After months of speculation, Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Dema Kovalenko confirmed that he planned to retire to the Washington Post’s Steve Goff today. Goff quoted Kovalenko as saying “I’m done” and “I’m just not healthy anymore.” The 33 year old played for the Los Angeles Galaxy last season, and was going to have to take a pay cut in order to return to the Galaxy this season. Los Angeles will now have to look elsewhere if they plan to have the same number of defensive midfield players on the roster.

Kovalenko started his MLS career with the Chicago Fire, for whom he made over 100 league appearances. Eventually, he moved to D.C. United, where he won an MLS Cup championship. Last year, Kovalenko added to his honors, winning Supporters’ Shield with the Galaxy. Kovalenko had two short stints in Europe, playing for FC St. Pauli in Germany and Metalurh Zaporizhya in his native Ukraine. Kovalenko will be best remembered for his aggressive and hard-tackling style that made him a staple in multiple MLS midfields over the course of a decade and well over 200 league appearances.

About Kevin McCauley

Kevin McCauley resides in Raleigh, NC and supports Tottenham Hotspur, Schalke 04, and Cruz Azul. In addition to his work at World Soccer Reader, he is a contributor on multiple levels to the SBNation Soccer family of sites. You can follow him on twitter @kevinmccauley.