CARSON, Calif. – Just a week ago, LA Galaxy rookie Greg Cochrane was an aspiring professional athlete and now, the 22-year-old from Louisville finds himself in the midst of his first MLS preseason.
After being selected with the 38th overall pick in the second round of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Cochrane fielded many calls from friends and family congratulating including one from current LA midfielder –and former Louisville teammate—Kenney Walker, who told the rookie to simply be himself as he looks to lock down a professional contract with LA.
But for Cochrane to follow Walker's advice and lock down a contract, he must first find a set position. During his two year career with the Cardinals, Cochrane split time between left back and left midfielder en route to 44 appearances with Louisville. At the draft, Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena offered his own thoughts, telling reporters that he projected Cochrane as a left sided midfielder.
Cochrane has no preference; however as he admits “whatever coach wants me to do, I’m good with it.”
“Naturally, I like playing left back, it is where I am most comfortable but this year at Louisville, my head coach Ken Lolla told me that I needed to play left mid and I did so to help the team It was good to get versatile to play on the left side,” said Cochrane. “I like to think that I’m a fit guy and I take pride in that so I like to cover a lot of ground on the outside as a defender and get into the attack.
“I feel like with my fitness, I can get into the attack a lot, I also like to whip balls in and that’s how I like to contribute to the attack. Meanwhile on the defensive side, I like one-on-one situations and keeping shutouts. I just love to play.”
