Arriving at the Home Depot Center on Wednesday, Alecko Eskandarian caught himself heading toward the wrong locker room. The striker, who turns 26 next week, was traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy from Chivas USA for a conditional 2010 MLS SuperDraft pick and allocation money. The Galaxy also terminated the contract of third-year midfielder Josh Tudela, who was drafted by the Galaxy in the second round of the 2007 draft out of Indiana University.
Eskandarian, an MLS All-Star in 2004 and 2006, gives the Galaxy a dangerous left-footed attacking player. "Which is scarce on our roster," head coach and general manager Bruce Arena said. "He's a player with a lot of versatility. He can be a valuable asset to our team." With the Galaxy, Eskandarian says he sees a promising opportunity for himself and the team. "Looking at the team there are a lot of very good players here, and I think we can easily climb the rankings a little bit if we can put some wins together," he said.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Eskandarian had been acquired by Chivas in January 2008 from Real Salt Lake and had six goals in 18 games, including one in seven games this season. The six-year MLS veteran originally joined D.C. United as the first overall pick out of the University of Virginia in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft and played with United for four years. He was named MVP of the 2004 MLS Cup – played at The Home Depot Center – and his father, Andranik, played for Iran in the 1978 World Cup and the New York Cosmos.