Salt Lake Tribune, United States

RSL: Movsisyan ‘excited, happy’ to be with RSL

By Michael C. Lewis
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 09/21/2007 12:00:49 PM MDT

Posted: 12:03 PM- Striker Yura Movsisyan was surprised
and relieved to be traded to Real Salt Lake last week,
because he wasn’t playing as much as he thought he
deserved with the Kansas City Wizards.
At the rate he’s going now, he’s going to get all
he can handle.
The 20-year-old figures to earn his second
straight start since joining RSL when it plays
Colorado on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium – a loss
officially eliminates RSL from the Major League Soccer
playoff race – particularly with fellow striker and
countryman Alecko Eskandarian serving a yellow-card
suspension.
But Movsisyan is hardly just a fallback choice,
judging by his impressive debut three days ago when he
set up the first goal in a 2-2 tie with the Los
Angeles Galaxy by drawing a foul in the penalty box
and earning a penalty kick.
"You see that he’s a very aggressive-minded
player," coach Jason Kreis said. "When he gets the
ball, he wants to go straight at the goal, and we need
more players like that."
They’re aiming to get them, too.
New general manager Garth Lagerwey has said the
team intends to pursue another "attacking-type" player
with its substantial resources in the offseason, to go
with Movsisyan, Eskandarian – both native Armenians,
by the way – Robbie Findley and Fabian Espindola. All
of them have been acquired since RSL began its
makeover a few months ago.
"I’m very excited to be here," Movsisyan said.
"Very happy to be here."
But adding Movsisyan gives RSL something none of
the others do, size. He stands 6-feet tall and
provides a tremendous target – he’s also equally adept
at using both feet – and impressed Kreis months ago by
scoring five goals in his five starts for the Wizards.
Kreis said RSL tried to trade for him earlier this
season.
"We were, quite frankly, told no," he said.
Only after a series of phone calls did RSL manage
to execute the trade at the league deadline a week
ago, having to give a little more cash in the deal
that it wanted.
But RSL also picked up a valuable "youth
international" roster spot in the deal, which will
allow the team to vacate a senior international spot
to accommodate an incoming foreign star in the
offseason. And that, Kreis said, will permit RSL to
increase its number of international players from a
league-low five.
"Now, we feel like we’re drawing ourselves a
little more competitively level with the rest of the
league," he said.
Movsisyan will not have to occupy one of the
international spots, though, having finally been
granted political asylum six years after fleeing ethic
fighting between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in western
Asia. That essentially allows him to be treated by the
league as an American.
"I’m very happy about that," he said. "We’ve been
in court for a long time and now finally, we got
granted, which was probably the biggest news of my
life, basically."
Movsisyan and his family settled near Los Angeles,
and Movsisyan played soccer at Pasadena High School
and Pasadena City College before becoming the fourth
pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft – two picks after RSL
drafted midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy.
Coincidentally, Ballouchy tonight will play his
first game against RSL since the July 16 trade that
sent him to the Rapids in exchange for midfielder Kyle
Beckerman. He has started six of the Rapids’ eight
games since the deal, while Beckerman has been among
the team’s best players while starting 10 games for
RSL.
Eskandarian, meanwhile, was thrilled to learn that
Movsisyan was joining RSL last week. He said the two
have been friends since Movsisyan entered the league,
exchanging text messages in which Movsisyan confided
his dissatisfaction over not getting more playing time
with the Wizards and his interest in moving to Utah.
"When I heard that, I thought it was awesome,"
Eskandarian said. "Then I did my part to try to help
him get out."
And how that he’s out, Movsisyan has something to
prove.
"I can do much, much better," he said.

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