The Colorado Rapids came up on the winning side of a lottery for the rights to Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guarda, adding him to their developmental roster Wednesday.
“Bruno is a skillful, creative midfielder who comes to us with a very impressive resume,” Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo said. “As a team, we were fortunate to win this lottery for such a talented, technical player.”
Guarda, a former stateside collegiate standout at Southern Methodist, signed a general contract with Major League Soccer. Guarda was chased by 12 teams and a lottery was held to determine which side would win his rights.
The Rapids, with an eight percent chance, won the lottery and added Guarda to their roster.
Guarda was a two-time Conference USA player of the year at SMU.
Guarda will take the roster spot left open by goalkeeper Justin Hughes, who was put on the season-ending injury list after shoulder surgery.
