Nobody expected Robbie Rogers to be with the Columbus Crew next year and now it looks like we might know where he'll be. According to Ives Galarcep, Rogers is likely to sign with Leeds United and make the move to England's Championship after turning down the chance to stay in MLS with a new team. If the move happens, it will be a return to Europe for Rogers, who has made no secret of his desire to play there after he started his career with Heerenveen only to make no appearances before spending five years in Columbus.
Rogers' play dipped last year and with it went his playing time, making it a foregone conclusion that he would look to move elsewhere, a move the Crew were happy to give him. He spent much of the winter on trial abroad, including at Leeds, who appear to have seen something they like. Rogers won't be walking into an easy situation though, with Tottenham Hotspur's Andros Townsend on loan and playing well on one wing, Robert Snodgrass on the other wing, Ramon Nunez a wide option and captain Jonny Howson also an attacking player, albeit more centrally. Even with Snodgross and Howson injured, there doesn't appear to be much of an opportunity for Rogers to play unless there are further injuries.
Exactly how Rogers plans on getting a work permit remains a mystery. He certainly doesn't qualify under the work permit rules that require a player to play 75% of his country's national team matches, meaning he will have to appeal for one, but he could argue that he has been a bigger part of the national team under Jurgen Klinsmann. If Klinsmann helps out and pledges to the appeals board to make Rogers a fixture in the squad going forward, maybe Rogers will have a chance, but it appears to be a stretch considering he still had just five caps in 2011.
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