"I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to play again so I promised myself that when I came back I would celebrate every single goal like it was my last."
Alecko Eskandarian brought many emotions to United fans during his time in DC. His career gave both joy, with his 2004 MLS Cup MVP performance, and sadness, as he struggled with lingering effects of his tragic concussion. Whether he was performing a controversial goal celebration or simply being a stand up guy with a contagious smile, he was a player who brought a playfulness to the game mixed with an unforgiving intensity and competitiveness. Having stepped away from the pitch, Alecko was kind enough to answer a few questions for the blog, giving an update on what is currently keeping him occupied and what he’d do with a designated player spot if he were running a team.
Black and Red on Both Sides: As a result of your awful injury, you have been forced to step back from the game. Is your focus still on eventually making it back to the pitch, or do you see yourself involved in the game in some other capacity?
Alecko Eskandarian:
My focus at the moment is to just try and live a normal, healthy life. As a result of the injuries I sustained while playing pro soccer, I have a lot of issues that still that have not been resolved which led to doctors refusing to clear me to play. At first, I was on a mission to beat this thing and get back on the field. But after some scary symptoms involving vertigo, dizziness, painful migraines, depression, etc., playing soccer was put on the backburner. On one occasion I had to call my friend to drive me to the emergency room. That's when I really got scared for the 1st time because I was actually afraid that I might die. It puts everything into perspective....
So at this point, I'm just grateful for every day which I am able to wake up and be productive and try to be a better person. With that said, I will ALWAYS live and breathe soccer. I am obviously limited in what I can and can't do but I will definitely be involved with the game in some capacity. I enjoyed being in the booth broadcasting for the LA Galaxy. Coaching with the UVA men's soccer team and with the US U-20's has been a wonderful experience as well. And my ultimate goal is to get into management and possibly an MLS front office position.
However, my primary focus as I continue to recover is to graduate from the University of Virginia, which is a promise I kept to my Mom (and to myself) before I left school to go pro. It's been a long road and I've made a lot of sacrifices throughout the years to make this a reality, so I'm ecstatic about graduating in May.
Photo by Rafael Crisostomo
B & R oBS: There are many moments which United fans remember you by, which moment, or moments, stand out to you while you were a member of the Black and Red?
Esky:
There are so many great moments! From a soccer perspective I guess I can narrow it down to a Top 3. The 1st being the 2004 MLS Cup because the team we had was so special. It was an amazing season which was capped off by a great final, and the feeling of being named MVP of the championship game is one I will never forget.
The 2nd would be scoring a goal vs Real Madrid in front of almost 70,000 people in Seattle in 2006. As a kid you always dream about scoring against the top teams in the world, and on that day my dream came true. I don't know how many Americans have ever scored a goal against them, but I guess I can always tell my grandkids that I scored on Iker Casillas and Real Madrid.
And the 3rd would have to be the banner that our fans put up for me after my devastating concussion in 2005. I'm not sure who's idea it was, but I remember some fans telling me to make sure I could see where the Screaming Eagles and Barra Brava sit during the 11th minute of the match. And sure enough they put up this giant banner that said "Esky #11" and I literally started to tear up. As a player I took pride in giving everything I had for my team each time I stepped on the field, and it was so humbling for the fans to show that they hadn't forgotten about me and were keeping me in their thoughts while I was out injured.
B & R oBS: As someone who came to Major League Soccer via the college draft, what are your thoughts on the team youth academy systems and their affect on the NCAA soccer?
Esky:
I think the Academy systems are a huge step in the right direction for soccer in this country. Though there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, it’s important for our best youth players to be put in an environment where they will play against good competition on a consistent basis and learn how to be young professionals. Sometimes we underestimate how talented our youth players could be.
I think our youth can do amazing things if they are just challenged and held to a higher standard. Rather than just being content w/ being the best player in their city or scoring a couple goals against kids their own age, some of these kids have the opportunity to now practice with MLS teams where they are challenged and can develop necessary skills at a younger age.
I love NCAA soccer as well and especially in a conference like the ACC, there is a high level being played where these kids learn a lot and develop not only as soccer players but as people. I know our program here at UVA tries to incorporate a "young professionals" mentality and we hold our student-athletes to high standards that will allow them to be successful as pro soccer players or in any other avenue they choose to pursue.
B & R oBS: The DP rule is one that has had mixed results since its 2007 inception. If you were in charge of an MLS team, what attributes would you look for in an ideal designated player?
Esky:
That is a tricky question because there are so many different factors that go into it. The player's qualities, the style of play of the team, the supporting cast, the coach, life off of the field, everything. Just look at all the different types of DP's that have been successful or unsuccessful in our league. Look at Ferreira from Dallas. With all due respect, his 1st 2 months in MLS I didn’t think he was anything special. A year later, with a new supporting cast and a new system, he tears it up and becomes MVP of the league.
It was the same thing when Christian Gomez came to DC United. I remember after his 1st training session, we all looked around in the locker room like "Really? They signed THIS guy??" He was SO BAD! Haha, then a week later he scored like 5 goals in a practice and we were like "Wow. THIS guy is awesome!" Some players adapt and fit in, some players struggle with it.
The same can be said for any professional player, really. Certain players fit in better in certain systems, so the trick is to find how these players will fit into your system and if the supporting cast compliments this player to maximize his abilities. This is why I would love to get into a management/technical director position in MLS someday!
B & R oBS: Whether it was doing pushups or spitting out Red Bull, you know your way around post goal exuberance. Please take us through what makes a great goal celebration.
Esky:
Its funny to me that I have gotten attention for my celebrations because all the way up until my senior year of high school I never celebrated any of my goals. My friends would always get on me for being too boring, and they ended up creating a monster. Haha to be honest, I just think you have to have fun playing this game and when you score a goal you have a chance to show a bit of your personality and to be creative. Soccer is such a team sport, but when you score you have about 5 seconds of everyone's attention.
After my season ending concussion in 2005, I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to play again so I promised myself that when I came back I would celebrate every single goal like it was my last. I wanted to have fun with it and enjoy each and every moment. Peter Nowak created an environment where we all worked our asses off each day in training but also had fun doing it, and we reaped the rewards of our work on gamedays.
So the celebrations were along that same philosophy of working hard to score goals and having some fun while doing it. Some of the celebrations were planned, and some weren’t at all! For example, when we played at Chicago in 2006, I was coming off of an injury so I didn't start. Peter asked me to warm up a couple minutes before halftime and when I was behind the goal, the Fire fans were heckling the crap out of me. They were actually hilarious! But I knew I had to do something to return the favor if I got into the game and scored. Sure enough I scored a goal but had no idea how to celebrate. So as I ran to their fans, the stadium was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop and instinctively I did the "Hulk Hogan hand behind the ear" to let them know I couldn't hear them anymore. Haha that one might be my favorite.
Thank you Alecko for your taking the time to answer a few questions. We all wish you the best with your continued recovery and all of your future endeavors!
