One of the USMNT’s top prospects toward the end of the 2000’s has been out of the picture for a while now, but is there still a chance to make a comeback and force a possible return?
It seems the mini sage between Jurgen Klinsmann and Robbie Rogers has more scores and back and forths than your typical player/manager relationship. For instance, since 2013, Klinsmann has said that the door is ‘open’ for a return for the California native. But in some instances, reports have also confirmed that Jurgen has come out and said that Rogers was ‘not’ in the national team picture at this time. Confused yet, I am.
If it’s a discussion of pace and agility, Rogers has just as much as Fabian Johnson and DeAndre Yedlin. Is he a little bit older than Yedlin, yes, but why not take advantage of his skills now before a possible decline. Also, bringing him into a camp will encourage competition and really make Yedlin and Johnson work that extra step to reinforce their spot.
Since returning to the MLS in 2013, Rogers has been transformed into a left or right full back who is capable of joining the attack and getting back on defense. His statistics for assists and goals are what you would expect from a defender, picking up a couple here and another couple there, but what should be looked at is the minutes he’s compiled.
In 2015, Rogers logged 2,315 minutes in 27 games started. And the same would have been true if he didn’t suffer an ankle injury this past summer.
Do the USMNT and Jurgen need help on the defensive side of the ball or are they desperate for substitutes for their current starters? Maybe, but having more players in camp who are familiar with the national team procedures and how things come together won’t hurt anyone’s chances at building team chemistry.
Also, how long, as a coach, can you continue to elude to a player having an ‘open’ door if you aren’t going to call him up? The door is open, sure thing, but you possess the power to bring players through it.
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