Houston Dynamo defender AJ Cochran was in the starting lineup as the United States Under-23 team defeated the Bahamas senior national team, 5-1, Wednesday night at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas.
Cochran was part of a back line that included Juan Pablo Ocegueda (Alebrijes de Oaxaca; Mexico), Will Packwood (Birmingham City; England) and Oscar Sorto (LA Galaxy).
Five players scored the U.S.: Alfred Koroma Shams, Jordan Morris, Luis Gil, Dennis Flores and Omar Salgado.
Cochran joined the U-23 team for the training camp in the Bahamas on Monday and will return to the Dynamo to prepare for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Sounders.
Cochran, a rookie center back, was one of 18 players invited to the camp as the U.S. prepares for the qualification process for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The 6-foot-3 defender was selected by the Dynamo in the first round (No. 16 overall) of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Wisconsin. A member of Generation adidas, Cochran has appeared in 11 games (6 starts) this regular season, along with two starts in the U.S. Open Cup.
