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Official: Galaxy introduce Rogers after trading Magee to Fire

RogersGalaxy (LAGalaxy)

By IVES GALARCEP

The Los Angeles Galaxy introduced Robbie Rogers to the media on Saturday, after announcing the completion of their trade with the Chicago Fire for Mike Magee.

The deal completes weeks of negotiations between the Galaxy and Fire for the rights to Rogers, who signed his deal with MLS on Friday to pave the way for the trade that sent Magee to his hometown of Chicago.

“I’d like to thank everyone at Major League Soccer, the LA Galaxy and the Chicago Fire for allowing me to return to playing the game that I love,” Rogers said. “I look forward to getting back out onto the field and continuing my soccer career as a member of the Galaxy.”

“We are pleased to be able to add a player of Robbie’s qualities to our roster and feel that he will help improve our team now and in the future,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said. “It is also important to recognize Mike Magee and all of his accomplishments with our club. What he and his teammates have achieved over the past four years has been remarkable and we wish nothing but the best to him and his family as they begin this next chapter of their lives.”

The Fire add a proven goal scorer in Magee, who will be expected to help a struggling Chicago attack, while also giving the team a home-town hero to market.

“To add someone of Mike’s caliber to the Fire roster is tremendous,” said Javier Leon,  Fire president of soccer operations. “Mike is a proven offensive threat and to have him on our roster is a great opportunity for the Fire. He’s a Chicago guy, and we know he’s just as excited to come back home as we are to have him join the Club.”

According to several Galaxy players, the impetus for Magee’s departure was due in part to his desire to return to his hometown of Chicago.

The Galaxy’s interest in Rogers has gone back a long time, with sources telling SBI back in February that the Fire were aware of the Galaxy’s interest in Rogers when the Fire acquired Rogers’ rights in their trade with the Columbus Crew that sent Dominic Oduro to the Crew for Dilly Duka and the rights to Rogers.

Rogers could be available for the Galaxy’s match on Sunday against the Seattle Sounders if the team receives his international transfer certificate in time.

It remains unclear when Magee will make his debut for the Fire. He had missed the past few Galaxy games with an undisclosed injury.

What do you think of the trade?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I think Magee is a better player than Rogers because he is able to do a lot of different things. As an attacker, he gets back to defend well. He is always finding good spots to be in to help teammates or to put himself in a potential scoring position. He can finish pretty well. When you watch him, he always seems to be enjoying playing and is just fun to watch. Rogers has some speed and an OK left foot but his soccer brain really needs work, if going fast to the left does not work, he doesn’t seem to have an idea to try of anything else, but, of course, when going at a defender with speed does work he looks good.

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  2. Still dying of laughter at the thought that the Fire turned Oduro for McGee AND Duka !!!
    Ha! Oh wait just saw the standings I’m sober again

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  3. As a long time fan of the Galaxy, ever since 1996 when Mauricio Cienfugos scored that wonderful Free-Kick at the Rose Bowl……and the Galaxy wore those kits with a red collar and a weird but cool orange and teal green triangles on the shoulders…..I have to say I will miss Mike Magee a lot. He gave it his all every minute he was out there, which is what you want from ALL OF YOUR PLAYERS but he also performed in the playoffs and without him this past 2 years we do NOT win the 2 MLS Cups the Galaxy have won, he didn’t score in the Finals, and probably should have had 1 vs Houston in 2011 but if it wasn’t for his 6 goals in the playoffs we probably don’t get to the finals at all. He will always be a fan favorite of the Galaxy Nation. Take care Mike, and I hope you tear it up in Chicago….even if it’s against us…..just understand we will want to beat your team now lol

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    • Kinda feels like being dumped by a girlfriend or something, huh? I keep thinking how bummed – and jealous – I’ll be when I see Magee in a Fire shirt.

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  4. Wow Mike was so much more than to the Galaxy than his pretty average ability, he was our X Factor. I’m really bummed!

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    • That’s why I find this so depressing. Magee wasn’t so imposing on paper, but he’s one of the greatest players for intangible factors I’ve ever seen. I’m concerned about where this leaves the Gs, especially since I haven’t seen them playing with a lot of heart most of this season as it is. Maybe with the f@#&ing Fire he’ll get more of a chance to be regarded as a leader; the game he was our captain, at Salt Lake, was one of the team’s best of the season.

      I hope Rogers does great. But right now I really hate this.

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  5. First gay player to compete openly. He’s ready to be a vocal role model for the LGBTQ community. LA. Is about to capitalize on a huge marketing bonanza focusing on how open and accepting they are. But it’s def not about him being gay…he’s a soccer player that happens to be gay.

    I wonder when it will be about soccer….

    A month ago he was faulting the world an soccer community for not being accepting. He was afraid and confused. Chicago was at the root of that. So a month later he is now convinced everyone is his friend and being gay isn’t such a big deal and oh yeah he has a deal with LA to come out of retirement.

    Maybe it’s been about football this whole time..

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    • Joshua,

      Whatever the behind the scenes reality it makes football sense for both teams.

      For Chicago, Rogers did not want to play for them and an unhappy RR isn’t very good. Magee is a hometown guy, and is a leader who can jumpstart their moribund offense. If not for Herc Gomez, Magee might be doing his hybrid midfielder, winger, forward thing for the USMNT.

      For LA they get a speedy, skilled international winger who can play on either wing and is 5 years younger than Magee.

      Rogers already had some fine displays for the US. If he has finally gotten his head on straight then he has more upside than Magee, who has probably peaked. RR has a skill set much in demand for the Galaxy and the USMNT.

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  6. I bet that Chicago gets a lift from this. Magee is a veteran, and solid this season.

    I’m not sure how LAG is going to benefit. I haven’t seen Robbie play for quite some time.

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    • it’s got to be a big boost for the fire. Mike will be psyched to represent as well. Hope he does, I’m a fan

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  7. Awesome. I hope wie’ll s see Robbie develop into the player a lot of us hoped he’d be. He has qualities the US team has long needed, if he can sharpen his skills and do it consistently… He hasn’t even hit his prime yet as a player, so I don’t rule out a return to the national side.

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    • Rogers was once a productive member of the Crew called up at that time (and has also played in Holland and England) so all the talk about how this is an awful signing of a PR figment (try Jason Collins at this stage….he’ll be lucky to make a team) where LA got burned on the trade, is so much hyperbole. Just a couple years ago he was a Klinsi favorite who scored on Mexico. Mind you, he was a polarizing, Kljestan-type choice, but he’s a solid winger who if he got his stuff together could be back with the US (though his speed is just ok…..same as Shea….).

      Magee has had a career year so far this year, but LA has also been purposefully testing their depth, probably with an eye to both resting veterans and precisely the sort of player movement beginning here. Rogers is actually younger, like the players like Zardes and Villareal LA is tinkering with. My impression of Magee has always been that he’s a sparkplug type who can score big goals but doesn’t really fit a prototype position. So I’d take a NT level wing specialist over an older gamer, and let’s be real, Chicago just got something for nothing. So everyone’s happy. The trade magically sends each player back to his birth state.

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      • In Rogers I see a player who is very limited. His ball skills are no better than average, and maybe not even that. He can only go left and shoot left. He has some speed, but I haven’t seen much else. Note that he played very little in England and no one seemed interested in picking him up over there. I thought LA was lucky to pick up Magee from NY and is foolish to give him up now, when he is at his peak. Ideally, they should have picked up Rogers and kept Magee. Why couldn’t they have used a draft choice or two, and some allocation money or something similar? Or maybe give up Clark who hasn’t shown much, draft choice and money. Giving up Magee is a big mistake, IMO.

      • “Why couldn’t they have used a draft choice or two, and some allocation money or something similar? Or maybe give up Clark who hasn’t shown much, draft choice and money.”

        Well, if it were solely up to them, maybe they would have. But given that Chicago also had to like the deal, its quite likely that Chicago demanded more than the options you listed.

      • You can definitely argue both sides. There is no question that Chicago has the safer end of the deal, though. It is tough to imagine a scenario where he is not a valuable player there. Rogers is a riskier proposition, but as that rare true left sided winger and a guy who has been an MLS Best XI, LA probably got the bigger upside part of the deal. Great situation for both guys as both go home, Rogers can play to his strengths and doesn’t have to do too much and Magee gets to be the center of the offense for the first time. It’s a freaking fascinating trade and I can’t wait to follow both of them. On the surface, it seems like LAG gave up a lot for someone who hasn’t played in a while versus the EJ trade for Neagle and Fucito. Those guys are not as good as MM and EJ was better than RR obviously though not sure how salaries factor in.

    • Agree. With this huge burden off his chest and healthy (if not yet match fit) after a long hiatus, I see no reason why he can’t concentrate solely on soccer and be better than ever!

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