Alecko Eskandarian facts for kids
Eskandarian in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alecko Eskandarian | ||
| Date of birth | July 9, 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Montvale, New Jersey, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2006 | D.C. United | 81 | (20) |
| 2007 | Toronto FC | 6 | (1) |
| 2007 | Real Salt Lake | 17 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Chivas USA | 18 | (6) |
| 2009–2010 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 3 | (2) |
| Total | 125 | (30) | |
| National team | |||
| 1999 | United States U17 | ||
| 2000–2001 | United States U20 | ||
| 2002–2003 | United States U23 | ||
| 2003 | United States | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2012 | Philadelphia Union (assistant) | ||
| 2013 | New York Cosmos (assistant) | ||
| 2015–2016 | New York Cosmos B | ||
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Alecko Eskandarian (born July 9, 1982) is a retired American soccer player. He played as a forward, which is a position that focuses on scoring goals. Alecko is the son of Andranik Eskandarian, who was also a famous soccer player for the Iranian national team. After his playing career, Alecko became a coach for several soccer teams.
Contents
Playing Career
High School and College Soccer
Alecko Eskandarian was a standout player in high school. While attending Bergen Catholic High School, he won the 1999-00 Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year Award. He was also named the New Jersey State Player of the Year. He led New Jersey in scoring with 66 goals and 15 assists in his senior year. Alecko finished his high school career with an amazing 154 goals, which is the most in Bergen County history.
Before becoming a professional, Alecko played three years of college soccer for the University of Virginia. He was named the best college soccer player in 2002, winning the Hermann Trophy. That year, he scored 25 goals, which was a school record. He finished his college career with 50 goals and 13 assists in 60 games. Alecko was a 3-time All-American and was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 2000. He also won ACC Player of the Year in 2002.
Professional Soccer Teams
Alecko Eskandarian started his professional career with D.C. United. They chose him as the very first player in the 2003 MLS Superdraft. In his first season, he scored three goals and had two assists in 23 games.
In 2004, Alecko played much more and became a key player. He led D.C. United in scoring with ten goals during the regular season. He also scored four more goals in the playoffs. D.C. United went on to win the 2004 MLS Cup, which is the championship game for Major League Soccer. Alecko was named the MLS Cup MVP (Most Valuable Player) for his amazing performance. He scored two goals in the first half, just four minutes apart. This was the fastest pair of goals in MLS Cup history!
In 2005, Alecko had to stop playing early due to an injury. He returned strong in 2006, scoring in the first game of the season. He scored seven goals and had two assists in 22 games for D.C. United. His great play earned him a spot on the MLS All-Star team for the second time. In 2006, he also scored D.C. United's only goal in a 1–1 tie against the famous Spanish team Real Madrid.
After D.C. United, Alecko played for several other MLS teams.
- In 2007, he was traded to Toronto FC.
- Later in 2007, he moved to Real Salt Lake. Between these two teams, he played 23 games, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists.
- In 2008, Chivas USA acquired Alecko. He missed part of the season due to surgery. However, he finished strong, scoring five goals and two assists in just 8 starts. He even scored against his three previous teams: Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC, and D.C. United.
- On July 1, 2009, Alecko was traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy, a rival team in the same city. He scored in his very first game for the Galaxy on July 4, 2009, which was the winning goal. He scored again on July 16. Unfortunately, he got another injury during a game against AC Milan, which caused a concussion and a broken nose.
Due to injuries, Alecko was not medically cleared to play after March 2010. He then started working as an assistant coach for the Virginia Cavaliers soccer club. In 2011, he joined the Philadelphia Union's staff as their youth technical director.
International Play
Alecko Eskandarian played one game for the United States national team on May 26, 2003, against Wales. He also represented the United States on the U-17, U-20, and U-23 national teams. In 2004, he was the top scorer in the Olympic Qualifying tournament with 4 goals. However, the U.S. team did not qualify for the 2004 Olympics.
Coaching Career
On February 1, 2013, Alecko Eskandarian became an assistant coach for the New York Cosmos. This was special because his father, Andranik Eskandarian, had played for the original New York Cosmos team when Alecko was a child.
As an assistant coach, Alecko helped the Cosmos have a great season in 2013. They were undefeated at home and won the 2013 North American Soccer League Fall Season title. The Cosmos then won the NASL Soccer Bowl, their sixth club title.
Alecko also became the head coach for the Cosmos B team, which is a reserve team. He led Cosmos B to win the National Premier Soccer League title on August 8, 2015. They defeated Chattanooga FC 3–2 in overtime. This game was played in front of a huge crowd of 18,227 people, which was the largest crowd ever for an amateur soccer match in the United States. Alecko finished his first season as a head coach with an undefeated record, as Cosmos B had 15 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie in 2015.
Life After Coaching
After five years of coaching, Alecko Eskandarian started working in the front office for Major League Soccer at their headquarters in New York City.
Personal Life
Alecko's family background is Armenian-Iranian. His father, Andranik Eskandarian, was a professional soccer player for the New York Cosmos and the Iranian national football team. Alecko also appeared on an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Honors
Player Achievements
- Major League Soccer MLS Cup Champion (1): 2004
- Major League Soccer MLS Cup MVP (1): 2004
- Major League Soccer MLS All-Star (2): 2004, 2006
- Major League Soccer Supporter's Shield (1): 2006
Head Coach Achievements
- National Premier Soccer League Champion (1): 2015
Assistant Coach Achievements
- North American Soccer League Soccer Bowl Champion (3): 2013, 2015, 2016
See also
In Spanish: Alecko Eskandarian para niños
