The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the team has placed defender Aaron Pitchkolan on waivers. With MLS extending the date of roster compliance due to the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Quakes have been able to carry extra players beyond the original March 1st date. As such, the coaching staff has been afforded additional time to evaluate the candidates for the 24 roster spots available for the 2010 season. With over 24 players participating in preseason camp, some cuts were inevitable over the coming weeks.
Pitchkolan played in nine games with six starts for San Jose in 2009 after arriving in a midseason trade from FC Dallas last year. This preseason he has been competing for the back-up central defender role, alongside Bobby Burling and rookie Ike Opara. His last significant experience with the team came in the Monday scrimmage with Cal, where Pitchkolan performed well enough to help the team to the 3-0 win, but not well enough to stay with the Earthquakes through the preseason.