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A big TFC thank you to Alecko for his commitment to our team and our fans. His blog has very much been a highlight on our site. We are in the process of developing the next official player blog. Stay tuned!

May 20

Posted by: Esky Time:: 9:07 p.m.

Still Upset

As I'm writing this I am still upset about our game on Saturday vs DC United. It is actually pretty heartbreaking that we could not come away with a result because I felt as though we put in a lot of effort in the 1st half and were able to get a lead. But I have to give credit to DC United - they came out like a different team in the 2nd half and were the more aggressive team. Though they were the better team in the 2nd half, both of their goals were pretty dodgy and that's what makes the loss hurt a bit more. Their first one was an own goal and the second ... well, I guess all you have to do is watch the replays and if you're anything like me your reaction can't be typed in the blog due to profanity. What can I say about the referee that hasn't already been said? All I can say is that at the end of the day both teams had to deal with it and you just have to live with it. Unfortunately that's all you can do. Once again I want to thank our fans for coming out and showing us so much support week in and week out. I also want to take time to applaud the fans from DC. As everyone knows, they have a special place in my heart as I played there for 4 years and I feel as though the Screaming Eagles and Barra Brava are a classy group of dedicated fans who deserve to be mentioned for always supporting their team even on the road. And as a player, I am lucky enough to have come to Toronto, where the support is just as incredible both at home and on the road.

As for me, it was definitely an emotional game for me. Playing against my old club I had many mixed feelings. Obviously I wanted to show well and prove to DC that they made a mistake in trading me. But more importantly I wanted to do whatever it took to help my team win the game. A lot of my game is based on emotion and adrenaline, so I actually had to try to tone myself down a bit before the match. It felt great though to hear Jimmy Brennan tell the guys in the huddle, "Let's get this win for Alecko." Really meant a lot to me to hear that, to know your teammates have your back. It was so strange to be lining up against the guys that had become like family to me over the years. However, once the whistle was blown it was all business. It felt great to get my 1st goal of the season, and even sweeter to get it against DC. But I would much rather have gotten the 3 pts for a win than the goal. That's how the game goes sometimes though, and we just have to move on now to the next game. We are all pretty tired from the 3 games in a week, and things won't get easier with the exhibition game on Wednesday vs. Benfica, which is one of the best clubs in the world. So it's pretty important to make sure we prepare ourselves both physically and mentally to be fresh and healthy through this stretch.

I just realized this blog is starting to become wayyyyyy too serious for my liking. To be honest, we have all been pretty focused on our games and getting things on the right track so there haven't been many pranks or funny stories. Our main source of entertainment these days comes from the massive battles while playing soccer on our PS3 in the locker room. About 10 guys claim to be the best player in the game, so it's fun to watch people hype themselves up and try to back it up. From my understanding the undisputed champ so far is Andy Welsh with "BulletTooth Tony" aka Danny Dichio a close #2. ProMo claims to be the best player but I'm determined to beat him out for the #3 spot. So far it's not going so well. I keep betting him lunch on every game we play, and let's just say Subway has really been enjoying my business lately.

May 13

Posted by: Esky Time:: 5:02 p.m.

First Win

We won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What an awesome game and an awesome feeling to get our first goal and our first win! I can't begin to tell you how happy I am for everyone in the organization and especially for all the fans. We have all been working so hard day in and day out to get our team on the right track, and it finally paid off. I could tell before kickoff that everyone was pretty hyped for the game and they knew it was now or never. Obviously getting Ronnie O back into the lineup was a huge boost and Danny "Tyson" Dichio might be my new favorite player. Huge props to ProMo and Goldy for getting their first ever MLS goals! But it was such a tremendous effort from everyone all around. Our D, anchored by Jimmy Brennan, played great, Sutts kept everything clean in the back, the midfield won their battle, and the front runners were dangerous all game long with Edson getting 2 assists. It was extremely tough for me to watch the game from the sidelines because I was hoping to be healthy by gametime Saturday afternoon, but I just wasn't ready. So I had no choice but to grab some pom-poms (or Frisbees) and assume my role as a cheerleader. Speaking of the Frisbee tossing, that was awesome! Hahaha I have never been a part of a game where the fans were so involved. I'm sure some people at MLS and maybe even some players were annoyed that the game had to be stopped a few times to clean it all up. But I thought it was hilarious. Those things frikkin hurt too, I got hit by one and turned around ready to throw punches because I thought someone socked me. But anyways, I really hope we can continue to match this atmosphere all year long because opposing teams will be pretty intimidated by it. And I can tell you that we all love it and appreciate it. So I just want to encourage all the fans to keep coming out and supporting us the way you have and we can make this a special season together. We can't get too far ahead of ourselves because its just one win, but hopefully this will be the spark that we needed. We have a very tough week ahead of us, facing defending champion Houston on Wednesday night and DC United (my old club) on Saturday. I am definitely doing everything I can to get healthy, especially because we will be missing Danny for the Houston game.

Also, I have to mention that today is Mother's Day! So I have to give a tribute to my Mom and tell her how much I love her and how much she has meant to me. Since I was a kid my Mom was the one who had to drive me to all my games and practices since my Dad took around my older brother. Although it was never fun to hear my Mom say "Alecko, that goal looked sooooo easy! How did you miss it?" I truly am grateful for her involvement in my growth as a soccer player and as a person. She always kept me grounded and made me strive to be the best that I could be in whatever I did. So I just want to say thank you Mom! And Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!

Finally, let's take some more questions.

Christian from Brampton, ON asked, "Hey Esky! What do you think of BMO Field?"

Well Christian, I think our stadium is pretty awesome. It is definitely up there with the best soccer-specific stadiums in MLS and obviously as you can see with our home games, our fans make it a special place to play. As for the field turf, I have never been the biggest fan of it but it's definitely better than any other field turf I've played on. However, since the recent injury I picked up may have been a result of the turf, I can't sit here and lie and say it's ideal. But at the same time, the field turf also offers a lot of positives in that you never have to worry about what kind of condition its going to be in. Also, since we train on it daily, hopefully it is something we will use to our advantage.

Futbolking from P'Burg, PA asked, "What's the deal with Bobby Boswell, don't you two get along? I noticed on Boswell's website when he was trying to get people to join his league, he stated that you can't select Alecko Eskandarian. And then you said Boswell was one of the things you didn't miss."

Haha Bobby and I are good friends, and a reason why is because we both have a pretty good sense of humor. So every now and then you might see us taking shots at each other but it's all in good fun. We have the type of relationship where we will kick the crap out of each other for 90 minutes, then laugh about it afterward. I definitely can't wait to face Bobby and my old teammates on Saturday.

Walter from Burlington, ON asked, "Who in your opinion is the biggest joker on the team and who is all business?"

We have a bunch of jokers on the team. I would have to go with Adam Braz, Ronnie O, Jimmy Brennan, Andrea Lombardo, and myself as the biggest jokers. As for all business, it's a no brainer… MARCO REDA. It's been said that someone saw him smile once, but those are just unconfirmed reports. Jimmy Brennan said that even when they played U-9 club team soccer together, Marco would wear a captain's armband and would fine the other players and parents if they showed up late for training. I didn't say it, Jimmy B did.

May 9

Posted by: Esky Time:: 12:44 a.m.

More from the Mailbag

It's late, I'm tired, and don't really have much to talk about so I'm just gonna answer a few questions and hop in bed (air mattress until my real bed gets shipped from NJ).

Blondie from Washington, DC asked, "Hey Esky - still campaigning to get you back! I am wondering, now that you're settled, what do you like most about Toronto (the city) and what do you miss most about DC?"

First off, thanks again for all your support Blondie, it really does mean a lot to me. And wow, that's a tough question to answer. Now that I finally have my own apartment and can actually unpack my suitcase that I have been traveling with since December, I am loving Toronto. I have been pretty busy though with setting up my apartment so I still have yet to see the tourist sites Toronto has to offer. So I guess I can say that so far I really like the restaurants and how there is a huge blend of all types of cultures. Oh yea and the women here are pretty hot too ...

As for DC, I miss it a lot! After 4 years it became home for me and so I left behind many friends and familiar surroundings. The things I miss the most are: living on M Street in Georgetown, driving by the Washington Monument every day, lunch at Chipotle (no Chipotle in Toronto makes me want to cry), and of course all the support from great fans.

Things I miss the least in DC are: Bobby Boswell, traffic on 395, and parking tickets on M St.

Ben from Beamsville, ON asked, "Hey Esky, I was wondering if you could pick any other striker in the world to be your partner, who would it be?"

That's easy Ben. Thierry Henry. He is definitely one of the best strikers to ever play the game and it would be fun to play alongside him.

Richard M from Port Colborne, ON asks, "How much did you train as a kid to be where you are today?"

Great question Richard. I trained my ass off!!! I can remember nights where all my friends were out partying and instead I went into my basement and just did sit-ups and pushups and juggled by myself until my shirt was soaking wet. I always had a lot of motivation to prove people wrong, I still do. I had to deal with a lot of haters growing up who tried to hold me down, so every single day that was the only thing on my mind. I am blessed to have the family that I have because they supported me but also were pretty tough on me. And also, I had some excellent club team coaches who believed in me and helped push me to be a better player. During the summers, I went to World Class Soccer Camp every single week. And my secret to success is that I trained with women's teams. No joke! Soccer is soccer, whether it's with men or women, and I found some aspects of the women's game more difficult. So it actually was really productive for my progression and really helped my all around game. But yea, to answer your question, I pretty much lived on a soccer field with a ball at my feet.

A.J. from Thornhill, ON asked, "You mentioned your I-Tunes pregame mix, what songs do you listen to before the game?"

I love music, and I listen to everything, so my pregame mix is a bit, well, mixed. But my "go-to" pregame songs are "Renegade" by Eminem and Jay Z, "Faint" by Linkin Park, "Many Men" by 50 Cent, "Dream On" by Aerosmith, and "Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. But I also listen to a lot of O.A.R. and James Blunt mixed in with some Lil Wayne and Notorious BIG. Yea, good luck analyzing me after that info ... Good night.