Eskandarian the Younger Is a Goal-Scorer Full of Promise

NYTimes - Alecko Eskandarian's fledgling professional soccer career is awash in coincidence.

Twenty-two years ago, his father, Andranik, played for Iran in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Last year Alecko went to Argentina as a member of the United States team playing in the FIFA World Youth Championship. The local news media knew a good story when it strolled through customs.

After playing for Iran, the elder Eskandarian came to the United States to play in a world all-star game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. He stayed and signed with the Cosmos. On April 9, 1980, when 52 Americans were being held hostage in Tehran, a man jumped out of the stands at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., during a North American Soccer League match and attacked Eskandarian, who is a Christian of Armenian descent.

Ray Hudson was also on the field that night, playing against the Cosmos for the Strikers. Hudson is now the coach of D.C. United in Major League Soccer, which has the No. 1 selection in the M.L.S. draft on Jan. 17. Alecko Eskandarian, who won the Hermann Trophy as the nation's best male college player this year at the University of Virginia (the fifth Cavalier player to win the award) and then signed a five-year contract with M.L.S., is expected to be the top pick.

"Eski is the jewel of the draft," Hudson said. "He's not just a very good player, he's got something extra, that little touch of magic. He has those things that you just can't coach. He's tough in the air and he can kill you with that left foot of his."

At Virginia, where he scored 25 of the Cavaliers' 55 goals this season, Eskandarian, 20, was a roommate of Kenny Arena, the son of Bruce Arena, the United States national team coach who is also the Cavaliers' former coach.

"It's funny how everything seems to have come full circle," Alecko Eskandarian said. "I know all about my mom and dad's background, about Iran. But we're Armenian and I'm an American. I've never been there. I don't speak Persian. At the same time, it's interesting to know about my dad having played there. It's a curious thing."

Like his father, Eskandarian (generously listed on Virginia's Web site as 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds) is short, fast and tenacious. Unlike his father, who was a stalwart defender but who was shaky pushing forward, Alecko oozes the intangibles that most goal-scorers have: an overarching confidence and a belief that every loose ball is his to thwack into the back of the net.

"I don't mind physical contact and I'm not afraid to mix it up," Eskandarian said. "I believe I'm strong enough to give it back."

In high school, Eskandarian scored a New Jersey state record 66 goals (in 25 games) his senior year at Bergen Catholic in Oradell, N.J. He was named the 2000 Gatorade National Player of the Year and player of the year in the state by the national coaches association.

He left Virginia after his junior year, having scored 113 career points and 50 goals, including 16 game-winners.

"It wasn't easy for me to decide to leave school," Eskandarian said. "But I felt there wasn't much else for me to accomplish. The only thing missing is that we didn't win the national championship while I was at Virginia. That will always be in the back of my head, but it was just time for me to go. I wanted to take the next step. I think my dad probably wanted me to go to Europe to test myself, but he supported my decision."

Eskandarian's skill and athletic pedigree attracted the attention of clubs in Portugal, Italy and England. As many young Americans discover when they consider playing overseas, it most often comes down to a choice between playing more and making less in M.L.S., or making more and playing less in Europe.

Only a handful of Americans — Claudio Reyna, John O'Brien, Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller, for example — have been regulars on top European teams. Others have languished on the bench, earning good money and splinters.

"I wanted to stay in M.L.S. and stay in the United States," Eskandarian said. "No matter where you go, you have to earn your playing time. This league is getting better every day. It won't be any easier for me, but this is home."

Eskandarian is in the pool of players vying for a spot on the under-23 American team that will play in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. During a brief training camp in mid-December, Eskandarian scored both goals in an American victory against the Canadian Olympic team. Beyond the Olympics, he has zeroed in on trying to make the 2006 team that expects to play in the World Cup finals in Germany.

"It's important for me to get a good start in my professional career and prove myself in the professional ranks," he said. "What Bruce has done with the national team has been amazing, and of course I would like to be a part of it."

Hudson, Bruce Arena and Andranik Eskandarian all took in a Virginia game this season.

"I saw Eski and Bruce at a couple of the Virginia games," Hudson said. "For Eski and me, it was two old men watching the young kids. I told him that he should be very proud of his boy. He was as proud as a peacock. It's funny: I had played against Alecko's dad and now the next generation is coming along. It made me wonder: where did my life go? He even looks like his dad, that Eskandarian stamp.

"Eski's dad probably would love to have him play in his own backyard at Giants Stadium. That's probably where he belongs, to be quite honest. It's a great story, but at this point I just don't know if I'm going to be the one to tear up that script. We'll see."