
Rogers did lead the team in assist in 2011 and did get the Crew Hardest Working Player Award so he was playing okay for the Crew. The Crew also managed to make the playoffs when he played for them. I suspect that dealing with his gayness and dealing with RW was more than could be handled. Also 2008 Robbie was one of the top three players in fouls suffered. Those stats declined under RW due to the role change I think.