Cooper, who joins 1860 Munich on a three-year deal, has soccer in his blood. His father, Kenny Cooper Sr., came to the United States from Blackburn, England to tend goal for the Dallas Tornado of the North American Soccer League. The elder Cooper's connections with British football helped Cooper the younger bypass college soccer and join Manchester United's famous academy in 2004. Unable to break into the first team at Old Trafford, Cooper spent unsuccessful loan spells at Academica Coimbra (Portugal) and Oldham Athletic (England) before returning to Major League Soccer to sign with FC Dallas in February, 2006.
Kenny Cooper in MLS
Over the past four seasons, Cooper has become one of Major League Soccer's most prolific attackers and arguably the most important player for FC Dallas. Cooper scored his first MLS goal in his very first league appearance, a 3-2 win over Chicago on April 1, 2006, and ended his debut campaign with 11 league goals. An injury-plagued sophomore season saw Cooper limited to just 4 goals in 14 appearances, but the hulking 6'3" striker rebounded in 2008 with 18 goals from 30 starts, earning MLS Comeback Player of the Year Honours. Cooper's strong start to the 2009 MLS season - 7 goals in 15 games -, combined with his play for the U.S. National Team at the 2009 Gold Cup, helped the Baltimore native earn a transfer back to European football.
United States National Team
With his imposing physique, Cooper would appear well-suited to the traditional target-forward role filled so expertly by former U.S. striker Brian McBride. His penchant for dribbling with the ball rather than holding up play, however, means that Cooper has often struggled internationally, where his lack of pace proves more problematic than in MLS. Cooper's performances at the 2009 Gold Cup - he scored crucial goals in both the quarterfinal (a 2-1 win over Panama) and semifinal (a 2-0 win over Honduars) rounds - raised his stock with the National Team, but many U.S. Soccer fans still prefer the industry and clever link-up play of Brian Ching to the nifty footskills and powerful shooting of Cooper.
American Flavor at 1860 Munich
1860 Munich, which has signed Cooper to a three-year deal, is no stranger to American talent. Josh Wolff, ex-Chicago Fire striker and current Kansas City Wizards player, spent two seasons with the German club, scoring a pair of goals, while former National Team standout Gregg Berhalter spent three seasons there in central defense. The Bavarian club, which shares the Allianz Arena with more illustrious neighbours Bayern Munich, has spent the past four seasons solidly entrenched in the middle of the 2. Bundesliga table, finishing 13th, 8th, 11th, and 12th. With the addition of Cooper the club will continue to push for promotion to the 1. Bundesliga.
 |
 |
