It's really been a joy watching Alecko Eskandarian blossom as a player this season. We knew he had the talent last year when he was drafted #1, and we all hoped that he would have a breakout season this year. With his MLS Cup MVP performance, he did not disappoint. The journey, however is more than a beginning and an end. In the beginning of the season, he played like your stereotypical American. Lots of hustle, tons or workrate, and taking opportunistic chances. He had a great finish early in the first match, but his game lacked polish. He didn't seem to have a lot to him other than a great work rate and a cannon of a left foot. I remember a conversation I had when I was first learning the game of soccer as a kid. I don't remember the man's name, but I remember what he told me. "You can tell the quality of players," he said, "by the way the ball reacts to their feet. The best players play with the quiet ball. The poor players bang it about like a drum set." Never was this more evident than 1996 when I was able to witness Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno make the ball fall silent at their feet, no matter the pace or direction from which it came. It was obvious within minutes of seeing them take the pitch that they were another class of player that I had only witnessed on television, or in brief glimpses at the World Cup in 1994. Then years passed, and DC fell on hard times. Marco and Jaime were no longer able to keep DC in the win column game after game. "Maybe the quiet ball wasn't so important after all," I thought. I began to look for and identify players with other striking qualities, thinking maybe they were the solution to my ailing team's woes. First it was speed, then size, then strength. I forgot all about the quiet ball. It all came back to me this week. I watched a bunch of matches from throughout this season in preperation for the Cup Final, starting with the Opener against San Jose, and concluding with last week's win over New England. Along the way, Esky went from being a lot of heart and a great shot into a great player. As his confidence grew, his touch on the ball became more refined. I'm not sure if it was due to the influence of Moreno and Nowak, or if he had this ability all the time, and just needed to stop pressing, but as the season went along, he really came of age. In the first part of the season, his game was all determination. His touches and passes were generally poor, but he made up for it by harassing the opponents into surrendering chances. Then a small change came about in (I believe) the first Columbus match. He figured out how to beat a defender with his back to the goal. He received the ball near midfield, turned to his right and blew past his mark, creating a scoring chance. He made several similar turns like this throughout the midseason, but he still has some trouble threading through balls, and all his goals came on first-touch strikes. He was scoring, though, and his confidence continued to grow. The next time Columbus came to town, he added anoher dimension to his game. He hit a perfect free kick into the upper 90. A strike that got my vote for Goal of the Year. Another dimension was added to his game. Late in the season we saw another change. He began to beat people on the dribble down the flank and sent in some dangerous crosses. He faked one particular Metrostar defender out of his jock in the swamp. Then the playoffs came, and the beast was unleashed. We saw him beat players on the dribble. We saw him hold them off with his back to the goal and lay the ball off to a teammate. And then, in the waning moments of game one in NJ, the breakthrough. He pushed the ball past Jeff Parke at the top of the box, created an inch of space, and slammed the ball into the corner of the goal. It all came together. In one play, he held off a defender, beat him, and scored. Finally he scored a goal that wasn't off a single, brilliant touch, set up by a teammate.. He created a goal that wasn't there. He wasn't just a poacher anymore. He was now a complete striker. The final revelation was in both the New England match and the Final. You may have noticed this year that DC United signed a teenager to a large contract with much fanfare. Freddy Adu is the latest practitioner of the Quiet Ball. He has been dazzling the world with his touch since the age of 11. However, Freddy's first touch failed him several times against New England. He slammed the ball into the ad boards afterward in frustration. His nerves has gotten to him. Alecko, on the other hand, was handling the ball with far more confidence than ever before. His touches had become quieter than Freddy's. Almost as quiet as Moreno's. In the final against Kansas City, he had some astonishingly quiet touches to settle difficult passes. He created another goal out of nothing when he turned on Nick Garcia and rifled a shot past Bo Oshoniyi to level the match. Was this in Alecko all along and he just needed to find his comfort level? Was it due to Moreno, Peter Nowak's, and Christian Gomez' influence, or a combination of the two? I tend to think it had more to do with the former than the latter. In adition to ability, a player needs to be confident and secure to be a true practitioner of the quiet ball. Last season, and early this year, Esky was constantly pressing for playing time. By the end of the year, he knew he was going to be on the field, and his game grew from it. All this makes me very hopeful for Freddy's future, as he becomes more comfortable playing games that matter against adults.
I agree entirely (rep given). When they did a slow-mo replay at some point of Alecko's first touch on his first goal yesterday it was just a jaw dropper. A leap into the air and a gentle tap down to just the spot where he knew it would be but the defenders were fooled. He's able to blow it by them and launch it for the net. Moreno had some moments when he took the ball through (not around or past) four defenders leaving them frozen for a through ball to himself. It's players like him that make it 'the beautiful game.'
I don't go for all of this "rep" crap, too much like high school, but your analysis was a nicely crafted piece of writing. I peruse BS for the rare and satisfying read like your piece. Michael
I was at the stadium, and the ball was pretty damn loud when it ricocheted off of Eski's arm to set up the second goal.
you make a really good point Sanguine. Esky at the beginning of the year was part of the carousel/circus at forward including esky, jaime, freddy, ronald. In addition to that he was always the guy taken off after 60 min for the other "quiet ball" guy. His not-so-quiet first touch may have been the result of not enough playing time and coupled with an anxiety that he *must* produce in order to stay on the field. and even if he did produce that wasnt always a guarantee that he would see more PT with the revolving door at FW. esky's change came once ronald was let go, his hamstring finally healed, and freddy started playing in the midfield (more or less) which i think gave him the confidence that 1)he was going to start, 2)he would see significant minutes no matter what. that let him be a bit more creative in trying different things since he knew he wouldnt get yanked even he if had a few bad touches. i agree 100% that the "one-touch volley" scorer we had at the beginning grew into a guy with a full portfolio of moves including stepovers, jukes, speed moves, power moves, left-footers, right-footers, diving headers, face-up defenders, back into defenders, target FW, withdrawn FW. Next year i will have even higher expectations for esky. i want to see him expand a bit more on his game. look for 15+ goals, and 5+ assists. The great strikers combine skill with hustle and i think esky has a good chance to be one of those
I agree with you, I think Esky needed to find his comfort level. At first, he was fighting for a spot, and his play reflected that--he rushed things, determined to fight his way to a goal through sheer determination and hard work. He hustle and the heart were there, but he seemed too eager to prove himself. Now, he's beginning to show the patience and confidence of a well-rounded player. Good read, Sanguine.
Excellent observations, yall. You have me thinking, and I agree. The quiet touch is what has crept in to United, and the confidence it's fine execution brings. Mark
No question Esky improved dramatically over the season, and a great analysis. He scored 4 times in 4 playoff games, plus an assist on top of that. I know he is streaky but damn what a time for it, and with the extra pressure of the playoffs. He was one goal away from getting exactly half of his regular season totals. As for how he does next year, I see the biggest question being Moreno and how he plays. I don't think there will be a big drop off in his play, though there is the possiblity, I don't think its likely. However, I am pretty sure everyone will take away from the Cup that you can no longer just shut down Moreno, Esky will score on you. I think next year we see another part of Esky's game emerge, the assist. As he is targeted more and Moreno is more open than he was this year. I am pretty sure the scores and assists will even out between the two. And if we're really lucky Freddy will add a lot to both stats as well.
I think he means (and I've been worrying about) foreign interest. I don't think it's going to come right now. But if his next season builds on this one, I can't imagine it won't come.
Alecko has had a great run of games in the playoffs, has performed consistantly well all year, scored a decent total of goals, and won a championship. But 20+ goals didn't Twellman a contract overseas, and Ruiz got a trial but not a contract in England. I doubt the European's will beat down the door for Alecko this winter. But if he does it again, and improves a little more, well, next year may be his last for a while in DC.
Excellent analysis. What I have noticed, and Wynalda kept harping on it during the broadcast, was how well the players mesh with each other. During the early part of the season there was a lot of unsteadiness. There did not seem to be a lot of confidence in the system or the team as a whole. Somewhere along the road the confidence rose and the level of play rose accordingly. Just look at the way they pass the ball when they are on their game. Quick, one-touch passing. They almost always seemed to know who was going to be in what spot next. They could see a play develop 3 or 4 passes ahead. That is confidence and skill walking hand in hand.
This really was a great post and I read it earlier on MLSnet. I do agree that the quiet touch is one of the harder things to master in soccer and may be something true talents are born with. As far as Esky's future is concerned, I think he has another solid year with DC and may move on from there. Ive made comparisons to Ronaldo in earlier posts and I just wanted to know if anyone else kind of sees what im talking about?? He doesnt need to do too much Esky, nor does he need a lot of touches, but when he gets them, you better watch out cuz he will capitalize. Again, if he improves his ball handling and speed a bit more, I think he is a true striker comparable to Ronaldo's style of quiet yet deadly play.
great season. well deserved mvp of mls cup. bright future w/dcu and probably nats. let's hold off on ronaldo comparisons.