Though sidelined with injury, Alecko Eskandarian is still finding himself busy. The former MLS Cup MVP and member of last season’s L.A. Galaxy cup-bound team recently presented the Gatorade Player of the Year Award to Michigan standout Soony Saad.

Having won the award himself 10 years ago, Alecko was nostalgic about the honor as he shared his thoughts with us on a wide range of topics.

You presented the Gatorade Player of the Year Award to Soony Saad. What do you remember about winning the honor in 1999-2000?

I remember how much of a prestigious honor it was.  It didn’t hit me until I saw the list of names and realized the types of athletes I was joining.  It means a lot to me today – to be honest, even when I went home this winter, the Gatorade trophy is the one I looked at with the fondest memories, and it means the most to me today.

Alecko Eskandarian (white)

What do you see in Soony Saad as a player – any of yourself?

Definitely.  He’s a goal scorer, for one.  All goal scorers have something in common.  From what I’ve seen on video, he has a good right foot that’s up to the standard of some professional athletes. And I think the sky is the limit for him. It’s up to him to work hard and keep developing parts of his game to get him to the pros someday.

What would you say is the key to transitioning success at the youth level into a professional career?

Know your role. You realize things aren’t easy and that you have to adapt and work hard to make the transition. Ultimately, at the end of the day, it comes down to hunger and motivation and practice. The only way to grow as a player is to set goals for yourself and work your way up to achieve them.

What are the most important aspects for a player to work on to prepare them for the next level?

Aside from the physical aspects, it’s mostly mental – about being prepared to not be the superstar, and to work your way up. Finding a way to fit in on the team and helping the team win games and making players around you better, that’s the only way you’ll get success. If you do well but lose it doesn’t translate to success.

Talk a little about last season’s experience – landing with the Galaxy and making a run to the MLS Cup?

It was awesome - definitely a blessing to be traded to LA. That was the team I wanted to go to. I got to join a veteran team with lots of friends.  As soon as I joined the team I knew we had a chance to win the whole thing.  We had a great run, and the team continued their run to the championships, and unfortunately we just got unlucky in the finals and lost in the shootout.

What do you make of our country’s chances in the World Cup – what will be key?

I think we have a good chance to be successful. With that said, we are in a very tough group.  The teams we’re playing against are very good. England’s a world powerhouse, and Algeria and Slovenia have some very talented players. But I think we have very good players as well, and if we’re able to string together a few performances we’ll put ourselves in a good position to go far in the tournament.

Should Charlie Davies have been left off the U.S. roster?

Well Charlie’s a good friend of mine; I was with him a bit during his rehab process.  It breaks my heart that he was left off because I know how hard he worked to rehab and how badly he wanted to be on the team. But at the same time, I know from experience that with medical issues you have to take the safe route.  If the doctors say he wasn’t ready, he wasn’t ready. He has a bright future ahead of him and I’m looking forward to seeing him score some goals with that team again soon.