Soony Saad, 18-Year-Old Michigan Forward Who Left College Early, Acquired by Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Kansas City, the Major League Soccer franchise in Kansas City, Mo., acquired the rights to 18-year-old Soony Saad in the league's weight lottery on Tuesday.

Saad was a standout at the University of Michigan and the 2010 National Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Dearborn High School. He was projected as a first-round MLS draft pick but left college after his freshman year to seek a contract in Europe.

He signed with the MLS last week and was entered in the lottery, which the league uses to distribute players after the annual draft, according to The Associated Press.

If signed, Sporting KC essentially gains a first-round pick a year early, The Kansas City Star reports.