By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 03:03 EST, 27 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:02 EST, 27 May 2013 . Robbie Rogers became America's first openly gay athlete in professional team sport last night when he played a soccer match for Los Angeles Galaxy. Rogers made his ground-breaking debut last night as a  77th minute substitute with his side leading the Seattle Sounders 4-0. The 25-year-old received loud cheers from the crowd as he ran onto the pitch and fans chanted his last name. Scroll down for video . Return: Robbie Rogers had initially retired from soccer after announcing that he was gay . Warming the bench: Rogers was introduced as a substitute with Galaxy already assured of victory . Rogers had retired from the sport after . announcing he is gay but returned to end his hiatus from the game with British star David Beckham's former team. In April he talked about hiding his sexuality in the . 'macho' world of professional sports. In a TV interview with ABC's . Nightline, Rogers spoke about going to visit his tight-knit, . conservative, Catholic family for the first time since coming out in . February. Rogers said he hid his homosexuality so he could fit in with the soccer environment. 'Because . it's sports. It's the stereotype that you're supposed to be this manly . guy that is making tackles. It's beating up on other guys,' Rogers . explained. Rogers rose to prominence at . Columbus Crew in MLS, scoring 13 goals in over 100 appearances and . earning international colors in the process. Robbie Rogers and teammate Juninho embrace (left) and Rogers (right) waves to the crowd at the end of the match . Welcoming: Rogers is greeted by Landon Donovan as he makes his debut for LA Galaxy . Game over: Rogers leaves the field after making his first appearance for his new club . He then moved to Leeds United, a team . in the second tier of English football, on the advice of USA coach . Juergen Klinsmann. Rogers struggled with injuries and, after making only . nine appearances in five . months on loan at Stevenage, he decided to call it a day and came out in a heartfelt blog entry. But Rogers explained: 'I think the . same things that made it difficult for me to come out also gave me the . strength. I was raised to be a voice, to be myself, to be unique, not to . follow a pack.' While Rogers ponders a future return to soccer in the U.S. he visited his family in Huntington Beach, California, for the first time in person since the announcement and recalled his upbringing. Main man: Robbie Keane scored a hat-trick as LA Galaxy thrashed Seattle Sounders FC . 'You . grow up learning that who you are isn't natural, or is a sin,' Rogers . said. 'It does have an impact - it scares you, it really scares you. 'Gay athletes are athletes,' he declared. 'If I go back to . soccer, I want to go back as Robbie. I just want it to be as simple as . that.' Only a handful of footballers have ever announced they are gay as many still fear coming out will damage their careers. Footballer Justin Fashanu was the first and only English player to publicly announce he was homosexual. The Norwich City and Nottingham Forest player committed suicide eight years later in 1998. Rogers, who represented his country 18 times, including at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also told how he kept his sexuality a secret even from his friends and family. He wrote: 'Fear that . my loved ones would be farthest from me if they knew my secret. ‘Life is only complete when your loved . ones know you. When they know your true feelings, when they know who . and how you love. Life is simple when your secret is gone. Gone is the . pain that lurks in the stomach at work, the pain from avoiding . questions, and at last the pain from hiding such a deep secret. Irish striker Robbie Keane scored hat-trick saw the Los Angeles Galaxy ease past the Seattle Sounders. It left New York two points clear of the Montreal Impact at the top of the Eastern Conference having played four games more. Justin Fashanu (football) pictured right - . The first - and so far only - top-flight player to publicly admit his . homosexuality. He came out in 1990. After admitting he was gay, Fashanu . struggled to reignite an already stuttering career, and retired in 1997, . blaming his downfall on prejudice in the English game. He committed . suicide in May 1998 aged 37.Greg Louganis (diving) - The American won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Games and . followed that with a brace of golds in 1984 and 1988. Louganis' autobiography, released in 1995, detailed his rise to global prominence . and subsequent decision to come out as a homosexual living with HIV.Martina Navratilova (tennis) - The Czech-born nine-time Wimbledon champion came out publicly as gay . in 1981, a short time after she was granted U.S. citizenship. The decision . hit her sponsorship revenues. 'Prior to being a (US) citizen, I . couldn't speak my mind about being gay,' she said. 'But since then I . have pretty much said what I think, which has cost me dearly in . endorsements.'Donal Og Cusack (hurling) - . The much-decorated Irish star is one of the leading lights of the . fast-paced Gaelic game, and became the first elite Irish sportsman to . reveal he was gay in his autobiography, 'Come What May'.John Amaechi (basketball) - The American-born Briton was the first NBA player to openly admit to . being gay in 2007. The 6ft 10in star used his autobiography, Man In The . Middle, to make public his sexuality.Gareth Thomas (rugby union) - . Thomas, who was Wales' most-capped player and a former British and . Irish Lions captain, publicly announced he was gay in December 2009 at . the age of 35. He said: 'I just want to thank everyone for the amazing . response I have received.' Steven Davies (cricket) - The England and Surrey wicketkeeper became the first active . professional cricketer to openly admit to being gay in February 2011. Davies told British newspaper The Sun: 'I'm comfortable with who I am - . and happy to say who I am in public. To speak out is a massive relief . for me.'
Rogers made LA Galaxy debut last night as a  77th minute substitute .
25-year-old received cheers from the crowd and fans chanted his name .
By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 03:03 EST, 27 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:02 EST, 27 May 2013 . Robbie Rogers became America's first openly gay athlete in professional team sport last night when he played a soccer match for Los Angeles Galaxy. Rogers made his ground-breaking debut last night as a  77th minute substitute with his side leading the Seattle Sounders 4-0. The 25-year-old received loud cheers from the crowd as he ran onto the pitch and fans chanted his last name. Scroll down for video . Return: Robbie Rogers had initially retired from soccer after announcing that he was gay . Warming the bench: Rogers was introduced as a substitute with Galaxy already assured of victory . Rogers had retired from the sport after . announcing he is gay but returned to end his hiatus from the game with British star David Beckham's former team. In April he talked about hiding his sexuality in the . 'macho' world of professional sports. In a TV interview with ABC's . Nightline, Rogers spoke about going to visit his tight-knit, . conservative, Catholic family for the first time since coming out in . February. Rogers said he hid his homosexuality so he could fit in with the soccer environment. 'Because . it's sports. It's the stereotype that you're supposed to be this manly . guy that is making tackles. It's beating up on other guys,' Rogers . explained. Rogers rose to prominence at . Columbus Crew in MLS, scoring 13 goals in over 100 appearances and . earning international colors in the process. Robbie Rogers and teammate Juninho embrace (left) and Rogers (right) waves to the crowd at the end of the match . Welcoming: Rogers is greeted by Landon Donovan as he makes his debut for LA Galaxy . Game over: Rogers leaves the field after making his first appearance for his new club . He then moved to Leeds United, a team . in the second tier of English football, on the advice of USA coach . Juergen Klinsmann. Rogers struggled with injuries and, after making only . nine appearances in five . months on loan at Stevenage, he decided to call it a day and came out in a heartfelt blog entry. But Rogers explained: 'I think the . same things that made it difficult for me to come out also gave me the . strength. I was raised to be a voice, to be myself, to be unique, not to . follow a pack.' While Rogers ponders a future return to soccer in the U.S. he visited his family in Huntington Beach, California, for the first time in person since the announcement and recalled his upbringing. Main man: Robbie Keane scored a hat-trick as LA Galaxy thrashed Seattle Sounders FC . 'You . grow up learning that who you are isn't natural, or is a sin,' Rogers . said. 'It does have an impact - it scares you, it really scares you. 'Gay athletes are athletes,' he declared. 'If I go back to . soccer, I want to go back as Robbie. I just want it to be as simple as . that.' Only a handful of footballers have ever announced they are gay as many still fear coming out will damage their careers. Footballer Justin Fashanu was the first and only English player to publicly announce he was homosexual. The Norwich City and Nottingham Forest player committed suicide eight years later in 1998. Rogers, who represented his country 18 times, including at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also told how he kept his sexuality a secret even from his friends and family. He wrote: 'Fear that . my loved ones would be farthest from me if they knew my secret. ‘Life is only complete when your loved . ones know you. When they know your true feelings, when they know who . and how you love. Life is simple when your secret is gone. Gone is the . pain that lurks in the stomach at work, the pain from avoiding . questions, and at last the pain from hiding such a deep secret. Irish striker Robbie Keane scored hat-trick saw the Los Angeles Galaxy ease past the Seattle Sounders. It left New York two points clear of the Montreal Impact at the top of the Eastern Conference having played four games more. Justin Fashanu (football) pictured right - . The first - and so far only - top-flight player to publicly admit his . homosexuality. He came out in 1990. After admitting he was gay, Fashanu . struggled to reignite an already stuttering career, and retired in 1997, . blaming his downfall on prejudice in the English game. He committed . suicide in May 1998 aged 37.Greg Louganis (diving) - The American won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Games and . followed that with a brace of golds in 1984 and 1988. Louganis' autobiography, released in 1995, detailed his rise to global prominence . and subsequent decision to come out as a homosexual living with HIV.Martina Navratilova (tennis) - The Czech-born nine-time Wimbledon champion came out publicly as gay . in 1981, a short time after she was granted U.S. citizenship. The decision . hit her sponsorship revenues. 'Prior to being a (US) citizen, I . couldn't speak my mind about being gay,' she said. 'But since then I . have pretty much said what I think, which has cost me dearly in . endorsements.'Donal Og Cusack (hurling) - . The much-decorated Irish star is one of the leading lights of the . fast-paced Gaelic game, and became the first elite Irish sportsman to . reveal he was gay in his autobiography, 'Come What May'.John Amaechi (basketball) - The American-born Briton was the first NBA player to openly admit to . being gay in 2007. The 6ft 10in star used his autobiography, Man In The . Middle, to make public his sexuality.Gareth Thomas (rugby union) - . Thomas, who was Wales' most-capped player and a former British and . Irish Lions captain, publicly announced he was gay in December 2009 at . the age of 35. He said: 'I just want to thank everyone for the amazing . response I have received.' Steven Davies (cricket) - The England and Surrey wicketkeeper became the first active . professional cricketer to openly admit to being gay in February 2011. Davies told British newspaper The Sun: 'I'm comfortable with who I am - . and happy to say who I am in public. To speak out is a massive relief . for me.'
Galaxy. Rogers made his ground-breaking debut last night as a  77th minute substitute with his 25-year-old received loud cheers from the crowd as he ran onto the pitch and fans chanted his