Future Looking Bright for Armenian Soccer Stars

By HAKOP ALAJAJYAN
Haladzha@uci.edu


If you were to ask your parents, grandparents, uncles, and all older relatives what Armenian soccer memory sticks out to them most, you will most likely get a response of “Ararat ’73.” Since FC Ararat Yerevan’s triumph over Dynamo Kiev to win the Soviet League in 1973, there has been little to cheer about in regards to Armenian soccer. Occasionally, players such as Levon Ishtoyan and Khoren Hovhannisyan would get called up to the Soviet national team, but those stints were often short-lived, and Ararat had slowly begun to decline into the middle of the Soviet Top League’s table. After the Soviet collapse, the newly-formed Armenian did not fare well, failing to achieve victories on a consistent basis for over fifteen years. However, much has changed these past two years as the Armenian soccer scene has taken a turn for the better as the quality of soccer has progressed greatly.

With the hiring of Scotsman Ian Porterfield as coach of the national team in 2006, the quality of soccer began to steadily rise. This was evidenced in Armenia’s UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against the group leader, Poland, where Hamlet Mkhitaryan curled a fantastic free kick into the opponent’s net to give Armenia the memorable 1-0 victory in Yerevan. Another fantastic result followed as Armenia tied Portugal 1-1 in a hard-fought affair. Despite Armenia’s rocky 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, the team, now under coach Vardan Minasyan, is individually on a higher level than Porterfield’s team. This can be attributed to the growing number of Armenians playing soccer professionally abroad.

For example, current winger Edgar Manucharyan, 23, began a promising youth career with FC Pyunik in Yerevan. Possessing a powerful and accurate left foot, Manucharyan carries a game similar to Arjen Robben, patrolling the right wing side with great vision and a great ability to cut in on his left foot. After being spotted in Holland while representing Armenia’s youth team, Manucharyan was taken on trial and eventually signed with prestigious Dutch club Ajax of Amsterdam. After progressing through Ajax’s famed youth academy, Manucharyan played up front with world-class stars Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Wesley Sneijder. However, injuries marred his stay with the club and he was subsequently loaned to numerous Dutch teams where he displayed great attacking powers, netting 14 goals in 29 games in his loan stints. Despite currently being back at Pyunik, Edgar will surely attract more European clubs following his great performance against Macedonia in Armenia’s Euro 2012 qualifier, which included a goal to his name.

Attacking midfielder Henrik Mkhitaryan, 21, has likewise signed with a prestigious club in Europe. Billed as a versatile playmaker that can play most midfield positions, Mkhitaryan possesses great vision and passing ability. Mkhitaryan is also a natural leader, which was evident in him being named Metalurh Donetsk’s captain in only his second year. Like Manucharyan, Mkhitaryan shone for FC Pyunik and subsequently secured a move to Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk. After only one season with the club, he was named captain and has now transferred to 2009 Europa League winners Shakhtar Donetsk for a transfer fee of $7.5 million. If Mkhitaryan can bulk up and grow stronger, we will be looking at a player who has a legitimate shot at transferring to an even bigger European club, and possibly England’s Arsenal, Mkhitaryan’s favorite club.

Striker Yura Movsisyan and defender Robert Arzumanyan, 23 and 25, both play for Danish side Randers. Movsisyan, an Armenian-American who won the MLS Cup with Real Salt Lake last season, has been an integral part of the Danish club as his play has seen them improve from 10th place last season to their current spot at 4th place. Movsisyan possesses an uncanny ability to find the back of the net, such as his goal against Armenia’s 2-2 tie with Macedonia. Arzumanyan has also improved his game greatly and, despite not getting much playing time for Randers, is a rock at the heart of the Armenian defense.

The list only goes on, with the likes of defenders Varanth Bezdikian (Marseille, France), Levon Airapetyan (on trial at St. Pauli, Germany), midfielders Masis Voskanyan (Roeselare, Belgium) and Hiraç Yagan (Standard Liege, Belgium), and forwards Hovhannes Goharyan (BATE Borisov, Belarus) and Gevork Badalyan (Banik Most, Czech Republic) all currently featuring for the under-21 national team, as well as for clubs outside of Armenia. This nucleus of young and talented players that play outside of Armenia is certainly to the benefit of the Armenian national team, as the Armenian Premier League is still one of the lower-tier football leagues in Europe. Likewise, with these players playing in the diaspora, they are able to regularly face competition on the pitch that are of higher skill level than opponents they would have faced had they played in Armenia.

There are also players such as Joaquin Boghossian (Red Bull Salzburg, Austria) and Mauro Guevgeozian (Everton, Chile), both from Uruguay, who are Armenian but have not yet accepted invitations to the Armenian national team. Both strikers possess good aerial ability and can finish well.

Likewise, the recently opened sports complex in Avan, Armenia will only further help the national team. Sponsored by UEFA (UEFA paid for 60% of the project), the complex houses six soccer pitches (one with turf, five with grass), four tennis courts, a medical room, weight room, Olympic pool and sauna, large cafeteria, and many 2-person hotel-style rooms for players to stay in. The complex is the first of its kind in the Caucasus and will certainly give the Armenians a leg up on the competition.
It is clearly evident that the spine of the future of the Armenian national team has been set into place with more and more talented young players being churned out of Armenia. The combination of these players and the new sports complex puts the level of natural talent of the Armenian national team at an all-time high. All that is left is for another foreign coach like Porterfield who can make the team play well together and finally elevate Armenia to a top 50 spot in the FIFA rankings and hopefully, qualification into a major FIFA/UEFA tournament.