The Rapids on Tuesday waived Terry Cooke, who led Major League Soccer in assists in 2006.
A week shy of his 33rd birthday, the midfielder played sparingly this season, appearing in only 10 of the Rapids’ 18 games and starting five. He did have a goal and an assist.
Cooke is No. 2 on the all-time Rapids assist list with 34, trailing only Chris Henderson (53). Cooke led MLS with 12 assists in 2006 and supplied another 12 last season, third-best in the league.
Once part of the renowned Manchester United development system, where he was a teammate of a young David Beckham, Cooke came to the Rapids in 2005 after playing for Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Birmingham City and Manchester City in England.
Cooke was waived so the Rapids could sign midfielder Jamie Smith, who has played for Scottish sides Celtic and Aberdeen, as well as Holland’s ADO Den Haag. He has played twice for the Scottish national team.
The Rapids play host to MLS champion Columbus on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
John Meyer, The Denver Post
Wiebe’s son wins U.S. Amateur qualifier.
Aurora’s Gunner Wiebe holed out an eagle from 164 yards and shot a course-record 9-under-par 63 in the final round to win a 36-hole U.S. Amateur sectional qualifier at Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins.
Wiebe, son of Champions Tour player Mark Wiebe, advanced to the U.S. Amateur Aug. 24-30 at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla. Broomfield’s Steve Ziegler and Colorado Springs’ Michael Harrington also qualified.
Wiebe, a junior at the University of San Diego, finished at 13-under 131.
DU newcomer in contention.
Kimberly Kim, a freshman-to-be at the University of Denver from Hilo, Hawaii, was three strokes back in fourth place at the Junior PGA Championship for girls at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio. She shot a 2-under-par 70.
The leader, Alexis Thompson, shot a 67.
Air Force hires soccer assistant.
Matthew Okoh, who played at DU and then with the Colorado Foxes of the American Professional Soccer League and also with the Rapids, has joined the Air Force men’s soccer team as an assistant coach.
Okoh was a 50-goal scorer during his DU career. He has five years of head coaching experience with women’s teams at Nichols College, Grambling State and Delaware State.
