Armando Enrique Cooper Whitaker (born 26 November 1987) is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Árabe Unido and the Panama national team.
Cooper with Panama at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
| |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Armando Enrique Cooper Whitaker[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-11-26) 26 November 1987 (age 36)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Colón, Panama | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Árabe Unido | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005 | Árabe Unido | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2011 | Árabe Unido | 141 | (26) |
| 2011–2015 | Godoy Cruz | 26 | (3) |
| 2013–2014 | → Oțelul Galați (loan) | 21 | (3) |
| 2015 | FC St. Pauli | 7 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Árabe Unido | 18 | (3) |
| 2016 | → Toronto FC (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2017 | Toronto FC | 23 | (0) |
| 2018 | Universidad de Chile | 3 | (0) |
| 2018 | Dinamo București | 11 | (0) |
| 2019 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 14 | (5) |
| 2019–2020 | Árabe Unido | 11 | (1) |
| 2020 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 6 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 17 | (3) |
| 2021- | Árabe Unido | 25 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2006–2007 | Panama U20 | 14 | (3) |
| 2008 | Panama U23 | 5 | (1) |
| 2006–2022 | Panama | 122 | (9) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 July 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 January 2022 | |||
Cooper began his career in the youth ranks of Panama's Árabe Unido. In 2006, he debuted for the professional side, and went on to help the team to achieve various domestic titles in the Liga Panameña de Fútbol.
In July 2011, he signed with Argentine club Godoy Cruz. For the 2013-14 season, he was loaned out to Romanian club Otelul Galati.
In February 2015, Cooper joined 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli,[2] only to return to Árabe Unido in September 2015 after playing a mere 125 minutes for the German club.[3]
Cooper was loaned to Major League Soccer side Toronto FC on 18 August 2016.[4] He scored his first goal with Toronto FC on 30 November as Toronto FC beat Montreal Impact 7–5 on aggregate to advance to the 2016 MLS Cup Final.[5]
After the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, Cooper signed full-time with Toronto FC.
On 14 December 2017, Cooper's contract option was declined by Toronto, and he subsequently left the club.[6]
Cooper was part of the Panama U-20 squad that participated in the 2007 U-20 World Cup held in Canada.[7]
He made his debut with the full national team on 7 October 2006 against the national team of El Salvador. On 16 January 2011, he scored his first goal for Panama in a 2–0 victory over Nicaragua in a 2011 Copa Centroamericana match played at Estadio Rommel FernándezinPanama City.[8]
In May 2018, he was named in Panama's preliminary 35 man squad for the 2018 World CupinRussia.[9] Cooper played in Panama's first two games against England and Belgium, but after receiving yellow cards in both games he was suspended for the final match against Tunisia.
Cooper is known for his energy on the pitch, as well as his creativity and dribbling skills. A versatile midfielder, he is capable of playing in several midfield positions, although he usually favours a more offensive role.[10]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panama | 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 20 | 3 | |
| 2012 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 19 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 122 | 9 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 January 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Nicaragua |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2011 Copa Centroamericana |
| 2 | 18 January 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  El Salvador |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2011 Copa Centroamericana |
| 3 | 10 August 2011 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia |  Bolivia |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 13 November 2015 | Independence Park, Kingston, Jamaica |  Jamaica |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 8 January 2016 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Cuba |
1–0 | 4–0 | Copa América Centenario qualification |
| 6 | 22 January 2017 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Costa Rica |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2017 Copa Centroamericana |
| 7 | 14 November 2017 | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales |  Wales |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 8 | 18 June 2019 | Allianz Field, Saint Paul, United States |  Trinidad and Tobago |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 9 | 5 June 2021 | Estadio Nacional, Panama City, Panama |  Anguilla |
1–0 | 13–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Toronto FC