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USA Today and the soccer site SoccerByIves.com were among the outlets to report the trade on May 24, 2013. The New York Times reported that the Galaxy have scheduled a press conference for May 25, 2013 to announce Rogers' acquisition.

Robbie is being acquired by the Galaxy from the Chicago Fire, who acquired his M.L.S. rights in February, for striker Mike Magee. From a purely soccer standpoint, the Fire seem to have struck quite a deal, acquiring a proven scorer — and Chicago native — in Magee for a player who has not appeared in a competitive match since January and was on record saying he did not want to play for them. Then again, Magee will turn 29 this fall, and Rogers, a former national team player who just turned 26, seems surprisingly renewed since he began practicing with the Galaxy this month

NBA center Jason Collins was the first male active pro to come out, doing so in a first-person article for Sports Illustrated. Rogers will become the first openly gay athlete to play in a game. Collins is a free agent after finishing the NBA's regular season with the Washington Wizards. 

Rogers had a change of heart after his retirement and began training with the Galaxy. MLS saw no conflict nor any evidence of tampering. Earlier this month, he said there was a good chance he'd return to the pitch.

Rogers has also been a member of the U.S. national squad, with 18 senior team caps to his credit. He was one of the final cuts from the 2010 World Cup squad and scored two international goals, including the first goal of coach Jurgen Klinsmann's tenure in a 1-1 draw with Mexico in 2011.  When Rogers came out, he wrote on his website how difficult it was to keep his sexuality hidden. "I always thought I could hide this secret.

Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined."  The Southern California native attended the University of Maryland and represented the U.S. at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He spent part of a season at Dutch club Heerenveen after leaving school and then returned to the U.S. to play for the Columbus Crew, where he had five productive years. He won an MLS Cup in 2008, two Supporters Shield titles and a spot on the 2008 MLS Best 11. He left MLS for England's Leeds United last winter but struggled with injuries (a concussion and then an ankle) and was sent on loan to third-tier Stevenage in August. Last month, his Leeds contract was canceled by mutual consent.