NEW YORK — The San Jose Earthquakes landed Generation adidas goalkeeper David Bingham in a weighted player lottery held on Wednesday afternoon.
San Jose were one of 13 MLS clubs that participated in the lottery with a chance to land the prized prospect. They had the fifth best chance to secure the player's services (8.8 percent chance). New England (23.6 percent), Toronto (17.9 percent), Chicago (15.3 percent) and Seattle (10.8 percent) had better odds.
The lottery mechanism is employed for players who sign their first professional contract after the SuperDraft. The former Cal netminder concluded a trial with Fulham FC in England before opting for the MLS contract.
Now he will join first-choice incumbent Jon Busch and recent draftee Philip Tuttle from Notre Dame as one of three goalkeepers competing for the starting spot this preseason in San Jose.
Bingham became the 11th member of the 2011 Generation adidas class and the sixth member of the Golden Bears to join an MLS club as a rookie. Demetrius Omphroy (Toronto), Davis Paul (Chicago), A.J. Soares (New England), Hector Jimenez (LA Galaxy) and Servando Carrasco (Seattle) were the other selections.
Before the lottery, the Pleasanton, Calif., native had expressed an interest in remaining on the West Coast in order to complete his university requirements to graduate from Cal. The lottery fell his way.
“I grew up going to Quakes games,” he said on Tuesday. “But I wouldn’t say I prefer to going to one team over another. Any team would be an honor. … Where I land doesn’t make a huge difference but a West Coast team would make it easier from an academic point of view.”
