Ever since Cody Arnoux left Wake Forest, spurned MLS's efforts to sign him and instead went to Everton only to return to North America as a member of the then second-division Vancouver Whitecaps, his professional future has been in doubt. The Whitecaps, considering him a member of their team, tried to sign him to a MLS contract after they joined the league. MLS rejected that contract as they saw it as an attempt by Arnoux to get around the league's various allocation processes.
Now, there finally seems to be some resolution. Steven Goff of the Washington Post is reporting that MLS and Arnoux are negotiating a contract that would likely place him in a weighted lottery, similar to the one that ended with goalkeeper David Bingham going to the San Jose Earthquakes.
Theoretically, at least, DC United would have the best chance of acquiring Arnoux's services if they chose to participate in the lottery. The Whitecaps would supposedly have one of the worst chances of getting Arnoux's rights. There would be precedent, though, for a team other than the Whitecaps winning the Arnoux lottery, but Arnoux still ending up in Vancouver, the team for which he seems to want to play. Luis Gil, for instance, expressed interest in playing for Real Salt Lake before the lottery system put him in the hands of Kansas City. Gil ended up at RSL after a trade between the teams was arranged.
Real Salt Lake Wins Lottery For Cody Arnoux's Rights
The Cody Arnoux situation now has a resolution as Real Salt Lake won his rights in a weighted lottery held on Friday. RSL was one of only six teams to enter and had just a 5.4 percent chance to win the lottery for the Wake Forest product, who spent last season with the Vancouver Whitecaps in USSF Division 2. Prior to signing a contract with the league and agreeing to be allocated via lottery, the Whitecaps had tried to sign him to a contract that was eventually voided by MLS.
How useful of a player Arnoux will be is still an open debate. He's currently nursing an injured knee and only scored one goal in seven matches with the Whitecaps last year. But he was a standout at Wake Forest and scored 32 goals in his final 50 games there. That was good enough for Everton to sign him to a one-year deal.
After Everton released him at the end of the 2009-10 season and he returned to to North America, he has not quite lived up to expectations. He signed with the Whitecaps in August, didn't score his only goal with them until October and never made a particularly strong impact on the team.
Next week, there are two more lotteries scheduled for U.S. U-20 defender/midfielder Korey Veeder, and 2008 Gatorade High School Player of the Year Chris Agorsor. Both players recently signed with league.
Feb 11 4:11p by Jeremiah Oshan - 3 comments