According to the Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, the young American prospect Robbie Rogers has signed a contract with MLS and will be assigned a team via a weighted lottery later Tuesday.
Both Toronto FC and D.C. United were reportedly keen to sign the player directly, though the league intervened and said he would have to enter the special lottery conducted for players who were either ineligible to be discovered or weren’t drafted. The U.S. under-20 international must have desperately wanted to return home, because he’ll be taking a huge pay cut: according to the Post, his new contract is worth $55,000 for his first year (with significant increases each additional season) versus the estimated $250K he had been making with Heerenveen in the Netherlands. Rogers left the Dutch club six months after joining it from 2005 NCAA Division 1 champ Maryland.
Contrary to previous reports, the Post says that Toronto will not have the best odds of landing first-choice in the special draft. Incidentally, D.C. United’s chances aren’t great either.