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Episode 359: Sam Rogers interview
63 Plays2 years ago
We caught up with Sam Rogers while he was with the United States national team in Los Angeles. It's been quite a couple years for Rogers, who turned disappointment over not making the Sounders first team into a journey that now has him poised to win his first senior national team cap. We talked about that journey and how he's enjoying life in Norway.
Note: This is the first of what will become a regular series of interviews. This is available to all subscribers, but we'll likely start releasing extended cuts for paid subscribers through Substack in the next few months.
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Book Release: 36 Bottles of Wine
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This episode of No Sadietes is sponsored by Full Pool Wines, a Seattle-based wine seller who recently released their first book, 36 Bottles of Wine. The ethos of the book, a highly curated look at wine categories that provide exceptional value right now, should be familiar to full pool readers. But there's loads of fresh content, and since it's not trying to sell any wine through the book, there's a bit more of a sass factor.
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And there's food. Lots of it. Fullpool's unique writing styles applied to recipes like leftover Thanksgiving, turkey, schmaltz-a-ball soup, and pregnancy nachos. This book can be purchased through Sasquatch Books. Hey,
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this is Christian Roldan. And Jordan Morris from the Seattle Sounders Football Club. And you're listening to... There's no study at this. Come on! Hey, Ocean! Let's go! I want to say bye-bye! The Seattle Sounders have done it! MLS Cup win!
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important the KSA's genius. Here comes Rui Diaz through the middle to crowd it for Seattle. They have climbed the mountain and now are masters of all that they survey. Michael Odero leaves absolutely no doubt the Saldars rule the region. Seattle Saldars is convinced
00:01:18
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Seattle Sounders, the greatest MLS team in history. How does this one feel? This feels fucking awesome. The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle. And the hills the greenest green in Seattle.
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I didn't know what it was. Is that what you young people call twerking?
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I have no idea. I don't know.
Watson's Counter Instagram Updates
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Follow them on Instagram at wantsonscounter to keep up with all the upcoming releases or check out their website at www.watsonscounter.com. Whether you want to stop by for your daily coffee to go or sit down for delicious Korean inspired brunch, Watson's Counter has got you covered.
Interview with Sam Rogers
00:02:46
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of Nos Adietes. I am Jeremiah O'Shan. Joining me today is Sam Rogers, who you likely remember the name. He is a Seattle native. He came through the Sounders Academy, played for both S2 and Tacoma Defiance, but now is really making a name for himself in Norway at one of the top teams in Norway, Rosenberg. And most recently, he got his first senior national team call up with the United States.
00:03:16
Speaker
Welcome to the show, Sam. Thanks. Thanks for having me on. Yeah. This has been quite a year or so for you. Let's start where you are right now. You're in LA with the senior national team.
US National Team Call-Up
00:03:35
Speaker
What was your first call up? What was that experience like? Did you get just a random phone call or how did that work? Yeah. No, I was in
00:03:45
Speaker
with Rosenberg for we were there for preseason and I got an email at night that I was on the preliminary roster for the upcoming January camp and you know I I saw a US soccer email and you know I just thought it was like a news update or something but I clicked on it for you know just whatever and
00:04:08
Speaker
Yeah, sure enough. That was the email. It was kind of a surprise because I wasn't expecting it. But it was really exciting. And then just a couple of days later, I said that I was on the final roster. So I was coming to camp.
00:04:31
Speaker
Yeah, it was kind of out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting it so soon, but I was really pleased that I got the opportunity.
00:04:43
Speaker
Yeah. So you, so you got an email saying you're on the preliminary roster. Do they at least give you a phone call when it's the real thing? Or is it still like just another email that you're lucky didn't go to spam? Yeah, no, I mean, they, they, they contacted me, uh, like a couple of days later when they, you know, when it was official.
00:05:01
Speaker
Um, but yeah, at first it was just the email. So I was like, you know, I was kind of happy that I even, I even saw it when it sent to me. Cause sometimes I can be bad with checking my email and I miss stuff. Yeah. I mean, I would imagine that must happen, right? Like players must miss these emails every now and then. I mean, it would seem a really easy thing to do. Oh, sure. I'm sure that they do. I miss stuff from my team sometimes. So I'm sure it happens to other guys.
00:05:29
Speaker
So I mean, I'm just, do you have an agent or was this like, cause I would think in a lot of cases they would make sure like the agent at least knows, but. Yeah. Well, it's funny. Like usually they let the clubs know my club found out when I did.
00:05:45
Speaker
But no, obviously, I told my agent right away that it was selected. But no, I mean, I don't know if it's normal for them to tell the agent, so I don't know if it's not. But yeah, it was kind of a funny situation. I suppose if they don't hear from you, maybe they start looking for ways to contact you. Right, yeah. I'm sure if they don't get a response from me within the hour, they're probably like, OK, we might need to call this guy or send something else.
00:06:14
Speaker
So that's pretty cool.
US National Team Camp Experience
00:06:17
Speaker
So you show up in L.A. and it's an interesting camp. It's sort of like it's the first camp after the World Cup, which is always kind of a weird camp. But this camp is especially as a different vibe because there's an interim head coach. What has been the vibe like there and what have they been telling you in terms of like what this all means?
00:06:37
Speaker
Yeah, no, I mean, it's like you said, it's kind of a maybe an awkward camp just because of it's a little shorter than it normally is. And you know, a lot of guys are still in preseason, including myself. So you have guys that are coming in that haven't played games in a long time and.
00:06:54
Speaker
guys that come in at different days during the camp so you know some training days there's less guys and then some than other days it's it's everyone so it's it's been kind of like a day-to-day kind of thing but you know it's still obviously really organized and planned out but no I mean it's you know it's it's an opportunity for everyone especially might like you know new guys like myself that
00:07:20
Speaker
you know, every training, every meeting, every day is, you know, it's like we want to show well. So yeah, I mean, I just think that's kind of boils down to that. Have they told you anything as far as like what this all means or like how you're being assessed? Is there like a, like, is it the idea that like sort of once you're, you're called up, you sort of are now in like a different sort of database,
00:07:46
Speaker
Yeah, I think for the new guys, it's an opportunity for us to be in front of the coaches in person. Obviously they watch our games and track us throughout the seasons, but it's different when you're in person.
00:08:00
Speaker
Yeah, I think now that you're here in camp and in person with the coaches, you meet the coaches, they meet us, it becomes a little more personable. And now it's leaving the good impression that they'll continue to track you when you go back to your club. And that stay in touch, that they can talk to the clubs, talk to us so that there's communication going. So yeah, I think that's probably the gist of it.
00:08:29
Speaker
So you had some call-ups with the youth national teams, but then there'd been a period where you weren't in the national team picture. Had you had any contact with US soccer, basically, in the last few years?
00:08:45
Speaker
No, so like you said, I was with the 20s regularly and with the 23s a couple times, but since my last camp with the 23s, I hadn't been in touch with US soccer. So that was also another reason why I was so surprised when I got the email because I hadn't, you know, it's been, you know, two or three years. So, yeah.
00:09:11
Speaker
So you have gotten the attention of a lot of folks that follow these things.
Career in Norway
00:09:19
Speaker
You are a name that pops up a lot on various Twitter accounts that are tracking players all over Europe. Are you even aware of that, that there is a lot of people taking notice of the work you're doing in Norway?
00:09:39
Speaker
I think more so I've been aware of it more after the season ended. Not so much while I was going and playing there like this past year, just because I wasn't really on.
00:09:54
Speaker
anyone's radar because I hadn't really been I guess you could dumb it down to like super relevant for you know a season or two but after last season and you know the the club doing well and myself doing well I think yeah I was noticing that some more people were tracking me and
00:10:13
Speaker
Putting my name out there. So yeah, and then obviously this comes up. So I'm come to camp so I Would imagine that I'll be on a little more of a radar from people
00:10:25
Speaker
Yeah, so let's talk about your time in Norway a bit. This year, you were at Rosenberg, who is a pretty big club. Actually, I think it's generally considered one of the bigger clubs in Norway. But the year before that, you helped a smaller club called Hamcam, or I guess nicknamed Hamcam, earn promotion. And they hadn't been in the top fight for a while. What was that first season like in a relatively small town in Norway?
00:10:53
Speaker
Uh, and you kind of got thrust right into it and we're starting almost every game. Yeah, no, I mean, uh, it was, it happened really fast. Like you said, I, I got there and then like two days out of quarantine, I was starting the first match. Um, so I was kind of thrown into the fire a little bit, but.
00:11:13
Speaker
Um, I think that can be sometimes the best way to do things because you, you know, you don't have to think so much. You just go in and do your thing right away. Um, but no, that was, that was really cool experience because the team was doing really well. It was a good situation. And, uh, like you said, they hadn't been in the top flight for a long time and.
00:11:36
Speaker
It was really cool to be a part of that experience where, you know, you go, you get promoted. I wasn't sure I'd ever experienced that kind of a situation and it definitely was fun and really exciting because towards the end of the season when we were, you know, thinking like, oh, we're there, we're there. We just need to win a couple more games.
00:12:00
Speaker
And then it became like a reality that, yeah, we did it. It was a really cool
Life in Norway
00:12:05
Speaker
feeling. It was really fun in the city. It was exciting. The whole city and fans were ecstatic about it. So it was, yeah, it was really cool.
00:12:16
Speaker
So the town that you were in was that Hamcams in is called, is it Hammar? Is that right? Is that the right way? They say Homer. Homer. And so that's like, I mean, best I could tell that's like a tiny little or a relatively small little town, right?
00:12:34
Speaker
Yeah, for what what I'm used to and where I've lived. Yes, it's very, very small. And so what was it? I mean, what was the like the day to day life in in in Hamar? Yeah, no, it's it's funny because it's so small, but I never found myself like bored ever. Like there was there were always things to do. I was there. There was actually a player there on loan as well that I knew from
00:13:01
Speaker
when I was younger and Yeah, so, you know, we became like best friends and we always we there was always stuff for us to do We we there were other guys on the team that we became really good friends with So yeah, we were just always doing stuff. It wasn't it wasn't ever boring and obviously since the team was doing so well like the the city, you know, they all know who we are and they you know want to help us out make things comfortable and you know take care of us, so
00:13:30
Speaker
I mean, it was it was a pleasant surprise because when I got there, I was I was, you know, kind of thinking like, oh, man, what am I going to what am I going to be doing? Right. It's not, you know, there's no like the tallest building was like five floors or something. So I was like, you know, but it ended up being a really, really great experience. So what's what's there to do in in Hamar the night after a game? Night after a game.
00:13:59
Speaker
Well, when I was there, we didn't lose a league game. So it was always wins or draws. So it was good celebrations. There was one spot that everyone would go to. It was a nice restaurant during the day and then a bar and club at night. That was probably the go-to place for most of the guys.
00:14:27
Speaker
And we met people that lived there, like friends, so there were houses to go to. We always found something to do, so it was never a boring day there, surprisingly. So Henry Wingo, who I assume you must have known from your days in Seattle, he had also played in Norway, I guess right around... Was he there at the same time you were?
00:14:54
Speaker
Uh, he, I think he had just left. Okay. Right before I got there. Yeah. And, um, and so he, but he was saying that English is widely enough spoken, that it wasn't ever really, uh, that was never really an issue for him. No, there's no, there's no language barrier ever. Everyone there speaks English. Yeah. And so, um, did, did you, did you talk to Henry at all about his experience in Norway?
00:15:20
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, actually we messaged quite a bit when I was looking at going there I was asking him, you know, just questions about like the cities and you know what it's like there like What are the clubs like? Oh, he you know, we'd messaged back and forth about that And then obviously when he left molded I you know, we talked then so I was
00:15:47
Speaker
You know, for the most part, I was pretty familiar with the league just from talking with him. He had a lot of good things to say about it. So it made me feel, you know, a little, a little, I guess more safe about going there just because I had some, some knowledge about it. Yeah.
00:16:03
Speaker
So your coach at HOMCOM gets a job at Rosenberg and then basically brings you along with them. You're part of a pretty big transfer to Rosenberg. I don't imagine a lot of Seattle fans know this, but they're like one of the historic clubs in Norway. Traditionally, them and Mulder are kind of the two big teams there. What was it like in Rosenberg, a much bigger town at the very least?
00:16:33
Speaker
Yeah. No, I mean, like you said, Rose in Scandinavia, Rosenberg is one of the biggest clubs ever. They've, you know, they've been in the champions league 15, 20 times. So, um, like it's a really, really big club, especially in Norway. And yeah, the city's bigger. Um, they've got a great big fan base, uh,
00:16:57
Speaker
The city is actually a really pretty city. We look at some pictures online. Toronto looks absolutely like postcard type stuff. It's like stuff you see in pictures online of most beautiful places in the world. But you're actually there and you see it in person. It's a nice place. Summer is light all the time and there's a lot to do in the summer.
00:17:24
Speaker
Winters in Norway, you know, that's cold and dark pretty much everywhere. So you kind of get that. But it's a it's more like what I'm used to in terms of like bigger city size. So it's yeah, it's nice.
00:17:39
Speaker
And so have you been through a winter in Norway? Because I know that you guys basically have a season that's similar to MLS where it ends in November and then it picks up later. So have you actually had to go through a winter where it's dark almost all day?
00:17:57
Speaker
Yeah. Last, I mean, last year we got back, uh, the, like the first week of January, we were starting preseason. So yeah, I was there pretty much all, all winter last year. So yeah, it's, uh, it's as cold as everyone thinks it is. And so have you gotten to see like the Northern lights or anything like that?
00:18:20
Speaker
Uh, I haven't yet. I really want to, there was one night last year, uh, where I went to bed and literally 15 minutes later, it was all over the sky. Like I, everyone said the next morning, like took videos, pictures. I was, I was furious when I woke up and I was like waiting all this time and I went to bed right before. So I still need to see those.
00:18:46
Speaker
So aside from being in a city that might be a little bit more your speed, you also enjoyed, I mean, I think what we can realistically call a breakout season, which is part of why you're with the US national team right now, but you scored six goals, including a hat trick. What was this season like for you?
00:19:05
Speaker
Yeah, no, I mean, uh, it was, it was kind of a awkward transition because I picked up an injury right before the season started. So I missed some time at the start of the season, but, uh, when I got back into the team after the rehab and everything, um,
00:19:24
Speaker
Yeah, it was a good transition in. The coaches wanted to play the same style that they had at HamCams. So for me, it wasn't like I needed to learn a new system or a new formation or anything. It was just kind of transitioned in.
00:19:41
Speaker
And yeah, I mean, we, I think the first part of the season, there was, it was a lot of new players in the team, new coaches. So it was, it took a little bit of time to, for everyone to get used to things. But I think, uh, after, you know, a third of the way.
00:19:57
Speaker
Halfway the we really picked it up and started putting in some really good performances and I started to find some good form and you know, I took advantage of my opportunities when In the box and you know when I had opportunities to get forward. I think I did a good job of that and It paid off for me. Yeah. No, it certainly has paid off for you What was I mean was it a big?
00:20:24
Speaker
leveling up in terms of competition from the second division to the first division there? Yeah, I mean, obviously, in the second division, not every team is so good, but there will be really good players, maybe one or two on the lower teams. And then on the better teams in the division, there will be three or four. But obviously, when you jump to the top flight,
00:20:51
Speaker
There's no team that is, you know, terrible. And every team will have at least five or six guys in the lineup where you're like, Oh, these, you know, these are really
Comparing Soccer Styles: US vs Norway
00:21:01
Speaker
good. These are good players. And then the better half of the table will, you know, every single guy in the lineup is, is very good. There's really high quality guys that play national, you know, Sweden, Denmark.
00:21:14
Speaker
Norway, so I mean there's a lot of good talent in the league, especially in the bigger teams. So I think just the intensity of the games and the overall standard is much higher. Yeah. How would you compare it to your experience playing in the United States?
00:21:34
Speaker
Yeah, I think from what I've seen in my personal opinion, I think tactically and in Norway, a lot of the teams are a bit, are extremely disciplined. And the way they play and the style of play, they don't break from that. They always stay true to it.
00:21:54
Speaker
It can be, that's probably the biggest thing I've noticed. MLS, I've noticed that the games can be a bit end-to-end, physical. It's a lot of that style. Obviously not all the time for every team, but that would probably be the biggest difference I've seen from playing in Norway and then being in the US as well.
00:22:22
Speaker
How would you say your game has evolved during this time in Norway? Yeah, I think I've had to be put in more, maybe for a
00:22:36
Speaker
lack of a better terminology, more dangerous situations because of the style we play, because we play such a pressing style and high tempo that we get left 1v1 a lot of places on the field with no cover. So I think I've had to learn how to be in those situations and how to assess them, come out of them on the winning end, as well as
00:23:04
Speaker
uh being a little more aggressive uh when we have the ball because you know like we played a three back so they want the side center backs to be very aggressive in the attack they want us to bring the ball up the pitch and get high up the field which i think from my time playing in the u.s in a back four wasn't
00:23:24
Speaker
necessarily the case where we're so high up the pitch offensively. So I think that's also a big change that I had to not necessarily learn because I was always comfortable with it, but just get used to it and, you know, make that a part of my game all the time. But, yeah, I mean, also just the craftsy players and the attack that some, you know, the big teams have
00:23:53
Speaker
Buddha, Molde, Lilstrom have guys, they get sold for 10 million euros. So you have to deal with guys that realistically will be going on to play in Bundesliga in the Premier League. And so it's also a good challenge in that sense that you're gonna be playing against some good young attacking prospects as well.
00:24:19
Speaker
Have you spent much time thinking about where you want to go from here? Is Rosenberg
Ambitions and Memories of Seattle
00:24:24
Speaker
someplace you want to stick around? Or do you have aspirations of playing elsewhere in Europe? Yeah, I definitely have higher aspirations. If I ended up
00:24:37
Speaker
staying at Rosenberg. There'd be nothing wrong with that. It's a big club, a good situation. But for me personally, I've always wanted to play at the highest level I can play at. And I still think I can play at a higher level in time. And I would love to do as much as I can to put myself in the situations where that's a possibility. So yeah, I think
00:25:05
Speaker
If I perform well, I think that that's definitely an option for me. Yeah. So rewinding a bit back to some of your time in Seattle, do you do you keep in touch with with any of the guys that you obviously a bunch of players that you played with the Tacoma and in the in the academy or now moving into the first team? There's a lot of coaches I would imagine that you still have connections to.
00:25:31
Speaker
Yeah. Like I said, I still keep in touch with my coaches from S2 and Defiance, John Hutchinson, Wade Webber and Chris Little from time to time. Players wise, most of my closest friends that I was playing with aren't there anymore.
00:25:55
Speaker
Um, so I haven't, I don't really stay in touch with, uh, guys like regularly. Um, I guess I just, like, they're obviously, you know, like Danny Leyva and, you know, guys like that, that I, that I know, um, friends with obviously. So, you know, a message from time to time, but, uh, not, not anything regularly, no.
00:26:19
Speaker
Do you look back on that time? Or how do you look back on those last year or so in Seattle? To be honest, I don't really think about it so much. When my time was done there, I was happy to move on and move on to something else. It wasn't something that I thought was going to
00:26:50
Speaker
you know, turned into anything more. So I was, I mean, I guess to say it kind of blunt, I was, I was happy to move on, ready to move on. I didn't, I didn't see a good future for me there anymore. So yeah, I was ready to try something new and go a different route. Yeah.
00:27:11
Speaker
I mean, it seems like it's worked out about as well as you could hope, like in the time sense. I know that in the immediate aftermath, there was some, you know, you bounced around a little bit, but it seems like, I don't know, maybe that was, it worked out one way or the other. I mean, I know there was probably what, a year or so there where it was a little unsettled, like you were kind of unsettled, but it seems like you've landed pretty firmly.
Overcoming Challenges and Self-Belief
00:27:40
Speaker
Yeah, no, I mean, yeah, in the beginning, it was it was tough because it wasn't there was there was things that just weren't quite working out for me. And, you know, things that I couldn't control that were getting in the way of things. So it was there were times it was frustrating. But for me, I never doubted my ability. I never doubted
00:28:00
Speaker
my potential and the player that I could be, I never, that never fazed me. So for me, I just knew that I had to, I just had to be patient and wait for the next opportunity because I knew if I got a good opportunity, I would take it. I, you know, I.
00:28:18
Speaker
For the things that didn't work out in Seattle, I never questioned that it was my ability or me as a player. It was whatever it was, it wasn't that. I was convinced that, I knew that. So I just had to be patient, wait for it. I knew that the timing, when the timing was right, it would be right. If it didn't work, then it wasn't meant to be.
00:28:41
Speaker
So I bet I guess you could say I bet on myself. I will always bet on myself that I will find the right. The right passage and the way to go. And yeah, and now looking back, it's worked out for me. I'm 2 years removed from there and I've.
00:29:00
Speaker
uh you know made a good good uh position for myself at a top club and at rosenberg and i've made my first call up to the national team so i think that i'm doing everything that i have planned to do no i mean it's i mean i think it's it's hard i said this to someone recently like it's hard to imagine
00:29:23
Speaker
that you would be in the position you are now, even if things had worked out differently in Seattle. Best case scenario, it's hard to imagine you being where you are right now, which is playing a lot of minutes for a very good European team.
00:29:42
Speaker
And like on the verge of a national team cap, I mean, that's pretty remarkable to be in that spot at 23. Not a lot of players ever get there. So it's been a joy to watch from a distance. I think it's been a great story to see and it's been awesome to see you developing as a player. Thanks. No, and I appreciate that because
00:30:07
Speaker
For me, it's it's always been, you know, like there was no other option. It was just I know what I can do. I just got to stick with it. Be patient. You know, it'll work out. And yeah, I also want it to work out even better just to make the story even better. Like you said, there you go. Make it, you know, something that like could turn into a movie one day or something. I don't know. There could be worse settings, I'm sure, than
00:30:36
Speaker
than where you are now. So real quick, if we're going to leave, if people want to come catch a game of yours or something at Rosenborg, what's a good day-long itinerary for them? A day-long itinerary? What's a good way to spend a day? Like in Trondheim, where I live? Yeah, exactly.
00:30:59
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Well, I guess the perfect day would be the middle of summer when it's, you know, clear skies, light, sun is up all day. You wake up, you go maybe, I don't know, you could walk into the city, walk around. There's a lot of shops, you get coffee and sit down at restaurants. And then you spend the day doing that and I see the stroll, you go maybe to the water.
00:31:25
Speaker
Uh, if you like to swim, it's really refreshing, but maybe it's too cold for some people. And then in the evening, you, yeah, you go over to lurking doll where we play and really nice stadium seats, 22, 23,000. And you watch us against mood, uh, Buddha or Molda at home, a big rivalry game. And hopefully we come on top. And after that, if you're young enough and you want to go out in the city, there's plenty to do.
00:31:56
Speaker
or if not you go home and you can still be outside because it's light up still there you go yeah that's and i and it's got that little added bonus of everything sounding like it's coming out of a thor movie so
00:32:11
Speaker
Yeah. And which I'm sure you see lots of people walking around that look like they're out of a Thor movie too. But in any case, Sam, like I said, it's been awesome to see everything you've been doing over there. Continue. Best of luck. I have no doubt that this is not the last we'll be hearing from you. So keep doing your thing, man. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you. All right. This is no study at this. I'm Jeremiah Chan and we'll catch you next time.
00:32:41
Speaker
Green Douglas, where were the waters cut through? Down to wild mountains and tangents you flew. Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue. It's Roll On, Columbia Roll On. Roll On, Columbia Roll On. Roll On, Columbia Roll On. Your power is turning our darkness to dawn. Roll On, Columbia Roll On.
00:33:19
Speaker
We love you. Let's win another one!