http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercuryne...ts/7303972.htm
Adu, 14, could become America's first real soccer star
The commissioner of Major League Soccer called it a landmark event, "one of the most monumental days in the history of soccer in this country."
Speaking on Wednesday in New York, Don Garber, the MLS commissioner, said to the league's newest player, "Thanks for your faith in MLS."
The words were spoken to a 14-year-old.
On Wednesday, soccer phenom Freddy Adu signed a six-year deal with the league - the terms of the deal were not disclosed, although it is believed he will receive several hundred thousand dollars per season - so he could live at home with his mother outside Washington and play for his hometown team, D.C. United.
He will make his debut next year, before he turns 15 in June.
Despite Wednesday's hoopla, Adu said he does not allow off-the-field excitement to affect his play.
"When I'm out there on the field, I'm not thinking about this stuff people are saying about me," Adu said.
His mother, Emelia Adu, said she fully supported her son's decision.
"We wanted to allow Freddy to pursue his dreams and develop his God-given talents," she said. "As he makes this next step at the age of 14, it was best for Freddy to stay in America and sign with MLS."
Wednesday's developments were nothing new for Adu. Before his last birthday, he had signed a $1 million deal with Nike. He turned down a six-figure offer to play for a top Italian club when he was 11 years old.
According to Elias Sports Bureau records, baseball is the only big-league sport to have a younger player. Fred Chapman made his debut for the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association in 1887, four months before he turned 15. Chapman played in only one game.
Some of the most successful European clubs, such as Manchester United, had shown great interest in the 5-foot-8, 140-pound Adu. But recently implemented international soccer rules presented some obstacles for Adu getting on the field right away in Europe, and he may have needed some youth-team seasoning, which made MLS especially attractive.
Adu, who was to appear on "Late Night with David Letterman'' on Wednesday night, will try to become what this country has never had - a real American soccer star. If he succeeds, he'll probably end up in Europe soon enough, in one of the big leagues of the sport. Until then, it will be interesting to see his impact domestically, since right now, MLS pays for its television time, gets negligible ratings, and doesn't have much of a place in the mainstream national sports discussion.
Adu's agent, Richard Motzkin, called the negotiations with MLS "a long and deliberate process."
In the soccer world, signing a very young player is not unique. Bobby Convey of Northeast Philadelphia signed with D.C. United when he was 16.
"I just hope they don't put too many expectations on him," Convey, now 20 and a regular national-team player, told the Washington Post. "I hope they let him come in and fill his role on the team and let him grow up as a player. If he comes in and trains well, he deserves to play. It all depends on where he is. I hope he does well."
Known as a high-energy magician with the ball - picture Allen Iverson busting around a basketball court - Adu came to the United States from Ghana in 1997 and this year became a naturalized American citizen. He went into full-time residency with the U.S. under-17 national team, and in August had scouts from all over the world flying to the FIFA Under-17 World Championships in Finland to watch him.
Adu didn't disappoint, scoring a hat trick in one game and the game-winner in another.
"He's the best young player in the world," said MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis. "Not in the United States - in the world."
MLS did what it took to get Adu signed, which meant the Dallas Burn, holders of the top pick in the next MLS Super Draft, found themselves trading it to D.C. United so Adu, who lives in Potomac, Md., could stay at home. All player contracts are negotiated with the league, which has a single-entity ownership structure.
Adu, who said he is on track to graduate from high school next year after taking accelerated classes, could end up on next summer's U.S. Olympic team. The next big step would be to make the U.S. national team for the 2006 World Cup.
"Hopefully, I do some things on the field that make him think about bringing me in," Adu said of U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena, who first saw Adu work out when he was 9 years old.