MetroStars win another lottery; Rapids get King

If only the MetroStars could do as well on the pitch as they do in MLS lotteries. Yesterday, the MLS held a lottery for US U-17 standout David Arvizu (pictured). For those who do not know how the lottery works, he is a quick primer.

If MLS acquires the rights for a player (outside the Superdraft) and more then one team is interested in the player, those teams can apply to take part in a lottery for that player. The teams are weighted based on their performance during the last season (the worse the team, the better their odds). Teams can drop out of the lottery at anytime before the drawing is held. MLS randomly selects a team from the remaining pot. The team that is picked gets the player, but cannot participate in another lottery for the rest of the calendar year.

So there you go. Yesterday there were five teams going after Arvizu. Chivas had the best odds at 54.5%. The Metros were in second with 23.5%. The other teams were Colorado (18%), DC (3%) and Houston (1%). Luck smiled on Mo Johnston when it was his team's name that was called.

Arvizu had a fantastic year with the US U-17 team in the World Championship in Peru. Even through he did not score or assist on a goal he did prove very helpful in opening up the opposing defense during that tournament.

During other 2005 matches with the U-17 side he got eight goals and six assists. Had he entered last month's Superdraft, there is a chance that he would have been the top pick overall.

"I am really excited to be part of the MetroStars and Major League Soccer," Arvizu said. "I know that Mo and Alexi want to play an attacking style of soccer, and I think that I will fit well into their plan."

The Metros have acquired a lot of good talent in the past few weeks. Between Arvizu, 16-year-old striker Josmer Altidore and the number one Superdraft pick Marvell Wynne, they have some good options for the future. The interesting thing is that the future might come sooner then some think. With this upcoming season running during the World Cup, these players might just get more opportunities then they normally would.

Even if that does not turn out to be the case, this does look like some good long term planning by Johnston.

Over on the other coast, forward Aaron King didn't stay in LA very long. King, a native of Denver, was LA's fourth-round pick (48th overall) during last month's Superdraft, but will now return home to play with the Colorado Rapids. King posted some good numbers during his college years with North Carolina State and was named the first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference in 2003 and 2004.

In exchange for King, Colorado gave LA their first round draft pick in the 2007 Supplemental Draft.