Mitch Cooper
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 September 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Port Vila, Vanuatu | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Newcastle Jets | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2012 | Gold Coast United | ||
| 2011 | QAS | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012 | Gold Coast United | 6 | (1) |
| 2012– | Newcastle Jets | 33 | (1) |
| 2012 | Newcastle Jets Youth | 5 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011 | Australia U-17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2012 | Australia U-20 | 7 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 April 2016. | |||
Mitch Cooper (born 18 September 1994) is an Australian professional football (soccer) player who plays for Newcastle Jets in the A-League.
Early life
Cooper was born in Port Vila, Vanuatu, and lived there until age eight, attending the Port Vila International School. He then lived in New Zealand for five years before moving to Australia.[1]
Club career
Gold Coast United
Cooper was called up to the senior squad of A-League club Gold Coast United in February 2012, aged seventeen. With regular captain Michael Thwaite suspended, club owner Clive Palmer named Cooper captain for the match against Melbourne Heart as a sign of the club's commitment to promoting young players.[2] Coach Miron Bleiberg subsequently described the move as a symbolic one, claiming that more experienced players would effectively lead the side on the field.[3] Palmer suspended Bleiberg from his role as a result of those comments, replacing him with assistant coach Mike Mulvey for the Heart match.[4] Gold Coast lost the game 1–0 to a late goal from Eli Babalj.[5] Bleiberg quit the club days later, saying that Palmer's actions had hurt his dignity.[6]
In Gold Coast's next game, Cooper scored his first goal for the club, the side's third in a 3–3 draw with Central Coast Mariners.[7] He described this as a "dream" start, saying that he had previously been focused on the National Youth League and that he had tried to ignore the controversy surrounding his debut captaincy.[8] Gold Coast United lost its A-League operating licence the following week.[9]
Newcastle Jets
On 25 May 2012, Cooper signed a two-year contract with the Newcastle Jets.[10] He cited his respect for Jets coach Gary van Egmond, who he knew from his time in the Australia U-17s as a significant factor in this choice.[11] Cooper suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee in the Jets' final game of the 2012–13 season, ruling him out for several months.[12] He signed a one year extension with the Jets in June 2013.[13] Soon after returning to the field, he suffered a second ACL injury, this time to his left knee in a National Youth League game against Western Sydney Wanderers in January 2014.[14] He returned to play in the Jets squad in December 2014.[15]
In March 2015, Cooper signed a further two-year deal with the Jets.[16] He scored his first goal for the club on 12 February 2016 with a header in a draw with Brisbane Roar.[17]
Cooper was one of three senior players omitted from the Jets squad for a pre-season tour of China in August 2016, with coach Scott Miller talking of moving some players out of the club.[18] However, Miller himself was fired in the next month, which Jets CEO Lawrie McKinna described as giving the players a fresh chance with a new coach.[19]
International career
He has represented the Australia national under-17 association football team including four matches at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[20]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 30 September 2016[21]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gold Coast United | 2011–12 | A-League | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Newcastle Jets Youth | 2012[22] | Northern NSW State Football League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Newcastle Jets | 2012–13 | A-League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Newcastle Jets total | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| Total | 44 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 2 | ||
References
- ↑ Gardiner, James (12 March 2015). "Jet's heart goes out to homeland". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ Hand, Guy (15 February 2012). "Gold Coast United name teenage first-gamer Mitch Cooper as stand-in captain at request of their owner". Fox Sports. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ Hand, Guy (14 February 2012). "Teen to captain Gold Coast United on debut". ESPN FC. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ Clark, Laine (15 February 2012). "Gold Coast suspend A-League coach". Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Heart pinch 1–0 win over Gold Coast". ABC News. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ Monteverde, Marco (19 February 2012). "Gold Coast United coach Miron Bleiberg quits in wake of Clive Palmer A-League scandal". Fox Sports. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Gold Coast flirt with thrilling Mariners upset". ABC News. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Cooper quickly making his mark". Sunshine Coast Daily. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Gold Coast United stripped of A-League licence". ABC. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Veteran Michael Bridges pens new Newcastle Jets deal as club also confirms Mitch Cooper signing". Fox Sports. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Van is Mitch's man". Sunshine Coast Daily. 26 May 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Grounded Jet Cooper might move". Sunshine Coast Daily. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Video: Mitch Cooper talks contract extension". Newcastle Jets FC. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Mitch Cooper out for the season". The Newcastle Herald. 7 January 2014.
- ↑ Toohey, Barry (5 December 2014). "Mitch Cooper rebuilt after two serious knee injuries and looking to kick on with Newcastle Jets". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ Toohey, Barry (26 March 2015). "Newcastle Jets re-sign midfielder Mitch Cooper on two-year deal". The Advertiser. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ Rugari, Vince (12 February 2016). "Brisbane Roar salvage 2–2 A-League draw against Newcastle Jets, return to top of table". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ Parris, Michael (23 August 2016). "Fringe Jets miss China tour". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ Parris, Michael (15 September 2016). "McKinna under pressure to choose new coach". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ FIFA playing record
- ↑ "Mitch Cooper". ALeagueStats.com. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ↑ "Player statistics for Mitch Cooper". SportsTG. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
External links
- Mitch Cooper profile at Soccerway
- Mitch Cooper – FIFA competition record