The MetroStars won a weighted lottery Wednesday to acquire the rights to U.S. under-17 national team forward David Arvizu.
The Metros had the second-best chance at winning, with a 23.5 percent possibility, but beat out Chivas USA (54.5 percent chance), the Colorado Rapids (18 percent), D.C. United (3 percent) and Houston 1836 (1 percent) after seven teams elected not to participate in the lottery. Arvizu, who will be part of the league's Generation adidas program, was subject to the lottery because he signed with the league after the annual SuperDraft.
"I am very happy that we were able to get David," said MetroStars head coach Mo Johnston. "I saw him play with the U-17s and I was very impressed, so [MetroStars president and general manager] Alexi [Lalas] and I jumped at the opportunity to be in this lottery. He probably would have been a top pick in this year's draft if he were in it. It is another important step for the club in building for the future by adding another young player."
Arvizu, 17, had a breakout year with the U.S. U-17 team in 2005, helping the side advance to the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru. Though he didn't register a goal or assist in the tournament, Arvizu's movement and creativity helped open up opposing defenses at the tournament; the U.S. defeated North Korea and Italy and tied Ivory Coast in the group stage before falling to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
Outside of the World Championships, Arvizu tied for fourth on the U-17's with eight goals and tallied six assists in 2005. Two of those goals came in international matches. The diminutive Santa Ana, Calif., native has a total of four international goals in 13 appearances.
"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."
"It's not every day you win the lottery. The odds were against us, but as they say, you have to be in it to win it," Lalas said. "David is a talented young player with incredible potential and we look forward to having him join the MetroStars family."
Arvizu becomes the second player from the 2005 U.S. U-17 squad to be acquired by the Metros this offseason. They selected 16-year-old striker Josmer Altidore with the 17th overall pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 20.
"David is a very versatile player who will certainly be a good addition to the club," Altidore said. "I know him very well from having played with him with the U-17s and I am very excited to play with him again at the professional level."
The Metros have now won four player lotteries, having acquired Nelson Akwari (August 12, 2002), D.J. Countess (August 7, 2001) and Joey DiGiamarino (March 31, 2003) in the same fashion. They may not take part in another lottery this season unless all teams have received a lottery player or have agreed to waive their option to participate in a lottery.
A team's chances of winning the lottery were determined by a formula that combines the number of points the club earned over its last 32 games and points assigned based on the team's performance in the most recent postseason.
Teams that failed to qualify for the most recent postseason received zero points, while conference semifinalists received two points, conference finalists received four points, the MLS Cup runner-up six points and the MLS Cup Champion eight. The team with the fewest combined regular season and postseason points had the greatest chance of winning the lottery, as each team was assigned a percentage chance commensurate with its point total.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
