HACKENSACK — In 1978, when Andranik Eskandarian played in the World Cup for Iran, his team was one of 16 that qualified for the tournament. This year’s World Cup included 48 teams. And there is talk of expanding the field further for the next one in 2030.
“It was 16 countries only that qualified. Now, people, they are going to be very happy to go to the final 16,” said Eskandarian as he sat in the basement storage room of his Hackensack soccer store just before the tournament began last week.
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Back then, “you were already a winner to be there, win or lose. That was already the top of everything. You couldn’t make any mistakes.”
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The 74-year-old still plays soccer twice a week in an informal pickup game in Mahwah with a group of local players. “I have fun. I enjoy it,” he said.
He runs the shop with his former New York Cosmos teammate Hubert Birkenmeier. The two played among the stars of the sport in the 1970s and ’80s, when soccer had not yet gained a strong foothold in this country.
When Eskandarian bought the Hackensack store in the mid-1980s from Birkenmeier, the original owner, many were surprised he had chosen to run a store devoted solely to soccer.
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But he watched as the sport’s popularity continued to grow, from being unable to find a soccer field to play on when he came to the U.S. in 1978 to well-used fields and flourishing soccer programs in every town.
Eskandarian said he is grateful for the loyal customers who have kept the shop thriving all these years.
“With the internet, with all these big sporting goods stores, still people trust us and come to us,” he said. “Really, it’s something special. It’s a beautiful thing.”
The shop was buzzing with excitement in the run-up to the World Cup, with customers coming in looking for jerseys and scarves of their favorite team. With so many teams in the tournament, Eskandarian ordered gear for dozens of nations.
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A customer had come in that morning looking for a Haiti jersey. This year was just the second time the country had qualified, and the first since 1974.
But while Eskandarian loves the tournament and the excitement that it brings every four years, he said he’s sickened by the astronomical prices for tickets and transportation to the games.
“Nobody is happy with the World Cup this year. They are robbing everybody,” he said. “I see people because of the love of the game, they are borrowing money to buy a ticket. When I see that, I feel so bad.”
After traveling to Qatar and attending more than half a dozen games there in 2022, he was planning on sitting this year out, despite it being played in his backyard. But a generous customer offered him a ticket to the June 25 Germany vs. Ecuador match.
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As a player, Eskandarian played defense against some of the top players in the world, like Diego Maradona and George Best.
“I was a fast player. When I played against them, they couldn’t do anything. They got frustrated,” he remembered. “My coach would say, ‘That guy is yours.’ That was my job.”
Eskandarian was a defender for the Cosmos from 1979 until 1984, the final year of the North American Soccer League.
At first, the team had to pay local television stations to air its games. But the collection of international stars, including Carlos Alberto, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia and Pelé, became a phenomenon playing in front of sold-out crowds at Giants Stadium.
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As soon as the season finished, they would tour the world, playing in Asia, Australia and South America. When the team wasn’t competing, the players would run clinics across New Jersey for hundreds of kids to teach them about the sport.
“We were so popular, with all these superstars on our team,” he said. “I was not a superstar like them, but they really did change everything in this country.”
Many of his Cosmos teammates have since died, he said, and “every time I hear it, it takes a piece of my heart.”
The founders of the Cosmos, Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun, executives at Atlantic Records, and Steve Ross, CEO of Time Warner, who invested millions in bringing superstar players to America, deserve praise for popularizing soccer in the U.S., he said.
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“They loved soccer and they had the vision to bring it to this country,” he said. “In my heart, I always want people to remember them.”
Eskandarian predicts Spain, France, Portugal and Argentina will be the last four teams standing in the tournament. He thinks the U.S. will be in the final 16, but from there, they will likely face a “big team” and go out.
But, he said, “soccer is a crazy game. If they get together as a team, they can do well. There will be some surprises.”
Eskandarian’s son Alecko, who was a star at Bergen Catholic in the late ’90s and now works for MLS, played with the Men’s National Team before his playing career was cut short due to injury.
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“I hope the U.S. does well,” the older Eskandarian said. “They’ve improved from the last World Cup.”
Whatever happens, Eskandarian will be watching every game on the television in front of his Hackensack store and at watch parties with family and friends.
“I love the World Cup because it’s important to everybody and the competition will be 100%. Nobody is thinking of tomorrow; it’s about this day,” he said. “You give it your heart. You cannot imagine how proud you are going to be. It’s a different feeling — you can’t put words to it. Every four years, you get one chance.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: From World Cup and Cosmos glory to NJ shop owner. Read Eski’s story
