CARSON, Calif. – Robbie Rogers arrived in LA Galaxy camp last month in good shape and great spirits, determined make the kind of impact that was beyond him in his first season with the team.
“The key,” he said as LA's preparations for the new season began, “is finding a way to stay healthy and keep getting more fit.”
But Rogers, whose progress last year after returning from a brief retirement was repeatedly thwarted by minor injuries and illness, is on the sidelines again and won't feature as the Galaxy take on Pumas UNAM in a closed-door scrimmage Tuesday in Mexico City.
He suffered a sprained left ankle in training last week, was not available when LA beat Armenian champion FC Shirak in a ticketed friendly Saturday night at StubHub Center, and isn't expected to play next weekend against the San Jose Earthquakes in Fresno, Calif.
“Just an ankle. He'll be ready to go soon,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said after the 2-1 victory against Shirak. “A lot of players get injuries, and you know Robbie Keane's got an injury. It's part of the game.
“[Rogers'] is a little unfortunate. He'll be fine. He started off the preseason real good, and I'm hopeful he gets back soon.”
Keane, still recovering from offseason surgeries on both of his Achilles' tendons, has slowly been amping up his participation in training. He watched the friendly from a luxury box after training with Galaxy II, the club's new USL PRO team, earlier Saturday.
“Robbie's been training with us this week,” Arena said. “He'll be back soon, at 100 percent.”
Left back Todd Dunivant and reserve center back Tommy Meyer also are dealing with minor injuries. Neither was available for a midweek game with Chivas USA nor the Shirak match.
The Galaxy's trip to Mexico City is a brief one. They departed Sunday morning and will return home after Tuesday's game. They will train at StubHub on Thursday and Friday and then travel 200 miles north to Fresno for Saturday's game at Chukchansi Park, the downtown baseball stadium that USL Premier Development League side Fresno Fuego call home.
