Columbus Crew's Robbie Rogers is happy he was able to return to the USA and land at a club that has helped him develop into a better player.

The 22-year old USA international made the move to Europe in 2006 to join Dutch club Heerenveen and although he did not break into the first team there, said it was a worthwhile experience and since returning to the States (in 2007), his game has changed for the better.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't really know what to expect," the winger said in an interview on fanhouse.com.

"When I first got there, I didn't know if I was going to be traded or if they wanted to keep me. I knew they had a lot of guys in my position.

"But I had a long history with Sigi [Schmid, then Columbus coach], so I knew he might want to keep hold of me. I knew him out in California and his son played on my club team, so we've known each other for a long time. Sigi really helped me find my game and helped me grow up, especially last year, and helped me develop into a midfielder that hopefully can play more with the national team.

"Bobby's [current Crew coach Robert Warzycha] helped me a lot as well," he added.

"These guys also, Guille [Barros Schelotto], and some of the other guys like Frankie [Hejduk] and all these guys really help me out on the field.

"I was really lucky to be put with this group and I think you need a little luck in your career if you really want to make it farther and be a good professional."

Rogers made a positive impact when he was sent on as a substitute in his first World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica last week, setting up one of the goals in the 2-2 draw after coming on in the 69th minute.