Eskandarian makes immediate impact with new club in impromptu startCARSON, Calif. -- Alecko Eskandarian didn't plan to start, but still prepared that way.
So when Los Angeles Galaxy coach Bruce Arena called his number last-minute after forward Alan Gordon suffered a left calf strain during pregame warmups, it wasn't a mad scramble. The newly acquired Eskandarian was ready to make an impromptu start for his Galaxy debut.
What a dream debut it was as Eskandarian scored the game's only goal on a beautiful volley, lifting the Galaxy to a 1-0 win against the New England Revolution on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center.
"When I was younger in my career I probably wouldn't have adapted well to this," said Eskandarian, a former No. 1 overall draft pick. "But I prepared as if I would start, as far as getting a good night's rest and eating well and all that stuff. Obviously I wasn't expecting to, but I stepped right in.
"A little craziness for a few minutes, but once I got my warmup in I knew I'd be fine."
He looked comfortable from the get-go. It only took eight minutes for Eskandarian -- who was acquired in a trade this week with Chivas USA -- to make his new set of LA fans happy. Waiting inside the box, Eskandarian received a long 30-yard pass from Todd Dunivant, and proceeded to volley it in mid-air from eight yards away to give the Galaxy the only goal they would need.
"I knew I had timed my run perfectly, so I knew I was onside," Eskandarian said. "I was just hoping the linesman wouldn't blow the call."
Eskandarian's debut was about more than just his goal. He meshed well with his new teammates and helped LA control the pace of the match before being substituted after 67 minutes of work.
"Besides the goal I think he was pretty active," Arena said." He offered us some good mobility. ... We certainly didn't anticipate having to play him (67 minutes). He wasn't expected to be in the starting lineup, but he came in and did a great job tonight."
For Arena, this kind of performance was evident from the moment Eskandarian joined the team.
"He's a good player. I think we saw during the week in just a couple days of training that he was going to be a good addition for us," Arena said. "He's a good, alert soccer player -- technically good, active in the last third of the field. He's smart, and he did a lot of good things for us tonight."
When word arrived that Eskandarian was going to start, he received some sage -- not to mention pressure-packed -- advice from some teammates.
"I had some of the guys teasing me before the game." Eskandarian said. "Gregg Berhalter and Tony Sanneh were like, 'Hey, you might as well get in there and score a goal. Make this a good debut.' They kind of nurtured me into it, and it worked out just as they said."
While with Chivas USA, Eskandarian, who's been plagued by nagging injuries, had scored just one goal in seven games. He's hoping Saturday night's performance will be the start of something beautiful, no matter what his role might be with the Galaxy as the season progresses.
"Whatever. I'll be prepared for anything," Eskandarian said. "I just want to help this team win games."
More games, that is.
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