ColoradoRapids.com Report

Scottish winger Jaime Smith has been officially signed by the Colorado Rapids from Aberdeen FC.  Making way for the signing is midfielder Terry Cooke. 

Cooke was a fan favorite at DSGP and it is sad to see him go.  He wasn’t necessarily the best player but every now and again he would deliver a brilliant cross or through ball that would get the whole stadium out of their seat.  I think he endeared himself to the fans because he was capable of doing something magnificent at any given moment. 

After Smith took charge of the team it became evident that Terry Cooke no longer had a place in the system.  Coach Smith opted for the faster more dynamic player such as Colin Clark and Jacob Peterson on the wing.  Jaime Smith is the type of dynamic one-on-one attacker that Coach Smith perfers. 

Cooke was relegated to the bench this season only appearing 10 times, with 5 starts. His single goal and assist this year came during a substitute appearance at the Rapid’s home opener against Kansas City.  Cooke came on the field late in the second half and his first touch on the ball was a free kick that he placed beautifully past Kansas goalkeeper, Kevin Hartman.  His assist later in game would lead to the game winner.  Clearly frustrated in the last few weeks the inevitable finally occured. 

Cooke leaves the Rapids after 4 and a half seasons.  He made 106 appearances for the club scoring 4 goals and providing 34 assists.  His 34 assists rank him second in the list of Rapid’s all-time assist leaders, Chris Henderson is first with 53 assists.

Terry Cooke is 32 years old and has played for the likes of Sunderland, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Manchester Cith, Sheffield Wednesday, and Manchester United.  Cooke is passionate about playing the game so I am sure he will land somewhere in the near future.  Hopefully it is in MLS and there are plenty of teams who need a veteran right mid.  

In the end I think it will be a good move for the club.  What do you guys think about this development?  Are you sad to see Cooke go?  What do you think of the team that Coach Smith is putting together for an end of the season playoff push?

Here are a few quick stories for a slow Tuesday:

Freddy Adu is training at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.  He will rejoin Benfica this week but a source close to Adu has hinted that at least one Dutch club is interested in his services.  The source also assured that Adu’s next loan deal will not be a bench sitting experience like the one at Monaco. 

Joseph Ngwenya is set to return to MLS.  The former Columbus Crew and Houston forward is in negations with MLS to secure a return to the league.  The 28 year old has been floating around Europe since late 2007.  He played for Austrian side SK Austria Karnten before his contract was dissolved and he went on trial at Bayern Munich.  Ngwenya failed to earn a contract in Germany and signed for Turkish side Antalyaspor, but only made 3 appearances for the club.  The bright side of his European experience is that he was able to earn his first cap for Zimbabwe, four more caps followed in 2008.  

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