Those of us in the Hoops nation are all talking about Kenny Cooper and where he may end up and if he would be a good fit for FC Dallas. Personally, I don’t think this would be a good move for FC Dallas.
First, Cooper is still very young, 26 to be exact. He is still a young striker that never seemed to get any rhythm going in Portland. FC Dallas on the other hand has a ton of young talent in Castillo, Chavez, Shea, and Jackson. I also believe FC Dallas has some of the best talent in the country coming through their academy teams. So they don’t need another young striker who is looking to find his feet again. I know the knock against FC Dallas has always been that they have always lacked a quality striker, but is Kenny Cooper that guy? He hasn’t scored or even posted an assist in his past 10 games. I know we may need a striker, but can you really argue with FC Dallas’ record and the fact that they are considered one of the elite teams in the league without having a “quality striker”?
Next, where does Cooper fit into FC Dallas’ lineup? Does he immediately play up top with either Chavez or Castillo? Or do you put him in the midfield and sit Jackson or Eric Alexander who are both having a great year this far. In my opinion he doesn’t fit in anywhere. While it would be nice to have some more depth upfront if 0 assists and 0 goals is what FC Dallas is looking for then I am your man! I watched a few Portland Timbers games and I often saw Cooper waiting to be setup by other players, letting the game come to him. At times Cooper looked too complacent with Portland.
Finally, I think FC Dallas fans are a bit nostalgic and would welcome Kenny back just based on his previous performances with FC Dallas. But that is the past, and this is an entirely different team and Kenny Cooper appears to be an entirely different player from what I have seen in Portland. This is 2011 and what Kenny Cooper did in 2006 or 2008 doesn’t really matter.
If you want to talk more FC Dallas or anything MLS or EPL related just tweet me @soccermunoz.
(image courtesy of mlssoccer.com)
