The legend of Playoff Franco grows after his goal sent the Houston Dynamo to the Western Conference Finals. [Chris Jones | The Bayoucitian]

Franco Escobar, the fearless warrior, rises to the challenge

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HOUSTON – Franco Escobar was bored.

The Houston Dynamo left-back regularly stayed behind when the Orange had a corner kick, as his assignment asked him to defend against transition moments. While the first-year Dynamo defender was engaged in his assignment, he wanted more.

The Argentinian wanted in on the action.

Escobar pestered assistant coach Aurélien Collin during practices to put him in the box telling him that the team wasn’t scoring headers, and late in the season, the first-year assistant coach did just that.

But Escobar’s inclusion in corner kick drills wasn’t due solely to his persistence.

“Franco coming up into the box has been an adjustment for us,” said Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen.

“We put him in the mix late in the season when we needed some guys that were fearless in there to go get their heads on something. He has that mentality.”

That fearless mentality paid off in practices as the left back proved effective scoring in the corner kick drills, but struggled to replicate it in games.

That is, until Sunday night.

“It was an incredible pass from Hector,” said Escobar. “All I had to do was attack it and divert it a bit, and luckily it went in the back of the net.”

Herrera said the team had tried that same play numerous times during the season but with little success but is glad they were able to pull it off during an important moment.

That Escobar scored an important goal in the playoffs should come as no surprise. The former LAFC and Atlanta United player picked up the nickname Playoff Franco during his time with the Five Stripes for his knack of scoring goals in crucial moments.

And the numbers back up that claim.

In six MLS regular seasons, Escobar has played 8,560 minutes and tallied five goals. In 13 MLS playoff games, the Argentinian has played 1,070 minutes and netted four goals. The playoff goals include one in the MLS Cup Final against Portland and a game-winner against New England in the 2019 MLS Playoffs.

Simply put, when the lights get brighter, Escobar rises to meet the challenge.

Griffin Dorsey remembers Escobar badgering Collin to put him in the box for corner kicks and adds that he’s happy for Escobar, calling him a warrior.

“He’s one of those players that when you watch him play as a teammate, you get energy watching him go into tackles that he goes into,” said Griffin. “You get energy watching him have the composure to flick it over someone’s head to somebody else. He’s a well rounded player and somebody who’s super special.”

Escobar’s heroics Sunday night garnered him the game ball, but when asked after the game who he would give the game ball too, the Argentinian rattled off half the team, including himself.

“But hey, I scored the goal, and today I deserved it,” said Escobar with a laugh and a smile.