Cooke to Leave; Smith Signed

"I'm so disappointed Dad." My four-year-old son summed it up so well when I told him that Terry Cooke had been waived from the Colorado Rapids. I'm sure Jamie Smith will turn out to be a good player for the Rapids but to see Cooke go is right up there with the departures of Bouna Coundoul and Herculez Gomez. The Rapids do seem to have a knack of getting rid of people that are fan favorites. The rational part of me can force me to think this may be the best move for the team as it seeks a more dynamic dribbling, one-on-one wing threat, the type of football it is trying to build with the likes of Colin Clark and Jacob Peterson, but there is an emotional attachment to Cooke. There is also, as importantly, a different role that he can play that nobody else can. When the team is in need of a different strategy, it knows it can rely on Cooke to deliver some of those trademark crosses. Clark may be close to the finished article at taking people on but Peterson still has some way to go to convince. When that is not working, the team has needed Cooke and now he is no longer an option. We all wish Smith well but we are so sad to see Cooke go. At least we can remember that goal against Kansas when he came on as a second half sub and whacked one into the net with his first touch. That is my favorite Rapids' moment at DSG Park. Good luck to you Terry. I know I am not alone in wishing you that.