[MLS TRANSACTIONS] Former Hermann Trophy winner Marcus Tracy is the latest player to join MLS via a weighted lottery process, one of MLS's complicated player allocation mechanisms. He went to the Western Conference-leading San Jose Earthquakes after spending three injury-marred years in Denmark before being released by AaB Aalborg at the end of the 2011 season.

The players taken in the weighted lottery process include: Generation adidas players signed after the MLS SuperDraft and draft-eligible players to whom an MLS contract was offered but who failed to sign with MLS prior to the SuperDraft.

Chances in the lottery are weighted based on teams' records over the last 34 regular-season games and playoffs. Teams are not required to enter the lottery for a particular player.

In Tracy's case, eight teams entered the lottery, and the Earthquakes ranked seventh with only a 4.6 percent chance of winning.

The intent of the mechanism is to prevent players from circumventing the SuperDraft to join an MLS team.

As a senior, Tracy was considered the top forward in the country but did not enter the 2009 SuperDraft.

Past lottery picks include many players, like Tracy, who passed on MLS with the hope of making it in Europe but struggled and came home.

Few lottery picks have panned out after their return to MLS. Only one player, Brazilian Bruno Guarda of FC Dallas, of the 18 players taken before 2010 is still in MLS.

Robbie Rogers, who returned home after a short stint in the Netherlands, was a Best XI selection with the Columbus Crew in his second season in MLS. He left the Crew after the 2011 season but is now struggling in England.

MLS LOTTERY PICKS
2012
Lee Nguyen, Vancouver
Kamani Hill, Colorado
Marcus Tracy, San Jose
2011
David Bingham, San Jose
Cody Arnoux, Real Salt Lake
Chris Agorsor, Philadelphia
Korey Veeder, Columbus
Sonny Saad, Kansas City
2010
Luis Gil, Kansas City
Sal Zizzo, Chivas USA
2009
Paulo Campos, San Jose
Kyle Davies, Real Salt Lake
2008
Bruno Guarda, Colorado
2007
Robbie Rogers, Columbus
Israel Sesay, Los Angeles
2006
David Arvizu, New York
2005
Alex Yi, Dallas
2004
Danny Szetela, Columbus
2003
Joey DiGiamarino, New York
2002
Nelson Akwari, New York
D.J. Countess, New York
Winston Griffiths, Dallas
2001
Paul Grafer, San Jose
Gus Kartes, Colorado
Hamisi Amani-Dove, Dallas
2000
Mario Longo, Columbus