Robbie Rogers is in his third season as an assistant coach on the Rutgers University-Newark men's soccer coaching staff.
Rogers will immediately help in all facets of Rutgers University-Newark men’s soccer as the Scarlet Raiders look to continue an unprecedented run of success – reaching the NCAA Tournament twice and winning an ECAC title the last three years.
“I am very happy to have Robbie joining our staff,” said East. “He comes to us with previous experience in both coaching and recruiting in the NJAC which is unique as a Graduate Assistant, and he will hit the ground running which is great. We have had a history of excellent GA’s through the years and I am confident we now have one more.”
In 2016, Rogers joined a staff that guided Rutgers-Newark to a 21-4-0 season, setting the record for most wins by the program. The Raiders earned an NCAA Tournament berth and hosted the first two rounds in Newark as they advanced all the way to the 'Elite Eight', the most successful NCAA run in program history. R-N was 8th in the NCAA's final rankings.
Rogers helped the Scarlet Raiders to a fantastic 20-3-1 campaign in 2017 that included an 8-1-0 mark in the notoriously tough NJAC and the program's first-ever NJAC Tournament Championship. R-N made a return to the NCAA Tournament before falling in the second round at nationally-ranked Brandeis University and finished the year ranked 19th in the country.
This past fall, Rogers aided a team in need of some rebuilding following a large graduating class. He was instrumental in bringing in a big group of talented freshmen and despite some tough losses and a rash of injuries, the Raiders finished 2018 with a 12-9-1 record and a berth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship match.
Originally from Liberia in West Africa, Rogers moved to North Carolina when he was 12 years old. He graduated from Pfeiffer University in 2014 and will pursue a master’s degree from Rutgers-Newark beginning this fall. He received a scholarship to play Division II men’s soccer at Pfeiffer, leaving the university with a B.S. in Business Management and Leadership.
A standout on the field and in the classroom, Rogers was a member of the Dean’s List, a student-athlete academic award recipient and earned the Emily Prudden Academic Scholarship.
After graduation, Rogers coached at New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival The College of New Jersey, helping the Lions to a national ranking in 2015. He had a hand in all aspects of the program, namely preparing scouting reports, recruitment of student-athletes and all practice planning and practice implementation. He also a U17 club team at Next Level Soccer Academy, guiding the squad to a championship as the US Club New Jersey Cup Tournament.
Prior to his time at TCNJ, Rogers was a trainer with Total Soccer in Warminster, Pa., also serving as the JV Soccer Coach at Cox Mill High School in his hometown of Concord, N.C. He also still helps with the North Carolina Olympic Development Program (ODP) and has spent time with his alma mater as an assistant and intern.
“I am thrilled, thankful and extremely appreciative of this opportunity,” said Rogers. “I can’t wait to get started and work for such a well-respected institution – both academically and athletically. Our goal is to not only be the NJAC Champions, but to make major noise on the national level, while also being outstanding in the classroom and active members of the campus community. I am excited to begin the journey.”
