Major League Soccer expansion side Portland Timbers have turned their attention to their striker needs and according to a report are eying one a forward who made a name for himself as one of the most dangerous scorers in the league before leaving for Europe. Steve Goff of the Washington Post is reporting that Portland have shown interest in signing former FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper away from Munich 1860, who are trying to offload the American.
Report: Portland Timbers Looking To Sign Kenny Cooper
Cooper scored 40 goals in 90 matches for Dallas from 2006-2009 after joining the club from Manchester United, where he never progressed beyond the reserve team. In his last full season with Dallas in 2008, Cooper bagged 18 goals and was named to the MLS Best XI team. Cooper's run with Dallas earned him a transfer to Munich, but he never found a spot on the field, totaling just 12 appearances for the club. Even a loan to Plymouth Argyle, where former MLS assistant coach Paul Mariner was in charge, couldn't reinvigorate his career and a severe ankle injury only made things tougher. Despite being unable to get on United States national team head coach Bob Bradley's good side, Cooper still has 10 caps to his name.
Although Cooper has been ineffective since leaving MLS and Portland is hoping that they can bring the big striker back to the league and get the type of scoring that Cooper showed with Dallas. At 26-years-old, Cooper still has the chance to get back into form and every report has indicated that his ankle is healthy again, giving him a fighting chance.
Whether Portland can get Cooper is still unknown. Because FC Dallas received a transfer fee for Cooper when he moved to Munich, they no longer hold his rights, but figuring out the contract and transfer problems that could arise reportedly have the transfer to Portland in limbo.
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