FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In the buildup to Wednesday's 1-1 draw against Houston, New England defender Ryan Cochrane decided to plot out exactly what he would do if he managed to score against his former team.
The veteran defender eventually concocted a clever plan that may have raised a few eyebrows on the Dynamo bench.
“I had a nice little celebration planned out that I [wussed] out on,” Cochrane told MLSsoccer.com after the match. “My plan was — and I had thought about this if I had scored during the game — that I was going to hop over the boards and sit on their bench next to Dom [Kinnear, Houston head coach].”
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Cochrane (above, left) played for Kinnear for five-and-a-half years (2004-07, 2009-2010) and might have somehow found a way to pull it off without creating a scene. He ultimately decided take a more cautious approach when he tapped home a rebound in the fourth minute and expressed his excitement through an alternative method to celebrate his first goal since Oct. 25, 2008.
“It's probably for the best,” Cochrane said. “I don't know what would have happened. I don't think Dom would have been too pleased with that.”
While the goal marked the high point of Cochrane's evening, the veteran defender found himself in the thick of the action for his 76 minutes on the field.
Cochrane played a key role in the Revolution's resistance after Houston came into the game, but he eventually had to leave the field during the second half after he could not ward off the effects of getting clocked in the head by Dynamo forward Cam Weaver earlier in the contest.
“I had blurry vision for most of the game,” Cochrane said. “I tried to shake it at halftime. I didn't really sit down at halftime, I tried to keep my adrenaline moving and pumping. In the end, it was just precautionary to get off the field. I couldn't shake it. I think we'll do an impact test tomorrow and, hopefully, I'll be ready for the weekend.”
Cochrane's teammates — including makeshift replacement Pat Phelan — attempted to hold out as the Dynamo piled on the pressure, but Bobby Boswell's 90th-minute goal handed Houston a point. The outcome prompted Cochrane to rue his inability to stay on the field to protect his early tally and secure the desired three points.
“Obviously, you want to see that result through,” Cochrane said. “If we could have held onto the game-winning goal, it would have been nice to be on the field for that. It's a tough battle. Houston's a good team.”
