BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Robbie Rogers made it clear Sunday that any potential return to MLS would need to see him playing close to his friends and family in Southern California rather than in Chicago with the Fire who currently hold his MLS rights.
Those comments didn’t seem to surprise Fire manager Frank Klopas following training on Monday.
“This is normal, no?” said Klopas. “The guy went from not wanting to play soccer to now being back with his family. I totally understand his point of view -- he feels a lot of support."
EDITORIAL: Fire need to be fairly compensated in Rogers trade deal
Despite Rogers’ comments, Fire President of Soccer Operations Javier Leon told the Chicago Tribune Sunday night that the club would like to speak with him about the opportunities he would have with the Fire.
Leon also indicated he hoped to speak with Robbie and his agent sometime this week, something Klopas also reiterated Monday.
“We’ve made enough statements and obviously we look forward to continuing to speak with his agent and him.”
As for reaching out to the LA Galaxy, with whom Rogers has spent the last week training and seems the most likely suitor, Klopas has said no discussions have been had of yet.
KLOPAS: "We'd like to have Robbie here with us"
The third-year Fire head coach also indicated that the Fire would expect fair compensation for any potential transaction regarding Rogers’ MLS rights.
“We have his rights. They know how we feel. He’s a "high-quality player and if anybody wants to talk [to us] they have to approach it in that situation.”
Asked whether or not the league would need to intervene for a potential trade, Klopas said, “I don’t know why [they would]. We have to look at what’s in the best interest of the Fire.”
