The Whitecaps got some bad news today, as their bid to secure former Everton reservist Cody Arnoux's MLS' rights was finally scrapped with Real Salt Lake <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/MLS_Insider/status/36166505536159744">winning a weighted lottery to claim him</a>. Of course, there was always some speculation that this might happen even when they signed Arnoux to a Division II contract last season, but it seemed possible that the Whitecaps might be able to work out some accommodation with MLS to be able to keep him. However, the league basically decided in November that all clubs who wanted Arnoux <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/business/rejects+Whitecaps+Cody+Arnoux+contract/3779858/story.html">should get a chance at him</a>, and that's a reasonably fair principle, even if MLS hasn't applied it consistently (many of the high-profile players entering the league have done so basically only if they would be allowed to sign with a certain team). [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Arnoux's situation is a little different than some of those players, though. Basically, <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2011/02/wednesday_kickaround_71.html">the league tried to sign him when he left college</a> two years ago to head to England. If they'd done so then, a team would have been able to pick him up in the draft or a specific weighted lottery. The MLS decision to conduct a weighted lottery for him allowed each interested team to have a crack at him, and prevented Vancouver from bringing him forward thanks to their D2 contract with him. It's a bit of a blow for the Whitecaps, but there would have undoubtedly have been plenty of complaints around the league if he'd wound up on Vancouver's roster solely thanks to what's widely seen as a loophole.
How will Arnoux's departure hurt Vancouver? Well, it's not likely to be a huge factor in the short term. Arnoux was reasonably impressive in 10 games at the Division II level last season, but hardly set the league afire and only wound up notching one goal. He showed a promising ability to hold the ball up as a target man, and did many of the jobs required of a striker in Teitur Thordarson's often defence-focused game plan, but he didn't convincingly prove that he can do well at a higher level in MLS. He still needs time to develop, and while he has potential, it's certainly not a sure thing that he'll fulfill it. The Whitecaps' roster is <a href="http://www.whitecapsfc.com/roster">a little low on strikers at the moment</a>, with draft pick Omar Salgado the only player listed solely as a forward, but they'll undoubtedly be bringing in a few more guys in the coming weeks, and Arnoux didn't seem too likely to start even if he'd stayed with the club.
The long-term ramifications of Arnoux's departure could be more damaging. As mentioned above, he isn't exactly a proven talent at the moment, but he's shown plenty of promising flashes. If he's able to further develop his game, particularly his shooting abilities, he could turn into an excellent MLS striker. If that happens, Vancouver fans may remember him as the one that got away. For now, though, this is probably more of a minor setback for the club than anything else.