Kenny Cooper Chat: June 24, 2008

June 24th, 2008 by KirkBhoy | Posted in Uncategorized |

Kenny Cooper had a little chat on ESPN.com today at 2pm. ESPN typically gets a player involved in its Thursday Night game to do these little chats. I’m not sure how much this does for their ratings, but anyhow… you need an ESPN Insider account to view the full chat. Guess who has just such an account? So here’s the full chat:

Buzzmaster: Kenny is here!

Kenny Cooper: Thanks for joining me! Happy to be here.

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Lisa - Dallas, Texas: Everyone seems to get along very well as a team. Do any of you hang out off the field as well? If so, who would you say has the most out going personality? Congrats also on the goals!

Kenny Cooper: Yes we do have a very close team and everyone gets along very well. In high school I played with Drew Moor and we are good buddies. I am close with everyone on the team, but Drew and myself go way back. As far as outgoing personalies, we have a lot of funny guys and we have a great time in the locker room.

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Dave (Beaverton, OR): Kenny- Why are you so awesome? Have you received any calls from Bob Bradley lately?

Kenny Cooper: Thank you first of all. Actually after the New England game I did get a call up come up with the national team in New York for the game against Argentina. Obviously I did not dress, but it was an honor. Playing for the USA is a goal of mine and it is always a great opportunity to be around those guys.

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Barrett: Cedar Hill Texas: When you’re not playing soccer, what do you do with your free time?

Kenny Cooper: My family and girlfriend are here in Dallas, so when I am not training I like to spend time with them and coming from a soccer family I like to talk soccer and watch soccer with them. It is a huge part of our lives, so anything involving soccer we are interested in.

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Jason (Austin TX): How about a prediction between your showdown with the Dynamo?

Kenny Cooper: Hopefully we will come away with a win. But Houston is obviously a very good, strong team. They are defending champs the last two years, so we know we are in for a battle anytime we play them. At the moment I believe the series is tied, and this is the last time we play them this season, so it would be nice to win one down there and win the series. It is always fun to play them and it has becopme a huge rivalry, and the fans get up for the series and it should be a very competitive game. I am looking forward ot it.

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Steve (Frisco TX): Kenny, how has the recent coaching changes affected team morale? Many of us in Los Toros are counting on you guys having a big second half!

Kenny Cooper: I think anytime a new coach comes in guys get fired up, and everyone is working hard trying to make a good impression. It is an exciting time for us. I am excited for us. I was actually recuited by Sheallis but never had the chance to play for him, so for me, it is a great opportunity to repay him for the faith he showed in me in high school.

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Sue (Adrian, MI): Hey Kenny - What do you think of the new coach. Is the team adapting well?

Kenny Cooper: Yes, I beleive we are adpating well. He has only been with us for a short time but everyone is wroking hard and is commited to coach Schellas. We have only had one game under him, but we go to Houston with him and we will try to get a good result for him.

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Sean (Spokane): How was it being apart of Man U early in your career?

Kenny Cooper: It was an incredible experience and a great education. I was surrounded by some of the best players in the world and to be able to see the way they went about their business every day it was great. I would like to think there were a lot of lessons learned and that I was able to apply a lot of what I learned to my career here in MLS.

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Jacob (Dallas, Texas): How do you feel about the remainder of the MLS Season?

Kenny Cooper: I am excited. I feel like we have done a lot of good things, and with Schellas here now I hope we can take out performance to the next level and finish strong.

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Gary (Hong Kong): Have you been following the Euro 2008? What’s your take on Turkey’s comebacks and who do you think will take it all?

Kenny Cooper: I have been following the games, and it is great to come home after training and watch the games on ESPN. I actually saw Turkey’s comeback on replay in NY and it was a great comeback win. My two teams (the ones I though would win it), Holland and Portugal, are out now. I think I will go with Germany now to win it all.

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Brian (Charlotte, NC): You seemed to adjust quickly when leaving Europe. What were the best and worst parts of your time there?

Kenny Cooper: The best part was just being a part of Man U. It is an incredible club. It was a great experience and education, as I said earlier. It was my first taste of pro soccer. To have that opportunity to be around Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo is invaluable. It was a great 2 1/2 years. It was all good.

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Jeremy (Dallas, tx): what piece does FC Dallas need the most to put you over the hump this year? I’m sure no one is too pleased with the early playoff exits.

Kenny Cooper: I believe that we have all the pieces in place. I have a lot of confidence in my teammates and coaches. I think we have a team capable of winning MLS Cup, and that is the objective.

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Nathan (Carrollton, GA): How can I grow to be 6′3″ tall?

Kenny Cooper: I got lucky with my mom’s genes, everyone on my mom’s side of the family is pretty tall.

Kenny Cooper: Thanks everyone for your support and be sure to watch us Thursday night on ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET, against the Dynamo.

Here’s hoping ESPN doesn’t sue my ass. For the record, I submitted a question that went unanswered:

Eddie Robinson: dirty defender, or dirtiest defender?