Robbie Rogers made U.S. sporting history on Sunday night (26May13) when he became the first openly gay man to participate in a professional league game.

The soccer star came on as a substitute for the Los Angeles Galaxy in the team's 4-0 victory over Washington's Seattle Sounders.

Rogers, 26, stepped away from Major League Soccer after coming out in February (13), but returned after encouragement from his agent and high-ranking U.S. soccer officials, including Seattle's coach Sigi Schmid.

The Galaxy star, who played the final 13 minutes of Sunday's game, has revealed he also found encouragement in speaking with gay teenagers about their experiences.

Team coach Bruce Arena told reporters after the game that he's glad the star is back on the field, adding, "In a lot of ways, the easy part is over. Now the difficult part remains, getting him positioned to play, and that’s going to take some time."