Tierney: Gay Teammate Wouldn’t Be an Issue in Revs Locker Room

Revolution defender Chris Tierney doesn’t think that having an openly gay teammate would create a distraction inside the team’s locker room. (Photo: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Hours before kickoff of Saturday’s Revolution-Toronto FC, the Los Angeles Galaxy held a press conference at The Home Depot Center announcing the signing of Robbie Rogers, who openly admitted in February that he is gay.

Rogers, who played for the Columbus Crew from 2007-11 and earned 18 caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team, initially made the disclosure with the addendum that he would also step away from the game, unsure of whether he’d be accepted in the locker room of a professional soccer club.

With Rogers ready to resume his playing career with the Galaxy, who’ll travel to Foxborough next weekend for a Jun. 2 game against New England, veteran Revolution defender Chris Tierney offered that an openly gay teammate would be welcomed inside the club’s locker room.

“Yeah, I honestly don’t think it’s an issue,” Tierney said after Saturday’s game. “Soccer is a game where there are guys from all over the world, different cultures, ethnicities, and sexual orientation is just another characteristic that you check off the box.”

Tierney further elaborated that having an openly gay teammate wouldn’t be a distraction, an idea that isn’t necessarily embraced across all five major team sports in North America.

“It’s not something that I think guys would even talk about,” Tierney said. “We look at it from the soccer side.”

The Revolution defender credits Rogers for “stepping up to the plate” by becoming the first openly gay male athlete in U.S. pro sports, and actually has spent more time thinking about the ramifications of trade that sent the former Crew midfielder from Chicago to Los Angeles for goalscorer Mike Magee.

“From all the conversations that I’ve had with guys in the locker room, we just talked about the soccer side of (Rogers’s return), which I think shows the feelings (we have) of an openly gay player,” Tierney said.

Incidentally, Saturday’s Revolution match was designated as the first “Pride Night” at Gillette Stadium, and was hosted by the club’s oldest supporter’s group, The Midnight Riders. The event served to promote the acceptance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, especially within MLS.

Saturday’s event also coincided with International Day Against Homophobia, which was observed last week (May 17) while the Revolution were on the road in Houston.

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