A Prideful Night for Robbie Rogers
- Updated: June 27, 2015
(Photo via Twitter User @LAGalaxy)
Wednesday night the LA Galaxy celebrated Pride Night 2015 and played the Portland Timbers. It was a special night for the soccer community—players, fans, coaches, and dveryone else—regardless of sexual orientation and gender. We should not be worried about whether players or coaches are heterosexual or homosexual nor male or female. Respect the game and make decisions based on their performance—not their sexual orientation or gender. It would definitely be a night Robbie Rogers would never forget!
Starting Lineups and Substitutions
| LA Galaxy | Portland Timbers | ||||
| 18 | GK | Jaime Penedo | 12 | GK | Adam Larsen Kwarasey |
| 14 | D | Robbie Rogers | 2 | D | Alvas Powell |
| 20 | D | A.J. DeLaGarza | 7 | D | Nat Borchers |
| 4 | D | Omar Gonzalez | 24 | D | Liam Ridgewell |
| 33 | D | Dan Gargan | 19 | D | Jorge Villafana |
| 8 | M | Baggio Husidic | 21 | M | Diego Chara |
| 17 | M | Sebastian Lletget | 13 | M | Jack Jewsbury |
| 19 | M | Juninho | 6 | M | Darlington Nagbe |
| 24 | M | Stefan Ishizaki | 8 | M | Diego Valeri |
| 7 | F | Robbie Keane | 22 | M | Rodney Wallace |
| 11 | F | Gyasi Zardes | 37 | F | Maximiliano Urruti |
| 12 | GK | Brian Rowe | 33 | GK | Andrew Weber |
| 22 | D | Leonardo | 23 | D | Norberto Paparatto |
| 25 | M | Rafael Garcia | 20 | D | Taylor Peay |
| 34 | M | Kenney Walker | 4 | M | Will Johnson |
| 5 | M | Jose Villarreal | 17 | M | Michael Nanchoff |
| 9 | F | Alan Gordon | 10 | F | Gaston Fernandez |
| 15 | F | Ignacio Maganto | 9 | F | Fanendo Adi |
In a similar manner to the last game against the Philadelphia Union, the Portland Timbers came out with rhythm, speed, and dominance. The LA Galaxy, on the other hand, started sluggishly and uncoordinatedly, yet that all changed in the twelfth minute.
Sebastian Llleget is turning into a forced with which to be reckoned! He has speed, aggression, ball control, and an excellent goal scoring ability. He scored his third goal of the season in the 13th minute off of a quick cross from Dan Gargan in the box. Five minutes later, Lleget helped gain a penalty kick that Robbie Keane sent into the back of the net!
In the 33rd minute, the two Robbies connected for a third goal. It was Robbie Roger’s first MLS goal in four years. Before he left MLS to join Leeds United, Rogers scored in April 2011 while playing for the Columbus Crew. Then, in 2013, he retired from professional soccer and revealed his sexual orientation to the world. Just a few months later, he trained with the LA Galaxy and joined the team. He played his first minutes with them on May 26, 2013. So, with it being Pride Night, Rogers deserved this goal! Keane waited for Rogers to make his run and adeptly passed him the ball. Without stopping it, Rogers then curled the ball past Adam Larsen Kwarasey into the net. An amazing goal and perfect timing.
The score remained 3-0 with the Galaxy in the lead until the 72nd minute when Juninho scored his third goal of the season. Once again, Keane passed the ball to Juninho when he made his run, and then Juninho quickly took a touch and shot the ball past Kwarasey.
A bit later, fans saw Alan Gordon shove Liam Ridgewell from behind. At first, it seemed like Gordon simply wanted to stir up some trouble, but as replays showed, Ridgewell kicked Gordon in the back of the thigh. The referee sent Ridgewell off the field with a red card and gave Gordon a yellow card.
Two minutes before stoppage time started, Jose Villarreal added his name to the list of goal scorers. He sent a wonderful ball curling around the wall set up for the free kick, and it bounced and skimmed into the goal.
Looking Forward
Their next match is the California Clasico 2015 on June 27, 2015. The Galaxy will play the San Jose Earthquakes for the first time in the 2015 MLS Regular Season. The Galaxy lost in the pre-season 3-2.
Unfortunately, both Gordon and Rogers received a yellow card this match, which means if they receive another, both players will be suspended one match for yellow card accumulation. However, if Rogers plays three consecutive games without receiving a yellow or a red, the MLS Disciplinary Committee will reduce his balance to 1 yellow card and the count will restart. Yet, a suspension for either player could prove fatal to the Galaxy in the U.S. Open Cup when they play the San Jose Earthquakes on July 1, 2015 (their second matchup in a row).
If the Galaxy keep up their momentum and start off strongly instead of disjointed manner, they should have an excellent chance at winning! I definitely think the Galaxy have a great lineup when Sebastian Lletget starts in the midfield. He seems to be hitting his stride and connecting with his teammates well. Of course, things might change once Steven Gerrard arrives and trains with the Galaxy. Lletget’s starting days might be nearing their end. I believe Bruce Arena should also keep the A.J. DeLaGarza—Omar Gonzalez pairing up because those two together keep the defense in line. These next few weeks will be interesting to see how the team’s dynamics alter with little time in between matches and Steven Gerrard’s impending arrival.
If you’d like to learn more about Robbie Rogers, I highly recommend reading his story called Coming Out to Play. I finished it several months ago, and it is a tremendous read that I think everyone—sports fan, player, etc.—needs to read.
Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things LA Galaxy and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, all the time!
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