Courtesy of Johannes Simon/Bongarts/Getty Images
(Original Story Posted on ESPN.com by Jeff Carlisle HERE)
Late Monday night, as Kenny Cooper was packing up his belongings in preparation for his return to the U.S., he marveled at the metamorphosis his abode in Munich had undergone. “Literally, 30 minutes, one of our rooms had books and DVDs, and now it’s completely down and gone,” he said in a telephone interview. “I’m thinking, ‘Just like that, huh?’”
The room’s rapid transformation is symbolic of his time in Germany. Soon after joining TSV Munich 1860 in the summer of 2009, Cooper scored on his debut. Yet, that promising start gave way to two serious injuries sandwiched around a failed loan stint at then-English Championship side Plymouth Argyle. The second injury, a broken right ankle, occurred last July on the first day of preseason training. So with his prime years slipping away, Cooper, 26, opted to return stateside, with the Portland Timbers officially announcing his signing on Monday.
Just like that, his 18-month European odyssey was over.
Cooper would never look back at his time overseas as a disappointment. The Dallas-area product is the kind of person who can find a silver lining in the darkest of places. His current return to MLS is no different, with Cooper having nothing but kind things to say about his now-former German employers.
“[Munich 1860] has unfortunately had some financial trouble, and I hope my move will be good for the club and also good for me,” Cooper said. “I think that I’m coming to something really exciting and something I’m really looking forward to. I’m coming back to a league that I enjoyed my time in, and I’m coming to a club that has a lot of excitement about their first year in MLS. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Portland coach John Spencer is, too. It’s been a busy week for the Scot. In last week’s MLS SuperDraft, he snagged Darlington Nagbe, arguably the brightest attacking talent available. Now, in Cooper, he’s added a forward who was a Best XI selection in 2008 and scored 40 goals in 90 appearances with FC Dallas.
But despite putting up such impressive numbers, there have been aspects of Cooper’s game that have been confounding at times. At 6-foot-3, he looks the part of a target forward, but he loves to run with the ball at his feet. There have been moments when Cooper could be seen drifting outside, practically ceding the center of the field. It raises the question of where precisely his best position is.
It’s not a concern for Spencer, who insists that he’ll station Cooper “as close to goal as possible.” Cooper’s recent penchant for injury isn’t keeping the manager up at night, either. Rather, Spencer is more concerned with putting the building blocks in place so that the striker’s strengths can be exploited.
“I think for [Cooper], you don’t tie him down,” Spencer said. “He has great pace, great power, and when you get some of that turning and running at you it’s almost unstoppable at times. I wouldn’t say, ‘Listen, this is the way you need to play for us.’ I think it’s more of, ‘Go out there, use your ability [and] experience to find space, and turn and drive at people.’ He’s not just a one-dimensional forward.”
Cooper’s work ethic is second to none, a trait that is especially valuable on an expansion team that will be lacking in chemistry in its early days.
“When he was in Dallas, you heard stories of them having to drag him off the field, which for a big-time player is a tremendous attribute and attitude to have,” Spencer said. “Hopefully, that will rub off on a lot of the younger guys that we’ve got here.”
And if Cooper’s past tenure in MLS is any indication, the goals should come just like that, too.
Comments
Related Posts
