CARSON, Calif. (Friday, December 3, 2010) – The LA Galaxy announced today that the club has not offered to renew the contract options on midfielders Jovan Kirovski and Dema Kovalenko ahead of next week’s MLS Re-Entry Draft. Both players are now eligible for the Stage 1 Draft of the Re-Entry Process, which will be held via teleconference on Wednesday, December 8 at 11 a.m. (PT), though they may elect to opt out.
The Stage 2 Draft will take place on Wednesday, December 15 at 11 a.m. (PT), also via teleconference. Both Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts will be conducted in the same order as the traditional Waiver Draft, with Vancouver selecting 17th and Portland selecting 18th. The Galaxy will have the 14th selection in both Stages of the Re-Entry Process.
Kirovski is in his second stint with the Galaxy, having originally played for the club from 2004-2005. He re-joined the club in November 2008 and appeared in 43 regular season games over the last two seasons, scoring six goals and adding three assists. A native of Escondido, Calif., the 34-year-old midfielder finished third on the Galaxy this season with four goals, two of which came in the 4-1 win over the Houston Dynamo on June 5. His first goal on that day was scored just 47 seconds into the game, making it the third fastest goal in club history.
Kovalenko has been with the Galaxy for two years, joining the club in a trade with Real Salt Lake in January 2009. He appeared in 26 regular season games for the club in that time, scoring once and adding a pair of assists. He scored the first goal of his Galaxy career this season, tallying the eventual game-winning goal in the 3-1 win over Columbus on September 11. Despite missing significant time over the past two seasons with injury, the 33-year-old midfielder started six of the Galaxy’s seven postseason games in 2009 and 2010.
Per Major
League Soccer rules, in the Re-Entry Process, each club may either select a
player from the eligible player list, or pass. Once a team has passed, they may
no longer participate in that stage of the Re-Entry Process. Each stage will
continue until all 18 clubs have passed on the available players.
Clubs must exercise the option
for, or extend a Bona Fide Offer to, players selected in Stage 1. Players that
were out of contract may either accept or reject the Bona Fide Offer. Should a
player reject the offer, the drafting club will hold the right of first refusal
for that player in MLS. Players with option years left on their contract will
automatically be added to the drafting club’s roster.
Any player selected in Stage 1
will remain on the drafting Club’s 2011 budget at the option price or Bona Fide
Offer price until April 1, 2011. Clubs and players may not mutually renegotiate
that price to a lower number until April 1, 2011. Clubs may not select their
own players in Stage 1. Players will have the opportunity to negotiate
contracts and sign with their previous clubs after Stage 1 is complete until 11
a.m. (PT) on Monday, December 13.
In Stage 2, clubs may select
from players that are under contract and those not under contract. If a player
is not under contract, the drafting club will be required to make a genuine
offer to the player within seven days. In the event that an agreement cannot be
reached between the drafting club and an out-of-contract player, the drafting
club will hold the right of first refusal for that player in MLS. Clubs may
select their own players in Stage 2 only after all other clubs have declined to
select those players.
If a player is not selected in
either stage of the Re-Entry Process, that player will be available on a first
come first serve basis to all clubs. For more information on the Re-Entry
Process, click here.
