Eskandarian's Celebration: Question of Taste

United 4, Red Bulls 1

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., April 22 -- D.C. United enjoyed plenty of entertaining moments during its 4-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Giants Stadium, a result that kept the club undefeated after four matches and left its rivals still searching for a win.

There was a natty passing combination that led to Alecko Eskandarian's second goal, a 35-yard rocket by Facundo Erpen and a clinical finish by Jamil Walker. But the most amusing element of the one-sided match unfolded just before halftime, when Eskandarian broke a scoreless tie with his first goal, a 13-yard stab past Tony Meola made possible by a sloppy New York clearing attempt that fell into his path.

After scoring, Eskandarian, who missed most of last season with post-concussion syndrome, charged toward the United bench. From the sideline, Walker, who had yet to enter the game, flipped him a can of Red Bull, the energy drink created by an Austrian company that recently bought the operating rights to New York's MLS franchise.

Eskandarian popped it open, took a big swig and then spit the contents onto the turf.

It was a humorous moment in a league that often lacks personality and caught the attention of ESPN's cameras, as well as the few thousand spectators who braved a 46-degree game-time temperature and heavy rain.

New York Coach Mo Johnston said afterward that he wasn't offended. United's coaching staff, however, was disappointed by the antic, which was written up in the game officials' report and could result in a fine.

"By no means was that trying to offend anyone," Eskandarian said. "It was just something funny for the guys to laugh at in the locker room. They're our rival. It was a joke."

His no-nonsense coach, Peter Nowak, said he didn't think Eskandarian meant to offend anyone, but club officials thought it was poor sportsmanship.

Asked whether the celebration was planned, Eskandarian said with a sly smile, "I've had a history of concussions, so I can't really remember."

What United (3-0-1) will remember most about its first road game of the year was a dominant performance in slick conditions against a New York team (0-1-3) that had taken a two-goal lead in the season opener three weeks ago at RFK Stadium. In that encounter, Eskandarian and Erpen scored in the second half to salvage a 2-2 tie.

On this day, no comebacks were required. United goalkeeper Troy Perkins and his composed defense stretched the team's shutout streak to 338 minutes before Youri Djorkaeff scored in the 86th minute to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Two minutes later Walker, who had replaced Eskandarian in the 77th minute, answered with a nicely struck shot with the outside of his right foot.

"It was fun soccer out there," midfielder Ben Olsen said. "We wanted to put 90 minutes together because we really haven't this season yet. That was very important for us."

Also important was Eskandarian's continued progress. After recovering from the concussion, he missed much of preseason with a sports hernia. In the opener, he entered at halftime and sparked the comeback with a vicious volley. Nowak started him against Chivas USA but used him as a substitute last weekend against Houston.

With Argentine forward Lucio Filomeno struggling, Nowak again turned to his fourth-year forward for a starting role.

"I needed this," said Eskandarian. "Peter has been great with me, working me to get back into shape and getting comfortable playing again. Getting a start today gave me a lot of confidence and I just wanted to repay him."

On Eskandarian's second goal, 14 minutes after intermission, Brian Carroll connected with Olsen, who sent a diagonal pass to Eskandarian free on the left. One touch later, he smashed a 10-yard shot over Meola.

Said Olsen: "It's no surprise to me. I've seen that kid hit goals like that since college. That's what he does. He's got a gifted left foot and when he's in the area, he knows how to score. It's a great step for Esky."

United's hot start is a change from recent seasons. From 2000 to 2005, the club was a combined 6-13-5 in the first four games of the year. In its 11-season history, United has only won three of its first four games outright just one other time, in 1997. That year, the team started 4-0, with one win coming in a shootout.