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Rodgers’ visa status still up in the air

Luke Rodgers (GettyImages)

By DAVE MARTINEZ

The New York Red Bulls could get word of Luke Rodgers’ visa status in early March, but the situation is far from clear cut.  Speaking to the press from Red Bulls’ preseason training camp in Arizona, team General Manager Erik Soler shed some light on the progress of his English striker's permit renewal.

“There is meetings set up at the early stages of March for him at the embassy at London,” Soler explained.  “After that meeting, he will hopefully have his visa.  That is the latest information we had.”

Rodgers had difficulty securing his visa last season, and it was assumed a pair of run-ins with the law – including an arrest for assault and an incident where he mistakenly hit a sixteen year old with a live firecracker – were the reason for the delay.  As per Soler, another unexplained reason may have been the culprit. 

“There was some minor issue before he entered the USA last year.  Meaning he got his visa, it was a very minor issue, nothing to do with the police or anything,” said Soler.  “It was a minor issue, but enough for them to delay the process.” 

That unidentified minor issue seems to be delaying his proceedings this year as well. 

“All we can say about Luke is he has been here for a year, he’s been excellent privately and professionally and we hope that this minor issue that is now 14 months old,  or 15 months old doesn’t make things any more difficult for us.”

While New York awaits a decision on Rodgers, they are taking steps to assure he will be ready for the season. “We are looking for him to train with a club in England now and will probably have more information on that within a day or two which club that will be,” Soler stated. 

The Red Bulls GM said Rodgers was working out on his own to stay fit while New York finds him a proper club to train with.  He also revealed what could very well be the team’s timetable for the English striker’s arrival. 

“We are going to set him up to play with a club for the next 2-3 weeks until he arrives here,” Soler said. 

In a best case scenario where he would be immediately fit to go, that would push Rodgers' arrival around the time of the team’s second league fixture.

Either way, Soler gave an optimistic look at the situation, claiming it would be “a matter of a few days” for Rodgers to arrive upon approval of his permit.  Still, there is no guarantee his visa would be granted. 

In a worst case scenario, the Red Bulls GM acknowledged he would have to look outside of the team for a similar style player in order to compensate for the loss of Rodgers.  When asked if Agudelo could fill the role, he cited the young American's mid-summer Olympic absence as a reason why he could not.

All in all, the Luke Rodgers work permit saga continues.

Comments

  1. Glad to know that DHS and INS are really doing a thorough job on Luke Rodgers, since there’s really not a problem of thousands of folks trying to enter illegally every day at the border without enforcement.

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  2. http://www.change.org/petitions/us-department-of-state-give-luke-rodgers-of-the-new-york-red-bulls-a-visa-to-play-in-the-usa

    For ppl that care for our Luke he is a petition …and ppl that don’t won’t them in the league , we know that he embarrass you team …it’s ok…he will be back sooner or later…and that minor thing was a court date for a parking ticket …which is a rediculuse rule in NJ .so either was that a totally overstaying visa or go to court ,for 20$ ticket….

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  3. Piers Morgan does not have a criminal conviction for assault in his home country so he does not have the type of visa problems that Rodgers has. Michael Vick does not need a visa – he is a US citizen.

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  4. Let’s just lump an idiot like Rodgers in the same sentence with the quality players like Henry and Shea, and Rodgers gets instant credibility. I think it is mildly amusing that some people would name Rodgers as a reason to follow the league. It’s like saying that Joey Barton makes the EPL watchable.

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  5. No, what MLS needs are good players who are committed to being serious about the league. The idea that the league is well served by “characters” and quirky personalities ignores the reality that most of the people who enjoy soccer and don’t watch MLS aren’t doing so b/c there isn’t some like Rodgers playing.

    I’m not anti-Rodgers…he’s an effective role-player for NYRB. But the reality is that the team has little use of Agudelo (which has a major impact on the US National effort). In theory, having Rodgers AWOL should increase the likelihood of Agudelo getting some PT.

    Also, completely unrelated…DCU at one point at two promising GKs in their academy side: Bill Hamid and Samir Badr. Badr signed a contract with Porto and Hamid with DCU. For a team looking at a GK, Badr may now be available. His new contract is with an Egyptian club but they may be suspending their season. Normally an MLS team would be so eager to go with such a young keeper but….he probably has more experience in a pro setting than anyone else NYRB has in camp at 3 years ago, he and Hamid were neck-and-neck competitively on the DCU academy team.

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  6. You mean when he scored on LAG in the first 5 minutes? Of when he treated Landycakes like the crying child he so often is in games? Or are you one of the weak willed children still crying because he kicked a ball into the cake eater seats?

    The Dr. called.. he said to up your meds, reality misses you.

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  7. He nearly decapitated a young lady in the stands last year with a 50mph drive into the seats last year, after losing a call. His defenders incorrectly said that’s the risk you take going to the park, like a foul ball in baseball, but it wasn’t, play was dead. It was more like throwing your bat into the stands after striking out, which makes you liable.

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  8. He was arrested in 2002 for assaulting another soccer player in a parking lot. He hit a girl with a firecracker a year later, and in 2009 was arrested again.

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  9. what I saw in the MLS playoffs vs LAG was enough for me, dude is garbage and the league would be better without him. Luke is a ticking time bomb.

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  10. I didnt know the MLS fan base was such a passive bunch of wimps… you afwaid of a wittle engwish man who puts people in their place and scores all the time?

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  11. MLS does not need him. He’s reckless with his challenges and should have been red carded in half of the games he’s played in. Just a matter of time before he seriously injures someone.

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  12. Fortress America – Where Mike Vick can get a job that pays millions but an English bloke can’t play footy because he got in one fight or something.

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  13. Rosales, Beckham, Donovan, Keene, Johnson, Adu, Marquez, Hassli, Zusi, Le Toux, etc.

    Rodgers might not even be in the top 50…

    (I am talking in terms of playing style personality, not so much about “controversy” which is not a thing I think the league should be looking for more of)

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  14. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and guess you probably didn’t really mean that… I hope haha If you had just said a few more characters/personalities, I can go along, but controversy/intrigue…. not so much.

    To be blunt, if I wanted lame, teenage drama, I’d tune in to reality TV… I don’t. Above all else what MLS should focus on/what I would like to see is quality soccer and a better job of selling the game. MLS is making progress in that regard and I’ll support the hell out of it because I’d love nothing more than to have my country present a top notch league I can go see firsthand and feed our Nats.

    Can’t say I much care for what little I’ve seen of Roger’s personality, that’s OK… I do respect the hard nosed effort he puts out on the field and his prickly personality probably goes hand in hand with that.

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  15. And then they let a convicted criminal in, he does something bad (like violating the terms of his visa) they let him in again, something goes wrong and all of a sudden they’re checking passports in Ulan Bataar for two years. Plan to play without him, screwing up on his previous visa doesn’t look good.

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  16. Is it automatic inadmissibility or did the interviewer choose to f him? In my experience many of those FSOs strut around with huge egos. Too bad David Regis’ wife didn’t work in that embassy.

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  17. If you don’t think guys like Shea and Henry interesting, well what players DO you find, “intriguing,” in MLS. Give us some names.

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  18. It seems that he’s waiting for a waiver to an inadmissibility finding by the State Department. If the consular officer found him inadmissible for a crime involving moral turpitude, then DHS would need to grant a waiver, which can take a couple of months. I’m guessing that the assault conviction may rise to an inadmissible finding. Also, multiple convictions could bring about another inadmissibility. I’m curious what the other reason could be that Soler hinted at.

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  19. Yeah we need more players getting in trouble with the law, the league is too boring right now. I heard some Houston players got arrested….

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  20. MLS needs him.. he brings character to a mostly dull sports league… no offense, but who else besides Henry, Rodgers, Beckerman, Shea, Kamara, maybe a few others brings color, controversy, intrigue to the league?

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