Eskandarian aiming for the top again

It was one of the more enduring images of last year's MLS Cup. There was D.C. United's Alecko Eskandarian, with his father by his side, cradling the MVP trophy while smoking a Cuban cigar. At the time, there was every reason to think the former All-American's star was on the rise.

But 10 months after scaling MLS' Everest, he's now stuck in its Marianas Trench. A series of minor injuries caused Eskandarian to struggle with his form in this season's first months, yet those obstacles served as a mere prelude to what lay ahead. On June 18, as he chased down an innocuous looking punt from teammate Nick Rimando, a frightening collision with New England goalkeeper Matt Reis saw Eskandarian take a knee to the head, resulting in his third concussion in three years.

The aftereffects have been borderline devastating. The native of Montvale, N.J., has been shut down for the last two months, laid low by migraine headaches any time he tried to exert himself. Eskandarian was just recently able to ride a stationary bike for the first time. But an attempt at running this week resulted in a recurrence of the headaches that have plagued him. There have been other complications as well.

"It's been crazy, man," the former No. 1 draft pick said. "I was forgetting stuff. People would be telling me that they'd be in conversations with me and my eyes were just zoning out somewhere else, like I was on a different planet. I'm starting to feel better, but for a while there it felt like an eternity."

That's because with postconcussion syndrome there's no rehab to go through, few milestones with which to measure one's progress and, worst of all, no date on the calendar to shoot for. All Eskandarian could do was rest. And wait.

"It's been so frustrating because I feel fine, I feel healthy, and my legs feel great," he said. "But I can't do anything. Sometimes that's the hardest thing to do, to just sit back and feel like an old man."

Given the fact that Eskandarian had yet to score this season, it's tempting to think that his lack of goals would have been the second-hardest thing to cope with. But the University of Virginia product brushes aside any concerns about his inability to find the back of the net.

"I think it's been blown so far out of proportion, it's almost funny to me," said the United forward, whose 661 minutes represent about seven games' worth of playing time. "I went through the same thing last year, and I still got the amount of goals [10] that I did. I don't worry about it at all."

While Eskandarian may not be worried about his lack of production, that hasn't stopped him from analyzing the cause of his dry spell. And what emerges is a potent mix of injuries, as well as a change in opposition tactics.

It all began during what should have been one of the highlights of the year -- an invitation to train with the U.S. national team. But a groin strain suffered during camp gave Eskandarian an injury entering the preseason. An MCL sprain suffered in the CONCACAF Champions Cup further hampered his progress. It all added up to a less than ideal way to begin the season.

"Just the way the whole season started, it was like someone put a hex on me," Eskandarian said. "[The injuries] have a domino effect. For one, you can't train as much as you want, and you lose your conditioning; you fall out of shape a little bit; you lose your timing, all kinds of stuff. It's not an excuse, but it's just reality of what it's like."

But perhaps a larger cause of Eskandarian's struggles has been the adjustments made by opponents. The former Hermann Trophy winner is no longer an unknown. And as his tendencies became recognized, opposing defenses altered their approach, taking away the spaces that Eskandarian exploited so ruthlessly last year.

"Teams this year were a little more wary of myself and [teammate Jamie Moreno]," Eskandarian said. "Last year, I think I found a lot of success being the guy that played up high, just making runs off Jaime and [midfielder Christian Gomez]. This year was just a little bit different in that teams were reading that and just waiting for that to happen. I couldn't even play high anymore and I'd have to come back to get the ball or try different things to get the ball."

Eskandarian's assessment is confirmed by at least one opposing coach.

"Everyone knows he's predominantly left-footed, so you want to try and get him on his [weaker] foot," San Jose head coach Dominic Kinnear said. "[Eskandarian] likes to run from right to left. But I like Alecko. He works his tail off, he's dangerous around the goal and he doesn't back down."

In an effort to get Eskandarian untracked, head coach Peter Nowak tried a variety of things, including a stint at left midfield. But that proved a brief experiment, and Eskandarian found himself second choice to Santino Quaranta. His encounter with Reis happened shortly thereafter, robbing him of the opportunity to repeat his late-season heroics of 2004.

Through it all, Eskandarian remains the confident striker, convinced that in time he will sort out the different ways defenses are playing him and the goals will come. It's a belief born of the difficulties he faced during his rookie season, when playing time was not only scarce, but in no way a reflection of how he was playing.

When asked to name the tougher of the two experiences, Eskandarian said: "That's a tough one. They're running neck and neck at the moment. Maybe if you talk to me again in six months, I'll let you know."

Eskandarian hopes to be back on the field, although that isn't a sure thing at this point. More clear is the emotional tug of war that he feels about coming back. One moment he's the bulldog forward, not doubting for a second that he still has some part to play in the Black-and-Red's season. The next, the sobering reality of his injury hits home.

"With an injury like this that's so serious, I can't really rush into anything or try to be a hero because obviously this is something that could affect me for the rest of my life," he said. "If these headaches [persist], I'll have no choice but to take my time with it."

Maybe by taking his time, he can get back to the top of MLS' Everest.

Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPNsoccernet. He can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com .