I have no idea how big a deal this is and I get the impression MLS doesn’t either.

I’m sure it was essentially a sop to the players under the new labor agreement.

For what it’s worth, Jovan Kirovski and Dema Kovalenko for the Galaxy are involved and Marcelo Saragosa and Alex Zotinca (hands up all those who even knew he was on the club’s roster) for Chivas USA.

The draft will take place in two stages at 11 a.m. Wednesday and a week later at the same time Dec. 15. Both are conducted in the same order as the waiver draft, with Vancouver selecting 17th and Portland selecting 18th.

Here’s more on the process from the MLS press release:

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 1st, 2011. Clubs and players may not mutually renegotiate that price to a lower number until April 1st, 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, through 2 p.m. ET on December 13th.

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.

Got that?

Here’s a list of the available players.

Is this an opportunity for Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena to pick up more veterans? Or for a club like Chivas USA with a weak roster to instantly upgrade?

What do you think?