One of the most talked about underclassmen in college soccer, forward Soony Saad, is going pro.
The 18-year-old former University of Michigan star has signed an MLS contract and will find out the name of his new club via a weighted lottery to be conducted early next week.
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.
Saad, a native of of the Detroit area, has been among the elite players in the youth soccer ranks for some time and he has the results to prove it.
He won Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2010 following an explosive debut season in the NCAA ranks. His school-record 19 goals lived up to the hype after he won the Gatorade Player of the Year as the best high school talent in the country.
Saad was already a former US Under-17 residency player, the 2008 US Soccer Development Academy player of the year and a 2007 national champion with the Michigan Wolves.
The performances with the Wolverines earned him a call-up to the USA Under-20 national team last December and shortly thereafter he left the college program to test the professional waters in Europe before opting for a chance to play in MLS.
