NEW YORK -- The Philadelphia Union have landed 21-year-old forward Chris Agorsor in a weighted lottery conducted on Monday afternoon at league headquarters.
There were three MLS teams that opted to participate in the lottery for Agorsor's rights and the Union had a 96.3 percent chance to secure the player's services services. Portland (2.8 percent chance) and Vancouver (0.9 percent chance) were also in the running to claim the player. The percentage chances were calculated by taking into account each team’s record over its last 30 regular-season games, while also factoring in playoff performance.
Because neither Portland nor Vancouver played in MLS in 2010, they stood the lowest chance of acquiring the player heading into the lottery.
The league uses the lottery mechanism for: 1) players who have completed their college eligibility and sign after the SuperDraft; 2) underclassmen who sign Generation adidas contracts after the SuperDraft; and 3) players who were previously offered MLS contracts and did not sign. Agorsor classifies as an underclassmen who signed his contract after the Jan. 13 SuperDraft.
Agorsor, a Baltimore native known for his speed in attack, has been a highly touted prospect since his high school days. The Baltimore Bays product was considered one of the top recruits in the nation when he joined the University of Virginia for the 2008 season. But his freshman year was cut short by a horrific knee injury and the 2009 campaign was also interrupted by an ankle setback.
He left Virginia as a sophomore after the Cavaliers claimed the NCAA championship and he went on lengthy training spells with Manchester United in England and Nacional in Portugal. His most recent training stint came with the Union.
Philadelphia join Real Salt Lake and San Jose Earthquakes as MLS clubs that are now precluded from participating in future lotteries during the 2011 season. RSL won the rights in a lottery for forward Cody Arnoux while the San Jose Earthquakes landed goalkeeper David Bingham in the first lottery held earlier this year.
