Soccer player Robbie Rogers made history on Sunday night when he became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a U.S. professional league game.

Rogers stepped onto the field in his first Major League soccer debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy and received a huge ovation from a crowd of more than 24,000 people at Home Depot Center, The Los Angeles Times reported.

"I guess this is a historic thing, but for me it was just a soccer game," he said.

Rogers' family, including his grandparents, and friends were in the stands to cheer him on. While running on the field, he sprinted by his teammate Landon Donovan, who slapped his hand and patted him on the back as he took his position.

"Because of the nature of the way sports has been for so many years - the macho culture that's been embraced by everybody - it's of interest to everybody," Donovan said. "Now, hopefully, the hype about it is over and he can get back to being a soccer player, which is what he wants to do."

In the game's final 13 minutes, Rogers scored five touches, one tackle and completed three passes. Sunday's game was the first time he played professional soccer since last year.

"I'm back here kind of where I'm supposed to be," Rogers said on Sunday, dressed ain a blue suit with a white shirt buttoned to the neck and gold tie bar, The Associated Press reported.

"It's crazy to me to think I stepped away from this game at 25," he said. "I'll sit in my bed tonight and thank God gave me the courage to do this and come back."

The 26-year-old took a break from the sport in February, around the time he revealed in a blog post that he was gay. In the letter, Rogers wrote how the secret of his sexual orientation took an emotional toll and said that he would "step away" from soccer.

Tags: Robbie Rogers MLS