Mitch Cooper

Last updated

Mitch Cooper
Personal information
Full name Mitch Steven Baggio Cooper
Date of birth (1994-09-18) 18 September 1994 (age 29)
Place of birth Port Vila, Vanuatu
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Attacking Midfielder
Youth career
2010–2012 Gold Coast United
2011 QAS
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2012 Gold Coast United 6 (1)
2012–2017 Newcastle Jets 33 (1)
2012 Newcastle Jets NPL 5 (0)
2017–2018 Nunawading City 27 (18)
2018–2019 Green Gully 17 (1)
2019–2020 Hume City 23 (6)
2020 Sunshine Coast Wanderers 15 (4)
2021–2023 Hume City 47 (6)
International career‡
2011 Australia U-17 4 (0)
2012 Australia U-20 7 (0)
2019– Vanuatu 6 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 July 2019

Mitch Steven Baggio Cooper (born 18 September 1994) is a Ni-Vanuatu footballer who played for Hume City in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.

Contents

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] The loss of the license caused the FFA to scramble for a replacement team, resulting in the creation of the Western Sydney Wanderers FC.

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]

Nunawading City

Cooper signed for NPL Victoria 2 side Nunawading City for the 2017 season. Mitch scored his first goal for Nunawading against the Goulburn Valley Suns in Round 2 of the NPL2 East season; before scoring a header in a 5–2 win over Richmond SC.

Throughout the remainder of the season, Cooper scored 18 leagues goals (with 3 in the cup) totalling in 21 goals for the season, he'd be in the top 10 players for the Victorian NPL2 gold medal awards alongside former Newcastle Jets & Gold Coast United team-mate James Brown. He'd score 3 hat-tricks against the Casey Comets, Bendigo City & Melbourne City Youth.

International career

Cooper has represented the Australia national under-17 association football team including four matches at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup. [20] In March 2019, he was called up for Vanuatu national football team for the first time. [21]

Career statistics

Club

As of 28 April 2017 [22]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Gold Coast United 2011–12 A-League 61000061
Newcastle Jets Youth 2012 [23] Northern NSW State Football League 50000050
Newcastle Jets 2012–13 A-League 50000050
2013–14 00000000
2014–15 1600000160
2015–16 1211000131
2016–17 00000000
Newcastle Jets total3311000341
Nunawading City 2017 National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 231823002521
Total66923006823

International goals

Scores and results list Vanuatu's goal tally first. [24]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.15 July 2019 National Soccer Stadium, Apia, Samoa Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga 5–014–0 2019 Pacific Games
2.18 July 2019Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa 1–011–0
3.2–0
4.3–0
5.4–0

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Jets FC</span> Football club

Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australian Professional Leagues (APL),. The club was formed in 2000 when it joined the National Soccer League (NSL) and was one of only three former NSL clubs to join in the formation of the A-League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miron Bleiberg</span> Israeli-Australian football manager

Miron Bleiberg is an Israeli-Australian football (soccer) manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noel Spencer</span> Australian soccer player

Noel Spencer is a former Australian football (soccer) player who coaches Dapto Dandaloo Fury in the Illawarra Premier League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zenon Caravella</span> Australian football player

Zenon Caravella is an Australian football (soccer) player who last played for Newcastle Jets in the A-League.

Jobe Wheelhouse is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays for Lambton Jaffas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Culina</span> Australian soccer player and coach

Jason Culina is a former Australian soccer player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Smeltz</span> New Zealand footballer

Shane Edward Smeltz is a New Zealand professional footballer. He plays as a striker for Guiseley AFC in the Northern Premier League, the 7th tier of English football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mate Dugandzic</span> Australian soccer player

Mate Dugandzic is a retired Australian football player. He is known for being the first player to make a direct switch between both Melbourne clubs in the A-League when he moved from Melbourne Victory to join Melbourne Heart in 2011. He was also part of the Adelaide United squad that went on to win both the 2015–16 A-League Premiers Plate and the 2016 A-League Grand Final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Watson (soccer)</span> Scottish Australian soccer player

Cameron Watson is a Scottish Australian football (soccer) player who plays as a defensive midfielder for National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 side Moreland Zebras FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marko Jesic</span> Australian soccer player

Marko Jesic is an Australian soccer player who plays for Marconi Stallions FC.

The F3 Derby is an association football rivalry between Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets. It is the longest standing derby in the A-League Men. The rivalry originated due to the team's relative geographical proximity, with the Mariners located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, the Jets in Newcastle, immediately to the north. The two clubs were also the only two clubs from outside capital cities in the inaugural A-League seasons, which contributed to the rivalry.

The 2010–11 season was Melbourne Victory's sixth season in the Hyundai A-League. It was the first A-League season with two teams from the same city, after the introduction of Melbourne Heart.

The History of the Newcastle Jets FC starts at their inception in 2000 by businessman Con Constantine after the collapse of the city's previous football club the Newcastle Breakers. The Breakers were dissolved when Soccer Australia revoked its NSL licence at the conclusion of the 1999/2000 season. At the formation of Newcastle United the home ground was moved back to where Newcastle KB United played, now known as EnergyAustralia Stadium.

The 2011–12 A-League was the 35th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the seventh season of the Australian A-League soccer competition since its establishment in 2004. At the end of the previous season, the North Queensland Fury were cut from the competition by the governing body, Football Federation Australia, due to financial reasons.

The 2011–12 season is Brisbane Roar's seventh season in the A-League. Brisbane successfully defended their Championship by defeating Perth Glory 2–1 in front of 50,344, but relinquished the Premiership to Central Coast Mariners, who ended the regular season 2 points ahead of the Roar, with the result going to down to the last day of the regular season. They will compete in the 2012 Asian Champions League, for finishing the regular season first. On 2 August 2011, the club confirmed they would be supplied with kits and training gear by German multinational apparel company Puma. It is the first time in the history of the club and A-League that they will not be wearing a kit that is made by Reebok.

Alexander Moreton Smith is an American former footballer who last played for Olympic FC. He has since moved into coaching roles at Melbourne City. He also holds Australian and British citizenship.

The 2011–12 Gold Coast United season was the Gold Coast United's third and final season in the A-League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Nabbout</span> Australian footballer (born 1992)

Andrew Nabbout is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a winger for A-League club Melbourne City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nunawading City FC</span> Football club

Nunawading City Football Club is an Australian semi-professional association football club based in Forest Hill, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1971, the club currently competes in the NPL Victoria 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 A-League</span> 44th season of top-tier soccer league in Australia

The 2020–21 A-League was the 44th season of national level soccer in Australia, and the 16th since the establishment of the A-League in 2004. The season was started on 28 December 2020 and concluded with the Grand Final on 27 June 2021. The start of the season was later than previous seasons as a result of both the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and New Zealand, and as part of a gradual shift to move the competition from summer to winter. Wellington Phoenix played the majority of their home matches at Wollongong Showground in Wollongong due to international travel restrictions.

References

  1. ↑ Gardiner, James (12 March 2015). "Jet's heart goes out to homeland". The Newcastle Herald . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Hand, Guy (14 February 2012). "Teen to captain Gold Coast United on debut". ESPN FC . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Clark, Laine (15 February 2012). "Gold Coast suspend A-League coach". ESPN FC. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "Heart pinch 1–0 win over Gold Coast". ABC News . 17 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Gold Coast flirt with thrilling Mariners upset". ABC News . 23 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "Cooper quickly making his mark". Sunshine Coast Daily . 24 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  9. ↑ "Gold Coast United stripped of A-League licence". Radio Australia . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  10. ↑ "Veteran Michael Bridges pens new Newcastle Jets deal as club also confirms Mitch Cooper signing". Fox Sports . 25 May 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  11. ↑ "Van is Mitch's man". Sunshine Coast Daily . 26 May 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "Grounded Jet Cooper might move". Sunshine Coast Daily . 17 May 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  13. ↑ "Video: Mitch Cooper talks contract extension". Newcastle Jets FC. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  14. ↑ "Mitch Cooper out for the season". The Newcastle Herald . 7 January 2014.
  15. ↑ Toohey, Barry (5 December 2014). "Mitch Cooper rebuilt after two serious knee injuries and looking to kick on with Newcastle Jets". The Daily Telegraph .
  16. ↑ Toohey, Barry (26 March 2015). "Newcastle Jets re-sign midfielder Mitch Cooper on two-year deal". The Advertiser . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  17. ↑ Rugari, Vince (12 February 2016). "Brisbane Roar salvage 2–2 A-League draw against Newcastle Jets, return to top of table". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  18. ↑ Parris, Michael (23 August 2016). "Fringe Jets miss China tour". The Newcastle Herald . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  19. ↑ Parris, Michael (15 September 2016). "McKinna under pressure to choose new coach". The Newcastle Herald . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  20. ↑ FIFA playing record
  21. ↑ Temar, Matt (13 March 2019). "Munster announces first squad". Vanuatu Football Federation.
  22. ↑ "Mitch Cooper". ALeagueStats.com. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  23. ↑ "Player statistics for Mitch Cooper". SportsTG. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  24. ↑ "Mitch Cooper". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.