Hanging with Mr. Cooper

By: Brandon Vondera

Kenny Cooper's name has been all over the newswire as of late. Recently word dropped that he would be loaned to Plymouth Argyle, by his current squad 1860 Munich. Previous to playing for 1860 Munich, Cooper played three seasons in MLS for FC Dallas. In 90 appearances for Dallas, Kenny logged 40 goals (only Landon Donovan has more goals in that span). He even led the club with 18 goals while starting all 30 games of the 2008 season. Banking on his success in the 2008 campaign, Kenny garnered many awards including the MLS Comeback Player of The Year for 2008.

In the case of Cooper, the apple didn't fall to far from the tree. His father, Kenny Cooper Sr. played goalkeeper in England before moving stateside to play for Dallas Tornado of the now defunct North American Soccer League. When pops retired from coaching, he transplanted the family to Dallas. It is there, in the The Lone Star State, that the Jr. Cooper developed his game. Under the strict mentorship of his father, Kenny blossomed into a fine footballer. Kenny played for the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, where he was named the Dallas area High School Player of The Year in 2003.

Subsequently while playing for Dallas Solar 85 Soccer Club in the Dallas Cup, several former NASL players noticed his skills and alerted Jimmy Ryan, the Director of Youth Football for Manchester United of the English Premiere League. After a successful week-long trial with The Red Devils, Kenny was signed as a free transfer to United. Though he stayed with the club from 2004-2006, he was never able to break into the first team.

The MLS was different, a fresh start. Cooper flourished in the league from his debut game, in which he scored a goal to help his team beat the Chicago Fire. With a newfound confidence his game continued to develop and new opportunities arose. One such opening saw him travel back to Europe where he spent a good deal of his childhood. His current German squad 1860 Munich plays in Munich, Bavaria in the Second Bundesliga. The Green Army, as they're known share a stadium, Allianz Arena, with Bayern Munich which US forward Landon Donovan played for in 2009.

2010 may be yet another favorable time for the young forward. With just four months to go before the World Cup in South Africa, Kenny is eager to make his mark in Enlgand. "Going to the World Cup is a huge goal of mine," said Cooper. "My hope is to have success here with Plymouth and hopefully that will translate into some opportunities with my national team."

Based on his brief resume of national team appearances (10 games, 4 goals), I believe the opportunity may be just what we need heading into June. It was only last July, when Cooper took a boot to the chest from Roman Torres of Panama, leading to a penalty kick he converted to put the USA through to the semifinal round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Five days later, Kenny Cooper seized the day again, scoring late in a match vs Honduras, giving the USA a 2-0 lead and putting our country safely in the Gold Cup Final.

Cheer Kenny on as the USA open up with England June 11 in South Africa.