Timbers Looking To Kenny Cooper To Make First-Year Splash

Kenny Cooper returns to MLS after two seasons abroad, appearing in a total of 19 games with 1860 Munich and Plymouth Argyle. Prior to his less-than-successful European tour, which ended with two goals for 1860 Munich and none for Plymouth Arglye, Cooper was one of the more promising young talents in MLS. An 18 goal season in 2008 led to a best XI selection and increased interest from Europe and in July of 2009 Cooper was Munich bound. After failing to make an impact with the second-division German club, Cooper was sent on loan to English League One side Plymouth Argyle, the deal a loan with an option to buy at the end of the 2009-10 season. After making seven appearances without netting a goal, the option to buy Cooper’s contract from Plymouth was not exercised. On January 13 2011, Cooper was sold back to MLS and the Portland Timbers by 1860 Munich, becoming by far the most high-profile signing for the club in the lead up to their MLS debut.

Cooper began his career with Manchester United’s youth program, eventually working his way into the reserves but progressing no further. Loans to Portuguese side Académica de Coimbra and League One side Oldham Athletic resulted in little playing time and United allowed Cooper to move to FC Dallas in 2006. Upon his arrival in MLS Cooper quickly established himself as one of the better young American prospects at the forward position, scoring in his first appearance for the senior team after entering as a late sub. Cooper’s stock grew over the next several years, leading to his becoming a regular in the US National Team and scoring several key goals, including one each in the semi-final and final of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

After his move to Germany and subsequent lack of playing time, Cooper’s profile as an American international faded and he was left out of last summer’s World Cup squad. A return to MLS will guarantee Cooper a place in the first team and the opportunity to reestablish himself as a serious consideration for international consideration. At 26, Cooper is far from over the hill, and a solid season for Portland could go quite a ways towards bringing him back onto Bob Bradley’s radar.

Playing regularly. With 90 MLS appearances under his belt, Cooper is no stranger to the style of play in the league; the bigger question is whether Cooper is capable of carrying the burden of being the most visible player on a team with serious playoff aspirations in their first year in the league.

If the Kenny Cooper that will be making his appearance for the Timbers this season is the Kenny Cooper that played for Dallas in 2008, he could be a tremendous boost to a first-year franchise looking to make a serious mark right out of the gate. The impact of an elite level striker on both the performance of the team and the spirits of the fans even in a poor season, and if the Timbers are able to surprise and make a serious push for the playoffs, Cooper is almost certainly going to be a major part of their success. If, on the other hand, Cooper’s lack of playing time in Germany and England has taken a toll on Cooper’s fitness, the Timbers could end up getting quite a bit less production from their marquee signing than they’d anticipated.

The Timbers are almost certainly looking for Cooper to start nearly every game, and assuming injury isn’t an issue (and nothing in his history would suggest major concerns in that area) that seems to be the likely scenario. Given Cooper’s lack of playing time over these past few seasons his fitness might be of some concern, but at 26 there’s little reason to suggest that he’s not up for the challenge.

As was previously alluded, this answer is largely dependant on what type of effect Cooper’s long lay-off from first team play will have on his effectiveness. In his time with FC Dallas, Cooper was one of the more dangerous strikers in MLS . If he’s still the same player, he could very easily be near the top of the league in terms of goals scored this season, and it’s within the realm of possibility that he could garner MVP consideration.

While concerns about fitness and a lack of recent first-team experience are reasonable, the more likely scenario is that Cooper picks up right where left off as an elite striker in this league. With a skillset tailor-made for MLS, the opportunity to be the experienced number-one option on a very young but unquestionably talented squad could lead to Cooper surprising a whole lot of people and his leading the Timbers to do the same.