all these guys who were incredible players," the Chivas USA forward said. "I had a ball at my feet wherever I went. It was pretty funny."
Alecko's father wasn't too shabby, either. A standout defender for the Cosmos from 1979 until 1984, Andranik Eskandarian played for Iran in the 1978 World Cup.
"I remember I would come from practice, he would take a ball and he would go outside and he could call me. 'Come kick around with me,' and I'd say I'm tired," Andranik said. "He would want to play a couple more hours. It would be a second practice for me, but I would enjoy it. There's nothing like kicking around a ball with your children."
Alecko Eskandarian is a son of the NASL, part of an exclusive group of Major League Soccer players who literally followed in their fathers' footsteps, playing top-flight soccer in the USA.
Alecko is joined by New England Revolution forward Taylor Twellman, whose father Tim played for the Minnesota Kicks, Tulsa Roughnecks and the Chicago Sting, Real Salt Lake midfielder Chris Wingert, whose father, Norm, was a goalkeeper for the Philadelphia Atoms and FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper, whose father, Kenny Sr, was an all-star goalkeeper with the Dallas Tornado.
"We both played professionally, at a high level in college and there's a certain common thread," Norm Wingert said. "I'm sure the Coopers and the Twellmans feel that way, as well as Eskie and his dad. Chris knows that I have a feeling and a understanding for what he's going through and that's kind of a neat, special bond."
Alecko has that connection with his father -- he calls him after every game he plays.
"He's the best soccer brain I've ever talked to, to be honest with you," Alecko said.
Alecko, though, doesn't always like what he hears when he dials the phone. The same was true when Andranik served as a trainer for the Pasco Thunder youth club and Alecko scored five goals in a 5-0 victory. When they got in the car to go home, Andranik said Alecko was the worst player on the field.
"I told him one time I'm never going to lie to you," Andranik said. "Sometimes he plays an excellent game and he calls me and I say unbelievable, I loved the way you played today. You didn't score, but you were one of the best players on the field. He calls and I give my opinion. I'm not going to say anything to make him happy. He knows that."
There was no question what sport ruled the Eskandarian home in Montvale, N.J.
"We were 100 percent a soccer family," Alecko said. "My mom, who you'd think would be the least involved, is probably the biggest soccer fanatic. If we ever need stats or the latest news updates in world soccer, she's the one who knows about it."
The same was true for Kenny Cooper's home in Dallas.
"Our house was basically a locker room," Kenny Cooper Sr. said. "Everything we did revolved around soccer."
Like Alecko, Kenny Cooper spent part of his childhood in a professional locker room, only it was when his father coached the Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The U.S. international said he also learned about being a professional from his father's former teammates, guys like Mike Renshaw and Charles DeLong.
"It's a unique experience to be able to grow up around those guys," Kenny Cooper Jr. said. "I know that they're all great professionals and great ambassadors for the game. I certainly want to do the same thing that they did. "
Even at a young age, Kenny Cooper showed his father some special skills.
"I saw that he had soft feet, good balance and awareness," Kenny Cooper Sr. said. "He always had a love affair with the game. I could see early on it was something he fell in love with. He had a passion for the game and he always had an eye for the goal."
Today, the roles are reversed. It's Kenny Cooper Sr. watching his son play at Pizza Hut Park and then the two watch a tape of the game.
"He's always been an incredible father and always so supportive," Kenny Jr. said. "When I lived in Europe, he went over there a lot and spent a lot of time with me. It's nice to be playing in my hometown, but also his own stomping grounds, too."
Taylor Twellman also used to be inside the locker room when Tim played in Tulsa and Chicago. And when his father played an away game, Taylor wanted to know the result as soon as he woke up the next morning.
"Every night my wife had to post the score on his bedroom door so he could see it when he first woke up," Tim said. "He was really into it."
But Taylor, whose grandfather, Jim Delsing, played against Babe Ruth, whose father played against Pele and whose uncle, Jay Delsing, plays against Tiger Woods, wasn't predestined to be a soccer player.
"I had no choice but to be some sort of athlete," Taylor said. "When I was born I had a soccer ball in one hand and a baseball glove in the other."
The biggest thing Taylor said he learned from his father was the importance of being flexible on the field.
"In the NASL era, there were three Americans on the field so if you wanted to play, you played where they needed you," Tim said. "When Taylor was in Germany he was asked to play right midfielder and instead of moaning about it, he just did it. It makes you a better player."
Like Twellman, Chris Wingert grew up playing a variety of sports. Norm never pushed him into soccer.
"All parents live a little bit vicariously through their children," Norm said. "That's why I try not to be too pushy in that regard. I think the most important thing is that whether Chris was a little kid or at St. John's University, I wanted to make sure Chris was having a good time because life is short."
"I think if I would have really focused on something else he would have been cool with it," Chris said.
But when Chris started to get serious about playing soccer, his father was always there.
"We'd go out and train together and I think that's a huge part of separating yourself from the competition because you get so many more touches. Everyone is going to team practice, but that was something my dad stressed," Chris said. "To this day I don't know if he ever turned me down."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
