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Jovan Kirovski (born March 18, 1976, in Escondido, California) is a soccer forward, who currently plays in Major League Soccer for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Once Kirovski was touted as the next great player of American soccer, but he has never lived up to the expecations.
Kirovski joined Manchester United's youth team in 1992, becoming the first American to sign with the famed club. He lead the reserve team in scoring in 1996, but unfortunately for Jovan, he was not able to break into the first team because of work permit regulations. After that season, he gave up on Manchester, and signed with Bundesliga power Borussia Dortmund. Kirovski spent the next four seasons in Germany, playing sparingly for Dortmund; he did however play and score in Dortmund's 1996/7 Champions League campaign, becoming the first American to win the competition. His only significant playing time in Germany was in the 1998-99 season, when Borussia loaned him out to second division club Fortuna Köln.
In 2000, Kirovski signed with Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon, but once again could not get much playing time. After a season there, he came back to England, signing with Football League First Division club Crystal Palace. In 2002, Jovan finally made it to Premiership when he signed with Birmingham City. But after two seasons and not much first-team action there, and his chances with the US national team waning, he finally decided to play club soccer in the US, signing with the Galaxy. In his first season in MLS, Kirovski scored eight goals.
Kirovski's career with the US national team has been erratic at best. After making his debut at the age of 17 on October 19, 1994 against Saudi Arabia, Jovan has sandwiched games of individual brilliance with long periods of indifferent play. Although he has broken the 60-cap barrier, he hasn't made a single World Cup squad.
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