Jovan Kirovski, who retired following the 2011 season and served as an assistant coach for the Galaxy during the 2012 campaign, was named the first Technical Director in the club’s history in January 2013.
Kirovski, who spent the first 12 years of his professional career playing in Europe, scouts and evaluates players locally and abroad while also helping establish relationships with clubs around the world. Additionally, Kirovski helps implement a core curriculum throughout the Galaxy Academy while evaluating the Academy’s coaches and players and helping to recruit the top local talent to join the club.
A native of Escondido, Calif., Kirovski began his professional soccer career in 1992 when he joined the youth ranks at Manchester United alongside players like David Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes. After four years with United, Kirovski moved to Germany, signing with Borussia Dortmund, where he became the first American to win the UEFA Champions League in May 1997. Seven months later, Kirovski became the first American to score a goal in the competition, doing so against Sparta Prague in December 1997 as Dortmund went on to reach the semifinals of the 1997-98 Champions League. He spent the 1998-99 season on loan with fellow German side FC Koln before heading to Portugal a year later when he signed with Sporting Lisbon. After one season in Portugal, Kirovski moved to England, spending one season in the Championship with Crystal Palace before moving on to the Premier League, signing with Birmingham City. He scored twice in 23 league matches for the Blues during the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons, helping them retain their Premier League status.
After more than a decade in Europe, Kirovski first arrived in MLS in February 2004, signing with the Galaxy. An All-Star in his first year with the club when he scored an MLS-career-high eight goals, Kirovski spent the first year and a half of his time in MLS with the Galaxy, tallying 12 goals and six assists in 48 games. He was traded to Colorado in September 2005 and helped the Rapids reach back-to-back Western Conference Championships in 2005 and 2006 before finishing as the club’s top scorer in 2007. After 12 goals in 61 games for the Rapids, as well as the first postseason goal of his career, Kirovski was traded to San Jose in midway through the 2008 season before he returned to the Galaxy in November 2008. Back with his first MLS club, Kirovski became a key veteran contributor to the club’s renaissance, playing in central midfield and occasionally up front. He played in 56 games over the last three seasons as well as five postseason matches in that time, scoring six goals and adding three assists as the Galaxy reestablished themselves as the premier club in Major League Soccer. He finished his MLS career with 30 goals and 13 assists in 174 regular season games while helping his teams win a pair of Supporters’ Shields and MLS Cup 2011 in the final two years of his playing career.
In addition to his club career, Kirovski, who holds his U.S. Soccer Federation’s “A” coaching license, made 62 appearances with the U.S. National Team, scoring nine times for his country during an 11-year international career. He made his National Team debut in October 1994 and scored his first goal a month later in a 3-0 win over Jamaica. He helped the U.S. qualify for the World Cup in 1998, 2002 and 2006 while also appearing in the 1995 Copa America, the 1996 and 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cups as well as the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cups. Kirovski collected his final cap in a U.S. uniform in April 2004, coming on as a second half substitute in a 1-0 win over Mexico in Dallas.