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Dema KovalenkoDema Kovalenko (born August 28, 1977 in Kiev, Ukraine) is a Ukranian soccer player, who currently plays midfielder for D.C. United of Major League Soccer. Kovalenko immigrated to the United States in 1992. He played three years of college soccer at Indiana University from 1996 to 1998, where he helped the Hoosiers win a national championship in 1998, and was named an NCAA first team All-American in the same year. Upon joining the league, Kovalenko was originally allocated to the Dallas Burn, but the league complied with his demands to play for the Chicago Fire, engineering a trade to the team in exchange for draft picks. Kovalenko appeared infrequently in his rookie year, playing only 291 minutes in 11 games, but managed to score three goals for the team. Kovalenko made an impact another way, breaking the leg, and effectively ending the career, of Burn defender Brandon Pollard with a dangerous tackle. Kovalenko would come into his own as a player in the 2000 season, scoring 10 goals and 5 assists in 31 games for the Fire, as he helped the team to a U.S. Open Cup victory. The next year, he was moved from a forward position to attacking midfield, but continued to catalyze the Fire offense, scoring 8 goals and 7 assists in 25 games. In 2001, Kovalenko had trouble scoring, registering only 1 goal with his 8 assists, but was still a dangerous offensive player for the team. After the 2001 MLS season, Kovalenko played on loan for FC St. Pauli of the German Bundesliga. Following the 2002 season he was traded, largely because of salary cap problems, to D.C. United in exchange for youngster Justin Mapp. Kovalenko immediately established himself with United, scoring 6 goals in 24 games in his first season with the team. Also, in what seemed like something of a recurring trend, Kovalenko was again involved in a Dallas Burn injury, when another late tackle broke Burn midfielder Ronnie O'Brien's leg, causing him to miss most of the regular season. Kovalenko was fined $1,000 and suspended one game for his actions. Kovalenko continued to be a valuable player in central midfield for D.C. United in 2004, registering 2 goals and 10 assists for the team in 25 games. In his six-year MLS career, he has scored 30 goals and added 30 assists. Although some have suggested Kovalenko for the US national team, he is not currently a citizen and would likely require many years before he would be eligible. He has not played for the Ukraine national team. Kovalenko, Dema Kovalenko, Dema
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