diff --git a/cproxy.c b/cproxy.c
index b4e05dee..dc2a547c 100644
--- a/cproxy.c
+++ b/cproxy.c
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ void format_host_ident(char *buf, int buf_len,
                        mcs_server_st *msst,
                        enum protocol host_protocol);
 
+int delink_from_downstream_conns(conn *c);
+
 // Function tables.
 //
 conn_funcs cproxy_listen_funcs = {
@@ -90,7 +92,7 @@ conn_funcs cproxy_upstream_funcs = {
 conn_funcs cproxy_downstream_funcs = {
     .conn_init                   = cproxy_init_downstream_conn,
     .conn_close                  = cproxy_on_close_downstream_conn,
-    .conn_connect                = NULL,
+    .conn_connect                = cproxy_on_connect_downstream_conn,
     .conn_process_ascii_command  = cproxy_process_downstream_ascii,
     .conn_process_binary_command = cproxy_process_downstream_binary,
     .conn_complete_nread_ascii   = cproxy_process_downstream_ascii_nread,
@@ -101,8 +103,6 @@ conn_funcs cproxy_downstream_funcs = {
     .conn_binary_command_magic   = PROTOCOL_BINARY_RES
 };
 
-static bool cproxy_forward(downstream *d);
-
 /* Main function to create a proxy struct.
  */
 proxy *cproxy_create(proxy_main *main,
@@ -508,27 +508,10 @@ void cproxy_on_close_upstream_conn(conn *c) {
                          c, NULL);
 }
 
-void cproxy_on_close_downstream_conn(conn *c) {
-    assert(c != NULL);
-    assert(c->sfd >= 0);
-    assert(c->state == conn_closing);
-
-    if (settings.verbose > 2) {
-        moxi_log_write("<%d cproxy_on_close_downstream_conn\n", c->sfd);
-    }
-
+int delink_from_downstream_conns(conn *c) {
     downstream *d = c->extra;
-
-    // Might have been set to NULL during cproxy_free_downstream().
-    // Or, when a downstream conn is in the thread-based free pool, it
-    // is not associated with any particular downstream.
-    //
     if (d == NULL) {
-        // TODO: See if we need to remove the downstream conn from the
-        // thread-based free pool.  This shouldn't happen, but we
-        // should then figure out how to put an assert() here.
-        //
-        return;
+        return -1;
     }
 
     c->extra = NULL;
@@ -556,6 +539,34 @@ void cproxy_on_close_downstream_conn(conn *c) {
         }
     }
 
+    return k;
+}
+
+void cproxy_on_close_downstream_conn(conn *c) {
+    assert(c != NULL);
+    assert(c->sfd >= 0);
+    assert(c->state == conn_closing);
+
+    if (settings.verbose > 2) {
+        moxi_log_write("<%d cproxy_on_close_downstream_conn\n", c->sfd);
+    }
+
+    downstream *d = c->extra;
+
+    // Might have been set to NULL during cproxy_free_downstream().
+    // Or, when a downstream conn is in the thread-based free pool, it
+    // is not associated with any particular downstream.
+    //
+    if (d == NULL) {
+        // TODO: See if we need to remove the downstream conn from the
+        // thread-based free pool.  This shouldn't happen, but we
+        // should then figure out how to put an assert() here.
+        //
+        return;
+    }
+
+    int k = delink_from_downstream_conns(c);
+
     proxy_td *ptd = d->ptd;
     assert(ptd);
 
@@ -1238,7 +1249,7 @@ conn *cproxy_connect_downstream_conn(downstream *d,
 
     int err = -1;
     int fd = mcs_connect(mcs_server_st_hostname(msst),
-                         mcs_server_st_port(msst), &err, true);
+                         mcs_server_st_port(msst), &err, false);
     if (fd != -1) {
         conn *c = conn_new(fd, conn_pause, 0,
                            DATA_BUFFER_SIZE,
@@ -1571,7 +1582,7 @@ void propagate_error(downstream *d) {
     }
 }
 
-static bool cproxy_forward(downstream *d) {
+bool cproxy_forward(downstream *d) {
     assert(d != NULL);
     assert(d->ptd != NULL);
     assert(d->upstream_conn != NULL);
@@ -2573,11 +2584,14 @@ void cproxy_upstream_state_change(conn *c, enum conn_states next_state) {
 // -------------------------------------------------
 
 void cproxy_on_connect_downstream_conn(conn *c) {
-    // TODO: Need to revisit this callback.
-    //
+    int k;
+
     assert(c != NULL);
     assert(c->host_ident);
 
+    downstream *d = c->extra;
+    assert(d != NULL);
+
     if (settings.verbose > 2) {
         moxi_log_write("%d: cproxy_on_connect_downstream_conn for %s",
                        c->sfd, c->host_ident);
@@ -2597,6 +2611,10 @@ void cproxy_on_connect_downstream_conn(conn *c) {
     /* Check if the connection completed */
     if (getsockopt(c->sfd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_ERROR, (void *) &error,
                    &errsz) == -1) {
+        if (settings.verbose) {
+            moxi_log_write("%d: connect error: %s, %s",
+                           c->sfd, c->host_ident, strerror(error));
+        }
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
@@ -2618,7 +2636,8 @@ void cproxy_on_connect_downstream_conn(conn *c) {
 
     conn_set_state(c, conn_pause);
 
-    zstored_release_downstream_conn(c, false);
+    cproxy_forward(d);
+
     return;
 
 cleanup:
@@ -2626,7 +2645,15 @@ void cproxy_on_connect_downstream_conn(conn *c) {
     // TODO: d->stats.conn_failures++;
     // TODO: d->error_count++;
 
+    k = delink_from_downstream_conns(c);
+    if (k >= 0) {
+        assert(d->downstream_conns[k] == NULL);
+
+        d->downstream_conns[k] = NULL_CONN;
+    }
+
     conn_set_state(c, conn_closing);
+
     update_event(c, 0);
 }
 
diff --git a/cproxy.h b/cproxy.h
index 8a90927d..3790ef35 100644
--- a/cproxy.h
+++ b/cproxy.h
@@ -504,6 +504,8 @@ void cproxy_reset_upstream(conn *uc);
 
 bool cproxy_update_event_write(downstream *d, conn *c);
 
+bool cproxy_forward(downstream *d);
+
 void upstream_error(conn *uc);
 void upstream_retry(void *data0, void *data1);