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.
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.
Kenny Cooper In Talks With MLS, Agent Confirms
Ex-FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper is currently negotiating a return to MLS his agent confirmed. Cooper, who has scored four times in 10 United States National Team appearances, has been playing in Europe since transferring to 1860 Munich in 2009. Prior to his transfer, Cooper had scored 40 goals in 90 matches with FC Dallas.
"We're in discussions to potentially bring Kenny back to MLS," one of Cooper's reps, Lyle Yorks, told MLSsoccer.com. "This has been ongoing, but there are details to sort out before he can move."
Since these rumors first emerged, the Portland Timbers have been the team rumored to be driving the league's pursuit. The Timbers currently sit atop of the Allocation Order after the Vancouver Whitecaps used their spot to grab Jay DeMerit. The rest of the order follows the reverse order of last season's finish, with DC United now claiming the second spot and the Colorado Rapids sitting at No. 17. The Whitecaps are now last.
Cooper would seem to be a good fit in Portland, a team that is still lacking in MLS experience and does not have any proven talents at forward. Bright Dike and Eddie Johnson are the players currently on the roster who would seem to be the likely starters at forward and neither have played in a MLS match. Cooper is also 26 and the Timbers have shown a clear preference for players his age or younger.
Jan 08 11:16a by Jeremiah Oshan - 0 comments