Andranik Eskandarian
Andranik Eskandarian (Armenian: Անդրանիկ Իսքանտարեան, Persian: آندرانیک اسکندریان, born 31 December 1951) is an Iranian former footballer. He played as a defender for the F.C. Ararat Tehran, Taj SC and New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andranik Eskandarian | ||
| Date of birth | 31 December 1951 | ||
| Place of birth | Tehran, Imperial State of Iran | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1968–1970 | Poolad Tehran | ||
| 1970–1972 | Ararat Tehran | ||
| 1972–1978 | Taj | 184 | (2) |
| 1978–1984 | New York Cosmos | 142 | (0) |
| 1984–1985 | New York Cosmos (indoor) | 29 | (1) |
| 1986–1987 | New York Express (indoor) | 14 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | New Jersey Eagles | ||
| International career | |||
| 1975–1978 | Iran | 29 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He won the Iranian league in 1975 and reached the second place in 1974. Further he won the Hazfi Cup in 1977. He played six years for Taj SC. Taj's fans called him Barbed Wire.
Eskandarian was a member of the Iranian team winning the Asia Cup 1976 in Tehran and reaching the quarterfinals of the Olympic Tournament in Montreal in 1976. He also played for Iran in the 1978 World Cup, the country's first appearance in the tournament. He infamously was the first member of Iran's team to score in the World Cup: an own-goal in a match against Scotland that his teammate later tied, 1-1. The game was still considered a success for Iran, including Eskandarian's play as a defender against Kenny Dalglish and Joe Jordan, and an embarrassment for Scotland.
Soon after that, he moved to America to play for the highest-profile team in the country, the New York Cosmos, beginning in the 1979 season. After the Cosmos folded in 1984, Eskandarian played for the New York Express during its half-season in the Major Indoor Soccer League. From 1989 through 1990, he played for the New Jersey Eagles of the American Soccer League.