Top Stories

What would you do if you were Kenny Cooper?

Kenny_cooper_1_isiphotoscom_2

                                                                        Photo by ISIphotos.com

(No, there are no updates on Kenny Cooper’s transfer decision. It appears will be waiting at least one more day, if not longer for a final conclusion. If you are wondering what is taking so long, you may not realize everything involved in this big decision. With that in mind, consider the following:)

You are Kenny Cooper, a 23-year-old American striker with two transfer bids to consider. What do you do?

Yes, it may sound a bit like a bad impression of Dennis Hopper in Speed but the question is a good one. If you are Cooper do you go with the bid from Norwegian power Rosenborg or English First Division club Cardiff City? It is the question Cooper is in the midst of trying to answer as two European clubs and one league wait with baited breath to see if the big kid from Texas will stay or go.

Do you take more money from Rosenborg in a lesser-known league to play with a team that plays its share of UEFA Cup and occasional Champions League soccer, or do you take less money and join Cardiff City with an eye toward possible promotion to the EPL, the richest league in the world?

You can choose A or B, or possibly C, which would mean staying in MLS at an increased salary with the hope being that your continued success leads to bigger offers from bigger clubs down the road. You’re playing for your hometown team, for a coach you’ve known and respected for year. Do you stay another season and enjoy dominating MLS?

Cooper has to know how lucky he is to even have the decision. If you had asked Taylor Twellman the same question he would have had his passport stamped before you could get the word "or" out of your mouth. The same goes for Shalrie Joseph, who still dreams of Europe even as he continues to lead the league’s best team and enjoys a big (by MLS standards) new contract.

It might seem like a no-brainer but sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. Just ask Eddie Johnson, who could have jumped on an offer from Derby County, but chose to wait a while. He eventually joined Fulham and now heads into a second season in the EPL while Derby is back in the First Division. Jozy Altidore was seriously considering making a move to Reading, a club that pursued him for years, before things fell apart. Now instead of having joined newly-relegated Reading (and yes, you could argue that Altidore would have kept Reading up) Altidore is set to join La Liga runners-up and Champions League participants Villarreal.

You see? The decisions aren’t nearly as easy as some would like to believe. All three options have their merits, which makes it that much tougher for Cooper and his people to reach a decision. Perhaps staying in MLS leads to a move to an EPL team in the winter or next summer. Perhaps another injury like the one Cooper suffered last year costs him another year and the chance to make a similar move a year from now.

These are all the questions and scenarios that have Cooper so torn. It is far from an easy decision, no matter how easy it may seem on the outside.

So, tell me, what would YOU do?

Comments

  1. I am amazed to read the posts on here that you all think Rosenberg play a better style of football than Cardiff.

    When we are on top form we tear apart teams like Middleborough whom are established EPL teams.

    We are one of the best footballing sides in the Coca Cola Championship and all we need is a top striker. I don’t think there is much of a decision if he wants to better his career, he could play in a poor standard of league in Rosenberg, or play in a league where any team out of about 12 could win the league and any out of about 18 could get promoted. It is one of the most open leagues left at high standards these days hence why it is the 4th best supported league in Europe (above most other countries first divisions including Rosenberg. It is a shame that the top teams in the Coca Cola Championship don’t get a chance to play off against some of these minor nations, as I am sure we would take the EUEFA and CL places of them no probs. Let’s start with our recent victories over Celtic and a top Portuguese side both whop have qualified for CL next season

    Reply
  2. Since when is the CC championship considered ‘First Division’? The last time I checked it was second division…

    Reply
  3. I wouldn’t even venture to guess. Hopefully his agent and his Dad will have input as far as which move is better to further his career.

    Truthfully- as fans do we really have any idea about the in’s and out’s of such a choice?

    The only thing I would say is if you play well the rest will take care of itself.

    Reply
  4. Cant see him getting paid more at Rosenberg! Cardiff are in the position to offer him around $1.5M+ a year.

    Now tell me would you turn this down to play in a dreadfull norwegian League where 3 maybe 4 teams compete and the others make up the numbers?

    Last seasons championship was superb with at 1 point 12 teams competing for promotion, and 12 looking at the possibility of relagation if they had a bad run. What a exciting league to play in.

    Reply
  5. Can you all stop saying Rosenberg are in the Champions League. They are in the Qualifying rounds for the UEFA cup – which is a very poor standard.

    I would like to see Cardiff and Rosenberg actually play each other on the pitch, as i think Cardiff would walk all over Rosenberg.

    There is no competition in my eyes where i would go, The english Championship (Division 2) is on a par with most countrtys 1st divisions for Quality of players.

    Coops’ international prospects would thrive at Cardiff City. Just wish you could get some CCC games in the states to see the Quality of footy thats being played.

    Reply
  6. Why do people care that Rosenborg plays in EUROPE? What is that about 4-5 games a year? The competition for the season is much more important

    Reply
  7. i know the haters will roll their eyes, but i truly don’t believe the championship is any better than MLS…thus, it’s an easy choice, Rosenborg and champs league play. regardless, bradley needs to wake up and call him!

    Reply
  8. He should go whereever he’d get more playing time.

    Ives makes Eddie Johnson’s move to Fulham out to be better than a potential move to Derby. But at least at Derby he might have played a bit, instead of being completely out of the side. It seems to me that Eddie made a bad choice (as did Fulham).

    The way to get better is by playing. You’re not going to get a lot better by sitting on the bench and watching. Cooper (and EJ) need to play.

    Reply
  9. Mark, the Coca-Cola is the first division, always was until Coca-Cola put its name on it, so give us a break with the semantics.

    Reply
  10. “or English First Division club Cardiff City?”

    Ives,

    Cardiff City plays in the Championship, not the First Division

    Reply
  11. I would start learning how to speak Norwegian. If Cooper were 25 or 26, the calculus might be different, but at 23, Cooper could sign a three or four year deal with Rosenborg, who as noted are regularly in UEFA cup and sometimes Champions League play. Good performances on the European level, solid play in league matches and Cooper could see his ticket punched to La Liga or the Bundesliga in 2-3 years time.

    Of course, a national team call-up would also help if he could show the same scoring prowess for the U.S. that he does for Dallas.

    Cardiff are not going to get promoted and as much as people like to think, there is not that much movement of players from the Coca-Cola Championship to top clubs in the premiership.

    Reply
  12. KC has gotta go to the team that gets him the most experience to finally get regular call ups to the MNT. You would think that he slapped Michael Bradley or something. Rosenborg would be better but I think that Sir Alex’s comments makes me feel he is Cardiff bound. The FA cup experience alone would equal playing in a few UEFA Cup games. I do agree with the comments that we should not push all our players to the BPL but with KC’s past experience in the UK he may be better suited their than a player who has never trained or played there.

    Reply
  13. so there are two questions, right? leave or not, and Rosenborg/Cardiff City (assuming both offers are roughly the same financially)

    first off: leave? yes. given either of these options, it’s time to go to Europe again for KennyC. the comparison to Jozy isn’t very good, actually. Jozy was 18 and only going to get better in six months, he had a half season of MLS ahead of him, Olympic Quals and senior team duty. six months is a long time at 18. he can go train for a season or two like Freddy did and it’s good for him. Kenny needs to play, training alone isn’t going to help him at 23. if he waits, all of a sudden he’s a 24 year old striker, on a team that isn’t getting better. he could score a goal a game for the rest of the season and still not improve his stock much, frankly. he needs to go back and prove himself on a bigger stage. either club works for that purpose.

    if I were him, I’d go to Cardiff City. I’d rather have the FA Cup ad Carling Cup games than low level Euro games (everyone knows Rosenborg needed Intertoto to get into UEFA Second Round Qualifying, right? they aren’t in CL this year, and sitting in sixth right now need a huge press to make next year. I don’t see how it’s even a question, if the finances are roughly the same.

    Reply
  14. I just don’t understand everyone’s obsession with all things EPL. People do realize they are other good leagues in Europe besides the Premiership.

    Now the only factor in this conversation we are not aware of is playing time. We don’t know which club he’ll have a better chance at playing week in and week out. Outside of that unknown factor, I say its Rosenborg BK, no-brainer, slam-dunk. Cardiff City is a second division club, and being so he’ll only be in the eyes of other Premiership clubs (which for some Yank fans is all that matters), but at Rosenborg he’ll be in the eyes of all the major European leagues, plus he’ll get paid more, and he’ll get European football.

    Reply
  15. Stay for another year or two in MLS. Come on, Rosenburg, who would bow out first round in any Euro competition. Cardiff won’t get promoted to the EPL. Kenny could win the Golden Boot this year and next. He could leave for top flight Euro football. MLS is better than it was 5 years ago. The only leagues that trump MLS are the big four: EPL, La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga.

    Stay in Dallas, then go back to Man U. in 2 years.

    Reply
  16. Rosenborg…and “help keep Reading up”? Pleeeeeeeeeeeze. Jozy is good with potential of great but he is not in the same league as Doyle, Kitson and Lita right now. He would have had a tough time breaking into the starting line-up. The only advantage with Cardiff is that the Championship offers the opportunity to play and get noticed by the epl teams.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to hartman Cancel reply