With his team hungry for victory and heading into a hostile road environment, Frank Yallop had no hesitation in playing a new card for his Starting XI.
Yallop called upon third-year MLS veteran Greg Cochrane to make his first appearance of the season and the 26th of his MLS career when the Fire traveled to New England Saturday night. He also slotted Cochrane at left midfield, a change from Cochrane’s usual spot at left back.
But at no point in his 64 minutes of action did Cochrane look out of place.
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“I thought Greg did fine in the game, to be honest,” Yallop said Monday. “You’ve got a squad of players that you want to plug in here and there. He’s played [in midfield] before, in college and a little bit with the Galaxy. [We] just wanted to try to stretch the line, which he did a few times in the first half.”
One of those occasions came in the 13th minute when Cochrane received an overlapping pass from Kennedy Igboananike and curled in a terrific ball to the corner of the 6-yard box, picking out Harry Shipp for a header that went just over the crossbar.
For Cochrane, the showing was in line with his expectations for himself, if disappointing because of the game's outcome.
“It was nice to make my season debut but we didn’t get the win, which is the most important thing,” Cochrane said. “I’ve played [in the midfield] before, obviously there’s a little bit of an adjustment being farther up the field, and you’ve got a defender pretty tight to you but I’d say I’m just as comfortable in either spot. Anywhere on the left side I’d say I’m pretty comfortable.”
Now, Cochrane and the Fire face an unusually quick turnaround between matches with the onset of U.S. Open Cup play. Chicago’s fourth-round opponent, first-year club Louisville City FC, is a talented USL side that’s bolstering the growth of the game in a city Cochrane called home for the final two years of his collegiate career.
“From my time in Louisville, they really love soccer so I can only imagine the support the club is getting,” said Cochrane, a Pennsylvania native. “Louisville always has a place in my heart and I loved going there.”
Of course, Cochrane’s affection for the Derby City and its soccer community are superseded by his desire to see the Men In Red hit their stride in the weeks ahead.
“Obviously we’re taking the Open Cup seriously. Anytime you can win a trophy you want to go for it, especially coming off of three losses in MLS. We want to get this win to get back on track.”
