Eskandarian Signs With M.L.S.

NYTimes - Alecko Eskandarian signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer yesterday and most likely will be the No. 1 selection when the league's draft is held in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 17.

``All I've got to do now is FedEx it back to the league,'' Eskandarian said yesterday from his parents' home in Montvale, N.J. His father, Andranik, played for the Cosmos in the early 1980's and also played for Iran in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

The younger Eskandarian left late yesterday for Miami and a weeklong training session with the United States Olympic team. He left the University of Virginia in the middle of his junior year to turn professional after leading the Cavaliers with 25 goals (second in the nation in Division I) in 2002. Last week Eskandarian won the Hermann Trophy, college soccer's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

``Obviously, this is not official until the league gets my contract,'' he said. ``This has not been an easy decision. There were some offers from Europe. It came down to what I wanted and where I would be the most happy.''

D.C. United has the first pick in the M.L.S. draft, and while there has been speculation that United would trade the pick, Coach Ray Hudson said last week that the team is more likely to keep the selection. The MetroStars pick second.

The top pick in the draft (M.L.S. owns all player contracts under its single-entity scheme) can be expected to earn between $50,000 and $60,000 a season. Eskandarian signed a five-year deal - three years with a two-year option.

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