Kenny Cooper's hat trick last Wednesday against the Charleston Battery in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup might not show up in the league statistics, but it was still an impressive and necessary feat that kept FC Dallas alive in the competition - and set the stage for the second half of the league season to come.
Cooper currently has eight league goals, tying him for the team lead. That total includes four game-winners and three assists (third on the team), and Cooper is quick to credit great service for what he said was his first hat trick as a professional.
"Like I've said before, (all year) I've been very fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of some great service," he said. "I get more opportunities on goal at forward than the other positions and need to make the most of those. I got great service and it was a great win for us."
Always the consummate team player, the significance of last week's win against the USL First Division (second tier) team wasn't lost on the Dallas native.
"We wanted to finish on a positive heading into the All-Star break and I think that we did," Cooper said. "I think we've had a great first half and want to continue that. We have (high) expectations and ambitions and just want to fulfill those."
Cooper scored all three FC Dallas goals on the night, the third coming in extra time as the Hoops scored a last-gasp equalizer to set up a penalty shootout, which they won. Head coach Colin Clarke was also quick to compliment his young striker.
"We certainly needed it," Clarke said. "The first goal was a great strike right before halftime. The second two goals showed his strength. He used his body to hold people off inside the 18. He was able to spin and produce a couple of good finishes."
His first goal against the Battery came in first half stoppage time with Hoops captain Simo Valakari assisting as the Hoops headed to the halftime break up 1-0. Cooper then put his side ahead again in the 89th minute, this time off an unassisted tally, but the Battery scored a penalty kick in stoppage time to bring on 30 additional minutes.
His final score of the evening was an equalizer in the 119th minute, assisted by rookie forward Dominic Oduro, after Charleston had taken a lead five minutes before. For good measure, he also converted a penalty kick in the shootout as FCD advanced 5-3.
Cooper's hat trick makes him only the second FCD player to accomplish such a feat in U.S. Open Cup play. Current Hoops defender Bobby Rhine was the first, scoring all three goals for his side in a 3-0 third-round win against the Jacksonville Cyclones of the A-League on July 13, 1999. Rhine's hat trick also came in his first season with the squad.
Only three other Hoops have scored three goals in a game. The first came July 18, 1997, when Dante Washington had three in a 3-1 win against San Jose at the Cotton Bowl.
Then, on March 20, 1999 in the season opener against Kansas City, a game Dallas won 4-0, Jason Kreis, the leading scorer in both league and club history, scored three times for his side, again at the Cotton Bowl. Rhine has the most recent hat trick in team history, which came on June 8, 2002 in a 4-1 win against Colorado in a match also played at the Cotton Bowl.
With his three-goal performance in his USOC debut, Cooper also already finds himself near the top of the FCD career scoring list in Open Cup play. His three goals tie him with Rhine, Washington and Chad Deering for second-most in team history. Kreis, Ronnie O'Brien and Eddie Johnson have each scored four times in USOC action.
Cooper and the rest of the Hoops return to MLS action this Saturday when they travel to Houston. They will face Dynamo in a big battle not just for in-state bragging rights, but also a big battle in the Western Conference standings. That will also set the stage for a quarterfinal clash in the Open Cup between the two Texas sides -- also in Houston, on Aug. 23.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
