Kenny Cooper scores in German Debut

I got up relatively early (acclimating my body for next Saturday) to catch my very first Bundesliga 2 match between the powerful (I hope) TSV 1860 Munich and TUS Koblenz. I caught up to the match 20 minutes in with TSV 1860 up 1-0. I'm happy to report that the first goal for 1860 Munich of the new season was scored by the big American signee, Mr. Kenny Cooper. They're now up 2-0. In classic ITV fashion Sky Sports just switched from the 1860 Munich vs. TUS Koblenz match for a look into the Cottbus vs. Augsburg match, only to miss Benjamin Lauth score for 1860 Munich for the second goal. I'm still trying to get a highlight of the goal to see if it was a corker or a tap in.

Update: At the 71st minute mark Coop was just taken off to a warm ovation from the fans. Just prior to being taken off he had a near miss, coming down the left wing with the ball he attempted a cross which was deflected high and towards the net. In a nice bit of pace and hustle he beat the defender to the ball but wasn't able to get an accurate shot on goal from about a thigh high bounce. From the reaction of the crowd it's a good start in Germany for Kenny Cooper and a good start for the club. I'm no expert on Bundesliga 2 but I do know their opponent, TUS Koblenz did finish just above the relegation zone last season. With Lauth who scored fifteen goals last season and Cooper 1860 Munich may have a nice goal scoring combo to help drive them back towards the top flight, of which they were a founding member. Ten minutes left with a two goal advantage so they should hang on.

Here's a link to a video of Cooper's goal. A nice header by the 6'3" Cooper.

The reaction to his move to Germany was interesting, very mixed in the blogosphere and US soccer pundits. I've noted earlier that I think his move will be a plus for his career. Over at World Soccer Daily a couple of weeks back Kenny Hassan and Howard Rogers had a different view wondering why he would make a move to a second division club in Germany. In my opinion it makes sense for multiple reasons and really is a win win situation for him. He needed to get away from MLS but still get guaranteed playing time in a solid league. Sure he probably could have moved to a top flight European club but would playing time be guaranteed? As we've learned with Freddy Adu at Benfica and on loan at Monaco it's nice to have young US players at top flight clubs but if they're going to sit on the bench it's not going to help their development or help the US National team. The same can be said for Jozy Altidore. It was a great move to Villareal but he received very little playing time for the Yellow Submarine and then on loan.

As far as going to a second division club, what's really the difference between Cooper playing in the Bundesliga 2 and Charlie Davies playing at Hammarby in Sweden? The leagues are arguably comparable. Davies was able to get playing time and as a result is now a real player in the US rotation. For a club like 1860 Munich to spend a million dollars (up to 3 million) they're making a large investment. As a result he's probably going to get playing time. If he continues to impress like in his debut that playing time will be consistent.

This can only help Cooper. Maybe he contributes greatly to a move to the first division for his club. Or maybe he impresses enough to get a transfer to another club next season. More importantly he'll be getting playing time in a European league in the run up to the World Cup. I'm not alone among US soccer fans in hoping to see Cooper get more of a look with the national team. We can only go so far with Brian Ching. It would be nice to see Coop get in there with his unique skill set and compete for time with Jozy and Charlie Davies. He will soon be twenty-five. This may be his sole opportunity to play in a World Cup. He's in a good place to prove his worth to Bob Bradley.