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Rogers receives work permit to join Leeds

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photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com

Robbie Rogers' move to Leeds United has not yet been completed, but the move seems all but done after Rogers was approved for a work permit.

Not having played the required amount of games for the U.S. men's national team, Rogers qualified for a work permit on special dispensation. All that remains in his way from joining the club is more paperwork, as he now needs a visa and international clearance, though they seem formalities at this point.

Once that final paperwork is completed, Rogers will go directly into Leeds' first-team plans. He reportedly already agreed to an 18-month contract, with the club having an option at the end of it for an additional year.

The news of Rogers' work permit approval could bode well for fellow U.S. internationals Tim Ream and Edson Buddle. Both could soon be on the move to clubs in England, though they will likely need to go through the same process to receive work permits.

What do you think of this development? Ready to buy your Rogers Leeds jersey? Do you see Tim Ream and Edson Buddle getting work permits in the near future, too? 

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Does anybody have a good link explaining the work permit process? I found some stuff on the FA website but nothing that really goes into detail about the “other” factors. Thanks.

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  2. Hopefully Rogers doesn’t see the same fate as Mike Grella. Fell down the pecking order behind players like Becchio and is now in League One. Best of luck to Rogers on his move.

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  3. My daughters and wife will want to buy his jersey for sure but he does not have a number yet. Seriously, I admire the lad for taking on a new challenge to get better and push his level. I expect he will do well there as he did while Sigi was with the Crew. This will be good for the USMNT and for MLS when he eventually returns to the States someday.

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  4. Like Klinsmann I’m more interested in what a player can do rather than what he can’t.

    While it is unlikely that his next team will be Barca, Rogers, right now, has shown enough skills and ability to be a very useful player for Leeds and the US.

    He just needs to be more consistent. His problem is almost entirely psychological. I like to say he needs to get his head on straight. If Leeds can help him with that, (and when will he ever have a better opportunity?)then he may be able to come close to achieving his potential. If not then it will be a big waste.

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  5. While he is not in SAF’s league in terms of clout,JK is very well liked in the UK.

    He was a star at Tottenham, introduced diving as an art form, remains well respected for the job he did with Germany in 2006 and retains a strong following there.

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  6. Probably not.

    When it goes into the appeals mode then you qualify on “special” exemptions which apparently include things like JK testifying Rogers will be an important part of the US team going forward, Leeds saying they really need im and have arole for him and so on.

    It sounds like Robbie had a lot of people going to bat for him. In other words, it gets a lot more subjective.

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  7. He passes well out of the back. This skill will be essential as the team seeks to implement a more possession oriented style of play.

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  8. Exactly how much clout do you think a German striker/manager has in the UK Foreign Office? Sir Alex has clout there because he’s well, Sir Alex, but I bet he doesn’t have much clout in Berlin.

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  9. Then there’s that.

    I’m not a fan of Ream. Last year he had a number of “blackouts”.

    Good defenders maybe have one, maximum 2, moments where they jeopardize their team. Ream had at least 3 or 4 last year.

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  10. Rogers is fast and he can cross the ball fairly well, but if his speed can’t get him up the line he looks pretty lost as to what to do. Basically he has no plan B. If he is successful at Leeds it will mean he found something else he can do when his one strong trait lets him down. I hope he finds a few other things.

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  11. Well, I do recall a perfectly weighted pass Ream made to the P. Union center-forward who took the gift and scored the game-winner in a 1-0 game.

    It is a bit over the top to believe he is the “best passer” after that totally unforced error.

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  12. I’m not as high on Rogers as most of the commenters here. Not to criticise – I don’t think anyone is unreasonably over the moon about him and not to say that I’m completely ruling him out but he’s certainly a longshot imo. At 24 (I think) he’s not likely to suddenly develop the technical ability he’ll need to be a good player at the MNT level. Yes, he’s fast and Klinsi needs fast wingers, but like EJ and other fast players before him, he relies entirely on that speed to make plays. He does okay in MLS where there is enough room to push the ball into space and chase it, but I haven’t really seen anything other than kick and chase from him. Yes, he can make dangerous runs with his speed, but against better defensive teams who shut down the space, he won’t be very effective and he’ll be a flat out liability on the ball. Klinsi’s offense also relies on ball control and stringing passes together – a phase of the game that Robbie is just awful at. I hope I’m wrong, but I’d say he is a real long shot at this point. 24 isn’t old, but typically players are refining their skills or maybe focusing on improving one aspect at 24, not trying to add a whole repertoire.

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  13. Ream is the best passing center back I have ever seen in MLS.

    If you’ve failed to see the quality in his passing, I don’t know what to tell you.

    By Premiere League standards he’s tiny.

    He’s also left footed, so ideally, he can play the long ball to a right footed (most common) center forward. (Too bad their top scorer is the left footed Klasnic.)

    But Owen Coyle seems like a good coach. We’ll see about project Ream.

    In any case I’m sure he’ll have a rocky breaking in period. He made so many huge mistakes this past year. Crossing my fingers for him.

    For me Rogers is pretty much the same story but different position. Tons of potential, but can he really bring it?

    And for a winger, I’ve never really seen a bag of tricks from him. He just uses his speed to go into space. This is NOT going to work in the Premiere League where many of the full backs will be just as fast as him if not faster.

    And he can’t really cross!

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  14. My initial response to this quote is YIKES! However, if Rogers gets time regularly for Leeds there’s no reason to leave him out of the fight for a spot on the team.

    The competition is getting touch behind Deuce and LD but with their ability to play in different positions it’s opening the door to others. It seems Shea has a spot locked up.

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  15. I’d say if he actually plays the level will be similar and the pay probably more lucrative, on the whole a little better for him and no worse for the US.

    He’s already been abroad once and come back so it’s not some cure-all, and Leeds is pretty middling Championship so the EPL might be a stretch. But Columbus seems to have lost its dominance post-Schelotto so this might be usefully different.

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  16. Sir Alex Ferguson showed up at a work permit for a player I forget which one and that got him a work permit. Wonder if Klinnsmann’s clout will get more players work permits.

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  17. Could be but that seems to assume that Klinsmann knew where Rogers might be going a good while ago. He may have know Rogers would try England but I somewhat doubt it. I think Klinsmann may just like Rogers.

    His system has a need for speedy wingers who can stretch the field laterally and vertically and whip in service. Rogers certainly has the athletic ability to do that.

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  18. I figured that with Mexico, and Brazil & Argentina in #s, but I’m talking %. BRA and ARG have plenty of players going over, is that really a high percentage compared to the number of players they have overall? It just seems like considering how many players we have, a lot of them go to europe.

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  19. Not sure what to tell you if you can’t see at least the appeal or potential of Ream. Nobody will argue that he had a rough season last year but I’m willing to chalk that up to Red Bulls management and Marquez destroying his confidence a little.

    He’s fairly athletic but his main appeal lies in his ability to read the game and distribute the ball from back effectively is what makes him such an appealing prospect. He’s a good defender when on but it’s this ability to possess and pass well that makes him appealing since it allows his teams to play a more possession oriented style of play.

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  20. Not sure about Ream being big or athletic. He’s just over six feet, but he’s not burly; and if anything he is not as physical as most of our other CB options.
    At his best, and he hasn’t looked his best in a nats shirt since maybe the early gold cup, he reads the game well and can pass comfortably out of pressure. Those are the attributes that are pushing his market value, with the expectation that his defending will mature as he ages.

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  21. i read somewhere a few years ago that the number of brazilians playing abroad, at all professional levels is well over 1000. We’ve got a couple hundred I think, recalling Rongens comments.

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  22. from the article “Prime among those is confirmation from USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann that Rogers is likely to be a fixture in America’s squad for the foreseeable future” … Klinsy really likes him!

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  23. He is fast, and that you cant learn, but he is a project as well. It can only be good for the US providing he gets playing time

    Ream however I just don’t get. He has looked horrible in International games and I just don’t see what the attraction is. He’s big and athletic but what else…I don’t see it

    Buddle would have made it already if he was going to

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  24. Not that many from Mexico because the Mexican league pays alot more than MLS. As far as S. America, Brazil and Argentina are well ahead of us. We’re probably equivilent to Colombia/Uruguay/Chile in terms of # of players in Europe. And ahead of Peru and Venezuela.

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  25. Best of luck to Rogers, hope he can finally reach his potential at Leeds. His speed would be a nice addition to the USMNT. But some worrying comments from Leeds fans at the bottom of a local newspaper interview with Rogers. Apparently some simmering tensions among team members and will be a minefield of potential problems. My advice, Robbie, keep your head down and quit talking to the press as you settle in and work your A off. This is probably one-shot chance.

    http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/latest-whites-news/leeds_united_robbie_rogers_targets_whites_fast_track_interview_1_4155127

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  26. I wonder our % of players that transfer overseas compared to Mexico and South America.

    Between transfers and loans it seems like we are sending quite a bit of our players over there these days.

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  27. I would actually think that this bodes extremely well for Ream and Buddle receiving work permits. It seems like each of them would have a stronger case than Rogers. Could just be me though.

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  28. What do you think of this development? Well it certainly can’t hurt. Hopefully the Championship can unlock whatever potential Rogers still has hidden in him.

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