Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay man to play in a U.S. professional league when he made his debut with Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer on Sunday. 
 
 FILE - In July 4, 2009 file photo, United States' Robbie Rogers kicks against Grenada in a CONCACAF Gold Cup match at Qwest Field in Seattle. Rogers is eligible to make his debut with the Los Angeles... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2009 file photo, Robbie Rogers, of the United States, eyes the ball during a friendly soccer match against Slovakia in Bratislava, Slovakia. Rogers is joining the Los Angeles Galaxy... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009 file photo, Columbus Crew's Robbie Rogers celebrates after scoring against the San Jose Earthquakes during the second half of an MLS soccer match in San Francisco.... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE- In this July 23, 2009 file photo, Honduras' Walter Martinez, left, strips the ball from United States' Robbie Rogers during the first half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal soccer game in Chicago.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Rogers entered as a substitute in the 77th minute with the Galaxy leading the Seattle Sounders 4-0, which turned out to be the final score. 
 
 "I guess this is a historic thing, but for me it was just a soccer game," Rogers said. 
 
 Nerves began getting the best of Rogers in the hours before he left home for the stadium, not because he was anxious about being the first openly gay player but because he was rusty after time out of the sport. 
 
 He called his sister for reassurance. 
 
 "I just needed to hear someone's voice," Rogers said. "We were talking about my dog. Just get my mind off things." 
 
 He received loud cheers from the crowd of 24,811 as he ran onto the pitch, with fans chanting his name. Rogers ran by teammate Landon Donovan, who slapped his hand and patted him on the back as he took his position. 
 
 "Because of the nature of the way sports has been for so many years _ the macho culture that's been embraced by everybody _ it's of interest to everybody," Donovan said. "Now, hopefully, the hype about it is over and he can get back to being a soccer player, which is what he wants to do." 
 
 Rogers spent the past two seasons in England with Leeds United and a loan spell at Stevenage. 
 
 Initially he retired from the sport after coming out on a blog post in February, but has been training with the Galaxy since last month at the invitation of coach Bruce Arena. 
 
 "In a lot of ways the easy part is over," Arena said. "Now the difficult part remains, which is getting him positioned to play. Our expectations for Robbie are not anything big in the near future. Hopefully, he'll get back to the way we think he can be." 
 
 The loudest chants of "Robbie, Robbie" were for Robbie Keane, who had his first hat trick for the Galaxy. His three goals, including two on penalties, and another by Sean Franklin gave the Galaxy a 4-0 lead at halftime. 

 Story highlights Galaxy provide historic moment as Robbie Rogers takes field for 13 minutes in rout 
 
 Rogers becomes the first openly gay male athlete to compete in Major League Soccer 
 
 Former winger for U.S. national team came out in February as he announced retirement 
 
 NBA player Jason Collins has not played since he came out last month 
 
 Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a pro American sporting match Sunday when he took the field for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy during a rout of the Seattle Sounders. 
 
 Not to be overlooked in the landmark moment is Rogers' prescience. In remarks to ESPN before the game, he said, "I'm hoping I can come on and it's 4-0 and I can just enjoy myself." 
 
 Which is exactly what happened. With 13 minutes remaining in the game, Rogers came in as a substitute for midfielder Juninho with the Galaxy up by four goals. 
 
 Emphatic applause erupted from the stands at the Home Depot Center. 
 
 Before the game, Los Angeles native Jason Collins, a pro basketball player who announced last month that he was gay, tweeted Rogers to say good luck. 
 
 Rogers said after the game that the experience was "perfect, really perfect." 
 
 "The first training session the Galaxy ever had on the Home Depot Center pitch, I was here training," he said. "I've kind of been on this huge journey to kind of figure out my life, and now I'm back here, I think kind of where I'm supposed to be." 
 
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 Rogers was introduced as the newest member of the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, making him the first openly gay male athlete in Major League Soccer and ending his brief retirement. 
 
 The Galaxy signed Rogers to a multiyear contract after acquiring him from the Chicago Fire, which held his rights, in exchange for midfielder Mike Magee. 
 
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 Rogers, a former winger for the U.S. national team, had retired from soccer in February at age 25, announcing then that he is gay. However, he still had the passion for the game. He trained with the Galaxy for about a month before making the comeback official. 
 
 "After I finally got in here, everything was completely normal, as it should be," Rogers said at his introductory news conference. "Getting back on the pitch was amazing." 
 
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 But even though he still enjoys the game, deciding to come back was not easy for Rogers, who said he was afraid to share the secret about his sexual orientation for 25 years. 
 
 "I kept my secret because I thought I couldn't be both a soccer player and a gay athlete," Rogers said. "I figured it out that it's not true, but I felt that way. So I was afraid to put myself back into a situation where I felt like I was kind of an outcast or just different than people." 
 
 In his career, Rogers also has played for MLS club Columbus Crew from 2007 to 2011, winning the MLS Cup in 2008. He also briefly played for English club Leeds United. 
 
 Los Angeles head coach Bruce Arena believes that Rogers will make an impact on the field with his play. 
 
 "We've been searching for the last year or two for a player that has the skills to be a flank player, play wide and add a little speed to our club, take on players and a good crosser off the ball with both of his feet," Arena said. "He offers qualities that we've been looking for, so we're hopeful that in time, Robbie will demonstrate the kind of qualities that he has previously in this league." 
 
 Rogers isn't the only trailblazer for male gay athletes in American professional sports. Twelve-year NBA veteran Collins announced he was gay, but he has not played a game since he made the announcement. He is currently a free agent. 
 
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– The Los Angeles Galaxy's Robbie Rogers made history yesterday as the first openly gay man to play in a US professional league. The 26-year-old winger—who came out of the closet after retiring briefly in February, was cheered and the crowd chanted his name as he came on as a substitute in the Galaxy's 4-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, the AP reports. "I kept my secret because I thought I couldn't be both a soccer player and a gay athlete," Rogers tells CNN. "I figured it out that it's not true, but I felt that way. So I was afraid to put myself back into a situation where I felt like I was kind of an outcast or just different than people." The NBA's Jason Collins became the first active male athlete in an American professional team sport to come out of the closet last month, but Rogers is the first to actually play a game after coming out.