SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has won the rights to former Aalborg BK forward Marcus Tracy through a weighted lottery conducted Thursday morning at MLS headquarters.

The Earthquakes were one of eight teams vying for Tracy’s services. San Jose had a 4.6 percent chance of winning the lottery based on their performance over the club’s last 34 regular season matches. Six other teams had better odds of winning.

“We liked what we saw of Marcus when he finished his career at Wake Forest,” said Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop. “He’s an athletically gifted striker and is dangerous in the air. We look forward to bringing him in.”

Tracy won the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, an award given to the most outstanding college player, in 2008 with Wake Forest. He was a Demon Deacon from 2005-08, suiting up alongside current Earthquakes Sam Cronin (2005-08) and Ike Opara (2007-08).Tracy finished his career No. 7 on Wake Forest’s all-time goals scored list with 30 and helped the Deacons to an NCAA title in 2007, scoring a goal and notching the game-winning assist in a 2-1 result over Ohio State.

Following his accomplished college career, Tracy decided to take his talents overseas. He signed a contract with Danish Superliga side Aalborg BK and debuted for the squad in a UEFA Europa League match against Manchester City in 2009. Tracy scored his first professional goal against FC Midtjylland that same year. The 25-year-old forward spent 2009-11 with Aalborg BK before signing with MLS.

“Our club is thrilled to have won the lottery for Marcus Tracy. We’re excited to have him and look forward to bringing him in,” said Earthquakes general manager John Doyle.

The last time San Jose won a weighted lottery for a player’s services was Jan. 26, 2011 when the club was awarded goalkeeper David Bingham.

The Earthquakes’ (16-6-5, 53 pts.) lead in the Western Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings with seven games remaining. San Jose is three points ahead of Sporting Kansas City (15-7-5, 50 pts.) for the league’s top honors and have a six-point gap over Seattle Sounders FC (13-6-8, 47 pts.) in the Western Conference table.

The club returns to action after a weekend off on Saturday, Sept. 15 against Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT on Comcast SportsNet Plus, 95.3 KRTY and 1370 KZSF.