Sporting Kansas City won the weighted lottery for the rights to former University of Michigan standout Soony Saad on Tuesday, beating out Chivas USA and the Chicago Fire, which went into the lottery with the highest odds of landing Saad.
The top freshman in college soccer in 2010, Saad joins a Sporting KC side that is loaded at forward with Omar Bravo, Teal Bunbury, Kei Kamara and MLS Rookie of the Year candidate C.J. Sapong. The 18-year-old striker isn't likely to earn minutes ahead of that group but is considered a good long-term prospect.
Saad scored 19 goals for Michigan in 2010, helping lead the Wolverines to the Big Ten championship and a place in the NCAA Final Four.
Saad left Michigan in the winter to pursue pro options in Europe, but after failing to secure a contract in Europe, he returned to the United States and signed with MLS.
The weighted lottery victory was the second in two years for
Sporting Kansas City, which also won the weighted lottery for
highly-regarded midfielder Luis Gil, only to be forced to trade Gil
to Real Salt Lake by MLS.
