Eskandarian adds twist to Super Clasico
The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
Friday, July 10, 2009
By LUIS BUENO, Special to The Press-Enterprise
CARSON – Since the team’s inception in 2004, Chivas USA has turned to
former Galaxy players to fill its roster. Chivas’ first-ever member
was a former Galaxy player, as were four other prominent first-year
faces.
Whether or not the proximity of the clubs plays a factor — the teams
share Home Depot Center, with the Galaxy’s locker room entrance some
15 yards from Chivas’ — there has been a steady flow of players from
the Galaxy to Chivas. Former Galaxy players Paulo Nagamura, Sasha
Victorine and Shavar Thomas all have helped Chivas rise to second in
the Western Conference this season.
However, despite its struggles of the past few seasons coinciding with
Chivas’ newfound success, the Galaxy hadn’t looked much to its
neighbor for talent until acquiring Alecko Eskandarian from Chivas on
July 1. The 27-year-old forward promptly scored a goal in his debut
three days later in a 1-0 win over New England.
Entering its 16th regular-season matchup with Chivas, the Galaxy may
count on Eskandarian for some firepower. As the first ex-Chivas player
who has made an impact on the Galaxy, he could usher in a new era in
the fifth year of the so-called Super Clasico.
Eskandarian, the MVP of the 2004 MLS Cup, joined Chivas for the start
of last season and scored in his home debut. But the year was marred
by a groin injury as Eskandarian spent more time in the trainer’s
office than on the field.
This season was supposed to be somewhat of a fresh start for "Esky,"
as he entered the year healthy and primed to fight for a starting
spot.
But things did not go that way. Even fit and injury free, Eskandarian
was at best the club’s fourth option at forward, and some weeks he
slipped completely off the depth chart and did not dress at all.
"I worked really hard … and I felt good coming into this year. For
whatever reason I didn’t get the playing time I wanted to," he
said. "No reason was ever given to me."
Eskandarian played down any negative feelings and spoke highly of his
former club. But Landon Donovan said his new teammate is amped up for
the game.
"It’s a little fresh because it happened so recently, but I’d much
rather have someone overexcited than underexcited," Donovan said. "The
way he’s moving around, he’s ready for this game."
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