No one can doubt Pat Onstad’s heart.
In stoppage time against D.C. United on Saturday, Onstad came out to punch a ball and collided with the elbow of defender Andrew Hainault. With Houston having already used all three substitutions, the Dynamo goalkeeper, bloodied and woozy, stayed on the field through the remainder of the match despite taking quite possibly the hardest collision of his career.
“I didn’t know if I had been knocked out or not,” Onstad said. “In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have been out there. However, the medical staff did a fantastic job and was out there immediately.”
WATCH: D.C. United 1, Houston Dynamo 3
On Monday, Onstad went through the required battery of tests pertaining to concussions. He has not yet been released fully for next weekend’s game against Philadelphia, but Onstad said Monday he expects to be available.
“Everything seems fine,” said Onstad. “There are procedures in MLS with concussions regarding taking cognitive tests, and I passed them with flying colors. We’ll take it slow early this week and see where it progresses from there.”
Regardless of whether he can go or not, his willingness to continue said something to his coach and teammates.
“He got banged up bad,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “But he stayed in there, and it just goes to show you the person he is and the player he has been for a long time.”
Dwain Capodice is a contributor to MLSsoccer.com. Questions or Comments can be sent via email to dwaincapodice@gmail.com.
