Bernie Miklasz
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 1, 2007

Best of luck to Jeff Cooper as he continues to pursue his goal of bringing a Major League Soccer franchise to the St. Louis area.

I'll let others squabble over the financial pros and cons of Cooper's exciting proposal for a stadium complex in Collinsville. But as a soccer fan, I know that Cooper is the right man to lead the project. Soccer is his passion. Cooper, 38 and a Granite City native, has the potential to emerge as one of the dynamic new leaders in this sports community. Because Cooper is more than a dreamer, he's a doer.

The MLS is making steady progress. St. Louis is the cradle of American soccer, and will always have old-school appeal for the traditionalists. But this isn't a nostalgia kick. This area continues to produce some of the finest soccer talent in the nation. If any town rates an MLS team, it's this one, because St. Louis helped to grow the sport in America. Soccer fans here are eager to direct their love of the game into a worthwhile endeavor. This is it.

All Cooper needs is cooperation in Collinsville, and our area will become a thriving environment for professional soccer.