CARSON, Calif. - Except for a brief spell last year with Real Salt Lake, Alecko Eskandarian has spent most of his five-year career in the Eastern Conference.
But the 25-year-old striker has enjoyed some of his finest moments at The Home Depot Center. Eskandarian scored a pair of goals to help D.C. United win MLS Cup 2004 in the stadium he will call home in 2008.
Standing on a training ground outside the so-called "cathedral of American soccer" after a recent training session, Eskandarian looked at the home of the 2007 Western Conference regular season champions.
"That's probably what I'm most excited about. It's a great stadium and they have great fans here. I've had great experiences coming here and playing," said Eskandarian, the Most Valuable Player of MLS Cup 2004. "I'm really, really happy being able to call this place home."
Eskandarian is one of several newcomers on what is quickly becoming a deep Chivas USA side. The Red-and-White acquired "Esky" from Real Salt Lake in exchange for a partial allocation. With his contract up and looking to move elsewhere, Eskandarian said a move to Chivas USA intrigued him.
"This year, it's a fresh start," said Eskandarian, the top pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. "I'm very happy to be here with Chivas. I think we have a great team and it's a great opportunity to improve as a player and learn from these guys and winning championships."
Last season, Eskandarian started the year off with a bit of unease. A fan favorite with D.C. United, Eskandarian was nevertheless shipped to expansion Toronto FC in December 2006. Moving clubs and leaving the country was not easy, he said.
As he looked to settle in with both his new team and a new city, Eskandarian was moved again. Having played just six games for Toronto FC, Eskandarian was traded to Real Salt Lake in exchange for Jeff Cunningham. In total, Eskandarian appeared in 23 games for both Toronto FC and Real Salt Lake and scored two goals, one apiece for each club.
"Last year was one of the craziest years of my life, no doubt about it. Totally unexpected, with both trades," Eskandarian said. "It was not an easy year for me. I definitely took it to heart. It affected me mentally, not knowing where you're going to be, not being settled into a place and just the living situation and things like that, it was pretty difficult and I learned a lot about myself and how I can better prepare for it."
Eskandarian is part of a formidable strike corps. Last year's starting duo of Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo combined for 23 goals. Now, Eskandarian and fellow newcomer Atiba Harris will add much-needed depth that was lacking a year ago.
Razov welcomed his new teammate.
"He's a guy who can find good spaces, is a good finisher, a good shooter. We're looking to get him fit and get him in there," Razov said of Eskandarian. "It was clear at the end of the year that our depth of forward was an issue and held us back. I think we've addressed that with Alecko and Atiba Harris."
Though having four forwards capable of starting might seem like a dilemma, Chivas USA coach Preki said it wasn't quite like that.
"We need to be as deep as possible with four tournaments this year," Preki said.
Eskandarian said he did not consider training camp as a competition among the quartet for starting forward positions.
"I'm just going to do everything I can to break into the lineup and contribute to the team," he said. "I have a lot of respect for the other forwards on the team and I don't look at it as I'm competing against them. I look at it as we're all on the same team, we're all on the same page and we're going to do what's best for the team to help the team win games."
A strong strike corps will be an integral part of Chivas USA's chances of winning a championship this year, whether it's MLS Cup, the U.S. Open Cup or other international tournaments.
In his short time with the club, the players' motivation to win is already evident.
"The biggest joy I can get from playing is winning championships," Eskandarian said. "For this club last year they showed that they are one of the best teams but they didn't end up with any trophies so I think everyone's very motivated to just get trophies this year."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
