Connolly with a great write up on Esky and everything he has had to deal with in his first two season in MLS.
This piece gives us great insight into the player. Well done Connelly. Even better, well done Esky for getting past the promise of your play and making it happen. What a great season you have had and we look forward to many more for DCU. Go kick some Metroscum ass this weekend.
I love Esky this year! Jersey boy that's now all DC, through and through! That draft pick looks pretty damn good about now!
I was really, really down on the guy last year, and for a chunk of this year early in may/june. Looking at the guys we could have had (though Stokes is the one that really draws the ire), just frustrated, wondered if his lack of speed would just lower the ceiling of his potential but he really won me over. What he lacks in speed he definitely makes up for in desire, dedication, confidence, and deadly finishing skills. He, Moreno, Nowak and Nelson more than anyone strike me as exactly why this team finds itself in such an excellent position right now.
Gomez has also done more than just show promise. And Namoff has been an absolute rock--I think (only because of his steadyness and Nelson's injuries) that he deserved the defender of the year award. Dema also has the often overlooked tied-for-2nd-in-the-league 10 assists.
Yeah, last year I was poking pencils in my eyeballs to overcome the maddness that we could have had Damani Ralph instead of Esky. This year Esky's 10 goals (and playoffs) look pretty good next to Ralph's 11 (and playing shuffleboard).
DC could have had Damania Ralph instead of Eskandarian, Stokes, Brian Carrol or Doug Warren. All four were selected before him. And as the article indicates, and the grandparent to this post said, it comes down to the coaching. Hudson just didn't know how to develop players and win at the same time. Who knows. Eskandarian could have been Rookie of the Year had he had the right coaching. In all fairness though, DC drafted like a team should. Patched up holes and didn't stack in a position where they didn't need it.
Agreed. Left footed strikers are a commidity..simply because of the mistakes they can produce in defenders (see parke, last week at the swamp)..and beyond that his set peices are awesome, and he seems to have aquired a killer instinct in front of the net. Esky is great!
Every team could have had Damani Ralph well before Chicago picked him. For a number of reasons, including the fact that it was unknown whether or not he would even sign with the league, every team passed on him at least once, some multiple times. In other words, the point is moot, every team made the decision for a reason, so there's no reason to discuss it.