Englishman Terry Cooke’s decision to play in Major League Soccer is like Wolfgang Puck assembling your next Big Mac.
The Rapids midfielder signed a four-year deal with Manchester United in 1994 and grew up with now-immortal youngsters David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville while rubbing shoulders with legends Eric Cantona, Jordi Cruyff and Peter Schmeichel. Cooke was man of the match in his first-team debut for Manchester United and drew the praise of team legend Sir Bobby Charlton, who compared Cooke to a young George Best.
But if success were a group picture, Cooke would be the partially obscured face in the background. Freak injuries and battles over his wages left Cooke a spectator while his teammates were getting the glory.
“It’s always amazing in my career – I’m not feeling sorry for myself – but I’ve always missed out,” said Cooke, who turned 29 on Aug. 5.
Fed up with bad luck and what he calls the increasing politics of the English game, Cooke came to Colorado in the offseason looking for a fresh start.
Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo remembers wondering, “Why?”
“It’s always a question when a good player becomes available,” Clavijo said.
Since shaking off a leg injury, Cooke has started in the Rapids’ past six matches as the team posted a 3-1-2 record. He announced his return emphatically with a game-winning free kick in Colorado’s 2-1 victory over Kansas City on July 4.
A high-energy winger, Cooke slowly has filled the right-side void left by the trade of Chris Henderson in May.
“He brings the heart for it,” Clavijo said. “He brings the experience, and he knows how to deal with situations that not many people can. He came from one of the best soccer schools in the world.”
The devil’s luck
When he was 16, Cooke cleaned players’ shoes, removed trash and tidied up the locker room at Manchester United, England’s most dominating club the past decade. He earned respect and learned the trade before signing a contract when he turned 18.
When star Eric Cantona was banned in 1995 for eight months after assaulting a heckler during a game, Manchester United began its 1995-96 campaign with its youngest team. Manchester United would go on to win the Premier League.
Cooke’s first-team debut was the fifth game of the season, a 3-0 victory over Bolton in which he was named man of the match. He was later named the club’s young player of the year.
But things began to spiral in 1997 when Cooke tore his anterior cruciate ligament. To guarantee playing time after his rehab, he was loaned out to other clubs and landed with rival Manchester City, where he helped the Blues win promotion from the second division.
Cooke said Manchester City could not afford the full fee it had paid to acquire him, so after he made a certain number of appearances he was benched to save money. He eventually went on loan several times before landing at Sheffield Wednesday, where he broke his fibula.
Cooke’s future at Sheffield Wednesday evaporated under another financial cloud. Rather than scrape by as a former Manchester United starlet, Cooke decided to follow the path of former Manchester City teammate Ian Bishop, who finished his career with the now-defunct Miami Fusion.
Adjusting to U.S. game
One thing Cooke dislikes about the MLS version of the world’s most popular sport is the endless American thirst for statistics.
“You can do nothing for 90 minutes and score a goal and that’s it, you’re MVP, you’re man of the match,” Cooke said. “Back in England, you can work for 90 minutes solidly and you get credit for that. If you work your socks off, the fans appreciate that.”
His Rapids teammates are appreciating him.
Cooke brings “at least six scoring opportunities a game,” striker Jeff Cunningham said. “He does a good job getting balls in the box, which creates scoring chances.”
Cooke surprised Cunningham with a knifing pass into the penalty area against Los Angeles on Aug. 6. Cooke held the ball and moved away from Cunningham to draw defenders before setting him up for the opening goal.
Clavijo likes what he has seen from Cooke but stressed he can improve, something the player agrees with.
“No one has seen the best of me over here,” Cooke said, “nowhere near the best of me. There’s a lot more to come from me.”
