After missing the first three games of the 2009 season due to a left hip strain, Chivas USA striker Alecko Eskandarian is back in action for the Red-and-White.
The 26-year-old saw his first minutes in Saturday's SuperClásico against the LA Galaxy, coming on as a halftime substitute. He had an immediate effect, creating chances for the Red-and-White as the lone striker and drawing a red card on Gregg Berhalter in the 79th minute that gave Chivas USA a man advantage.
"Alecko is dynamic," said Chivas USA head coach Preki. "He's very fast and he has enough speed to get behind the defense and that's something that we needed in the game against Galaxy in the second half. We felt we had nobody who could really get behind them and he came in and did a pretty decent job for us."
Eskandarian was happy to get back into the swing of things against Chivas' in-stadium rivals.
"It felt good getting 45 minutes," he said. "When you come on as a sub, you have the luxury of seeing what's going on in the first half, how the other team's playing, what our team needs.
"I do prefer starting. It's always easier to get involved in the flow of the game and feel your defender out a little more. I'm going to put the extra work in for fitness and make sure I am fit enough to be a starter."
Eskandarian began full practices with the team last week, much to his own, and his teammates', delight.
"When Alecko can't practice, we can see that he's disappointed," said midfielder Paulo Nagamura. "He wants to be on the field with us training and playing, so I'm happy for him that he's back and I'm sure that he'll be helping us get points in these next few games. It's awesome to have him."
Eskandarian's agility and quickness should combine well with newcomer Eduardo Lillingston, who prefers to hold the ball up a bit and play with his feet.
"He's a fast player who can get in behind defenses, and is obviously good around the goal," said midfielder Sacha Kljestan. "He makes things happen."
With Eskandarian healthy, Chivas USA adds a pacy striker to a squad that's already sits atop the league with the best overall record.
"We're on a very good streak right now, so the main goal is to keep that going," said Eskandarian. "Being in the league for a few years now, I know it's a very long season and this doesn't really mean too much in the end, but at the same time, if were able to create a nice little gap between the teams that are behind us right now, that would go a long way. Instead of chasing teams at the end of the year, hopefully we can be on top."
Jeffrey King is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
