 Cochran in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alec John Cochran | ||
| Date of birth | (1993-02-09)February 9, 1993 (age 32) | ||
| Place of birth | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2013 | Wisconsin Badgers | 58 | (5) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013 | Michigan Bucks | 5 | (0) |
| 2013 | K-W United | 3 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Houston Dynamo | 26 | (0) |
| 2015 | →Charleston Battery (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Saint Louis FC | 49 | (1) |
| 2018 | Atlanta United 2 | 30 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Phoenix Rising | 37 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | Indy Eleven | 47 | (1) |
| 2023 | Charleston Battery | 19 | (0) |
| Total | 218 | (4) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014 | United States U23 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 17, 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of August 16, 2014 | |||
Alec John "A. J." Cochran (born February 9, 1993) is an American professionalsoccerdefender.
Cochran was born and raised inSt. Louis, Missouri. His parents are Anne and John Cochran and he has one sister. He attendedCBC High School.[1] He also playedbaseball,basketball, andfootball as a kid, but his dad encouraged him to focus on soccer.[2] He attended theUniversity of Wisconsin.[1]
Cochran attendedCBC High School inSt. Louis, Missouri, where he played on the school soccer team. He helped lead the school to a state championship in his junior year and was anNSCAA All-American (and Missouri'sGatorade player of the year) as a senior.[1][3] He played for club sideSt. Louis Scott Gallagher as a kid.[1][4]
Cochran played three years ofcollege soccer at theUniversity of Wisconsin between 2011 and 2013. He helped take theBadgers to theNCAA tournament his junior year. Accolades he received while at Wisconsin include 2011Big Ten All-Freshman team, 2012 and 2013 first team All-Big Ten, and 2013Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a 2013 first team NSCAA All-American, the first Badger to be a first team all American since 1995.[1][5]
While at college, Cochran appeared forPDL clubsMichigan Bucks andK-W United FC during their 2013 seasons.[6][7]
Cochran left Wisconsin after his junior season, signing aGeneration Adidas deal withMajor League Soccer.[8]
On January 16, 2014, Cochran was drafted byHouston Dynamo in the first-round (16th overall) of the2014 MLS SuperDraft.[9] He made his professional debut on April 5, coming off the bench in a 4–1 loss toFC Dallas.[10] During his first pro season, Cochran made 19 MLS appearances as the Dynamo finished 8th in theEastern Conference, missing out on the playoffs.[10][11] He also made 2 appearances in theU.S. Open Cup.[12]
During the 2015 season, Cochran made 7 MLS appearances as the Dynamo finished 8th in theWestern Conference and failed to qualify for the playoffs again.[13][14] In Open Cup play, Cochran played in all 3 of Houston's games as they reached the quarterfinals, where they lost toSporting Kansas City 3–1.[12] He also spent part of the season on loan withUSL clubCharleston Battery, where he made 2 appearances.[15][16]
On November 30, 2015, Cochran's contract option was declined by the Dynamo.[17]
Despite going on trial with theColorado Rapids in the 2016 MLS pre-season, where he scored a match winning goal in a friendly againstSacramento Republic,[18] Cochran was not offered a contract and signed withUSL clubSaint Louis FC on March 6, 2016.[19] He made his debut for Saint Louis on March 26 in a 1–0 loss toReal Monarchs.[12] He had 2 assists from 27 appearances during the regular season as Saint Louis finished 14th in theWestern Conference, failing to qualify for the playoffs.[16][20]
Cochran and Saint Louis opened the 2017 season on March 25 with a 0–0 draw againstLouisville City.[21] On May 17 he scored his first goal for Saint Louis in a 4–3 victory againstFC Wichita in theU.S. Open Cup. He scored his first league goal for Saint Louis on June 2 in a 2–0 win overToronto FC II. Cochran ended the season with 18 USL appearances and 1 goal as Saint Louis missed the playoffs again, finishing 12th in theEastern Conference.[21][22]
On January 24, 2018, Cochran signed withAtlanta United 2 of theUnited Soccer League.[23] He made his debut for Atlanta United 2 on March 24, getting the start in a 3–1 win againstNew York Red Bulls II. He ended the season with 2 assists from 30 appearances as Atlanta United 2 missed the playoffs after finishing 14th in theEastern Conference.[24][25]
Cochran signed withPhoenix Rising FC on December 25, 2018.[26] He made his debut for Phoenix on March 16 in a 3–3 draw withNew Mexico United.[27] Cochran ended the regular season with 24 appearances and 4 assists, helping Phoenix finish top of theWestern Conference.[27][28] He played in both of Phoenix's playoff games as they lost toReal Monarchs in the quarterfinals.[27] Cochran was named to the 2019 USL Championship All-League Second Team.[29]
On August 8, 2020, Cochran scored his first goal for Phoenix in a 5–2 win over New Mexico. He scored again on October 3 in a 4–1 victory againstLA Galaxy II. In a shortened regular season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Cochran had 2 goals from 13 appearances.[30] He started both of Phoenix's playoff games before the championship game was cancelled after multipleTampa Bay Rowdies players and staff tested positive for COVID-19.[30][31]
Cochran made the move to USL Championship sideIndy Eleven on February 17, 2021.[32] He earned a place in the USL Team of the Week for Week 31 of the 2022 season after scoring a goal and a solid defensive performance in a 4–1 win over the Charleston Battery.
He was released from his contract by mutual agreement on January 31, 2023. During his two years with the club, he accumulated 47 regular season appearances (39 starts) and scored one goal.
On February 2, 2023, Cochran joined USL Championship sideCharleston Battery for their 2023 season.[33]
| Club | Season | League | Open Cup | Playoffs | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Houston Dynamo | 2014 | MLS | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| Charleston Battery (loan) | 2015 | USL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| Saint Louis FC | 2016 | USL | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 45 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 2 | ||
| Atlanta United 2 | 2018 | USL | 30 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 0 | |||
| Phoenix Rising | 2019 | USLC | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 15 | 2 | |||
| Total | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 140 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 154 | 4 | ||
Phoenix Rising
Individual