Wonder what they'll do with that international roster spot. Still two weeks until the transfer window closes. http://www.newyorkredbulls.com/news/2012/03/release-regarding-status-luke-rodgers NY/MLS would still like to sign him again at some point in the future if/when he can get his Visa issues straightened out.
The guy is a jackass thug and apparently struggled to get the initial visa due to his arrest record. Apparently, those weren't the reason this time, so I've no idea why it was denied now. He was very good for the Red Bulls though. They'll miss his determination - though Kenny Cooper seems to be stepping up with the goals.
I believe he was denied due to overstaying his visa last time. But we will probably never know the reason.
It all seems very vague but from what I can gather Rodgers got approved for his visa in the fall of 2010. He did something (no one ever seems to say what except that it wasn't a police matter) before he left the U.K. and entered the U.S. When he went to renew his visa last fall he did not report the incident which led to his visa application being rejected this time. There was some talk that he overstayed his visa but that is apparently not the issue.
Actually it appears an incident occurred that went unreported: QUOTE ___________ From what I can glean, it was not the firecracker incident or his assault on the bouncer that that came back to haunt him. As best I can gather, it was a minor incident that went unreported by Rodgers that occurred between his 2011 approval and his actual arrival in the U.S. that was the proverbial straw that broke to camel’s back Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/socce...ed_bulls_tlrKsnx1x1xbpTj8fa9JRI#ixzz1qcxjcJeU
Sad to see him go. Unfortunately we won't get to see him get under the skin of opposing fans and players anymore. Landon is happy he doesn't have to see Rodgers anymore.
It's hard not to laugh. First off, let me say that I understand the frustration of those who say - correctly - that far worse people than Luke Rodgers are allowed into the country all the time. And it's even more confusing given that he was allowed in last year. But at the same, what makes this comical is that Luke Rodgers is a punk who sometimes plays decent soccer and, of course, that this is the Red Bulls. If it were any other team, you might say, "wow, that sucks, tough luck." But since it's the Red Bulls, who constantly seem to have no plan other than to not win the way other MLS teams have and who don't seem to want to emphasize domestic talent and who go through coaches like a baby goes through onesies, this seems like them getting their come-uppance. And for Rodgers, who came here with a reputation as a punk and then exacerbated that reputation, particularly in his childish, churlish feud with Landy Cakes and who almost took the head off a paying customer by kicking a ball towards her when he lost control of his emotions, it's hard not to see this and keep quiet your inner Nelson Muntz.
At least Red Bull fans and MLS fans in general always will have this current Red Bulls organization to bring some comic relief to game. From Hans Backe not knowing there was a Gold Cup and being the only manager not to show up to the Draft. To everything in between. The closest thing to this in sports had to be the Washington Wizards up to about 3 weeks ago when they had Javale McGee and Nick Young before they traded them. Javale McGee was dong stupid things increasingly such as Goaltending by slapping the balls that were pretty much going in to the stands. Then you had Nick Young who would take deep contested 2 pointers instead of passing to open teammates for easy points. At one point he didnt have an assist for like 10 games while playing 3/4 of every game. This was sports comedy at its finest on a continous basis.
I'm waiting for the next bit of news out of Red Bulls headquarters: that after the loss of Luke Rodgers due to off the field conduct that they will be replacing him with a fine upstanding citizen like Joey Barton or Nicolas Anelka.
Damn, I liked that guy a lot. I thought he was a great fit for this league and brought a lot of character. Kind of in the same vein as Hassli. Honestly, bringing in Rodgers was probably the single best move Backe ever made.
Let's relive some great moments from everyone's favorite agitator [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_pVwJwOH6A"]Luke Rodgers telling Donovan to shut the ******** up - YouTube[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r9_7kCtV9o"]Luke Rodgers of New York Red Bulls Nearly Killed a Woman With FootBall - YouTube[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CuHDP_gU3w"]RBNY's Luke Rodgers scores from a classy volley - YouTube[/ame]
Well, they're supposedly going after Stephen Ireland pretty hard, and while I don't think he has a criminal record, he's insane in the membrane.
I was a little sarcastic about this on my twitter account but in all sense he was not a bad player. In fact a very good player. How on earth did this happen. This guy came here last year and played with no problemes.. And now his Visa was denied???? does not make any sense. Alvaro Fernandez has played in MLS 2 years and got a green card.... Mauro Rosales 1 year got his green card... Marco Etcheverry played almost 6 years before he got his green card. GBS 3 years... And Rodgers who had a bar brawl... was issued a visa and then not re issued... Again this is mind boggling... Perhaps the NYRB did not want him back for some reason who knows any more..
Did you read the article I posted? He had problems getting his Visa due to his record. Apparently, once he was approved but before he showed up last year he got in trouble AGAIN and never reported the issue. This time around, it was discovered and his omission = denial.
here's the official article from the MLSSoccer.com http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/03/30/rodgers-denied-p1-visa-red-bulls-terminate-contract
That sucks. He was a real character and pretty decent player. I'll miss not watching him this season.