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Freddy Adu Signs With MLS
This is a huge boost for football in North America, no Man U, no Chelsea, no Inter, Adu is staying right at home...
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Freddy Adu Signs With MLS
Adu is the youngest player ever signed by Major League Soccer
NEW YORK (Tuesday, November 18, 2003) – Major League Soccer today announced the signing of 14-year-old soccer prodigy and U.S. international Freddy Adu to a multi-year contract. The most recognized young soccer player in the world, the U.S. Under-17 National Team star turned down lucrative offers from prestigious European clubs to sign with the League and will become the youngest player in the modern era of professional team sports when he is expected to make his professional debut next season. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Major League Soccer and fans across the country are thrilled that Freddy and his family chose MLS,” said Commissioner Don Garber. “He is widely considered the best young soccer player in the world and we believe that playing in his home country in MLS will further develop him as a player and most importantly as a person. The fact that the majority of up-and-coming American soccer stars continue to make MLS their preference over international clubs is evidence that the competitive level of our League ranks with the best in the world.”
The most recent Nike Project-40 signing will become eligible for the 2004 SuperDraft to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 16, 2004. Adu, born June 2, 1989, will continue his education at the Edison Learning Center in Bradenton, Florida where he will earn his high school diploma in May, 2004 prior to his 15th birthday at the conclusion of an accelerated three-year program. The Nike Project-40 program, introduced in a 1997 joint venture between MLS, the U.S. Soccer Federation and Nike, was established to enhance and accelerate the development of America’s top young soccer players. In addition to their League salaries, members of the Nike Project-40 program are provided a five-year academic package that can be applied toward their continuing education. Entering the 2003 season, a total of 77 talented young Americans had signed via the developmental program.
“I am excited to begin my professional career in MLS,” said Adu, a Potomac, Maryland resident, who has trained occasionally with D.C. United in recent years. “I grew up watching MLS and I look forward to the challenge. This League will help me develop as a player and I hope I can leave my mark as soon as possible.”
Adu is a member of the Nike Project-40 project
“We wanted to allow Freddy to pursue his dreams and develop his God-given talents,” said Adu’s mother Emelia, who emigrated with the family from Ghana to Potomac, Maryland in 1997. “As he makes this next step at the age of 14 it was best for Freddy to stay in America and sign with MLS. Having the opportunity to stay at home in the U.S. and at the same time play at a high level was the top priority in the decision making process.”
Adu, an electrifying goal-scorer who combines pace with standout ball skills, captured the international spotlight during the recent FIFA Under-17 World Championships in Finland where he led the U.S. squad into the quarterfinals of the tournament. He kicked off the tournament with a bang, netting a hat trick in a 6-1 victory over the Korea Republic in the team’s opening match on Aug. 14. He followed that up with the game-winning goal vs. Sierra Leone three days later. His four goals ranked him second among the top goal scorers at the world championships. Adu was also the catalyst of the U.S. team’s qualifying run to the Under-17 World Championships, with a goal and an assist in two 3-0 wins against Jamaica and Guatemala in March in a qualifying tournament highlighted by several spectacular plays from Adu.
After joining U.S. Soccer’s full-time Residency Program in January, 2002, he immediately left his mark with the U.S. Under-17 National Team, finishing second on the team in scoring with 22 goals in 2002 and following that up with a team-leading 29 goals in 46 matches in 2003. A High School All-American as a freshman, Adu was also a member of the Under-14 Boys National Team camp in 2001. The 2003 Parade Player of the Year was also the youngest ever Parade High School All-American in any sport when he made the team as a 12-year-old freshman.
The youngest player in the history of MLS is D.C. United’s Santino Quaranta (DOB: Oct. 14, 1984) who made his first appearance as a 16-year-old on May 9, 2001. Quaranta was younger than MetroStars midfielder/forward Eddie Gaven (DOB: Oct. 25, 1986), who made his professional debut on June 14 of this year. The only other two 16-year-old players in League history were Chicago Fire midfielder Craig Capano (DOB: July 7, 1985) and D.C. United midfielder Bobby Convey (DOB: May 27, 1983). The following is a list of the youngest players in the history of major professional team sports based on available data as provided by the Elias Sports Bureau:
MLB: 14 - Fred Chapman
Born: 11/24/1872
First appearance: 7/22/1887
NBA: 18 - Jermaine O'Neal
Born: 10/13/1978
First appearance: 12/05/1996
NHL: 16 - Bep Guidolin
Born: 12/09/1925
First appearance: 10/31/1942
NFL: The youngest player in NFL history is unknown due to the many players from the 1920s whose birthdates are not available
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT ADU:
Don Garber, MLS Commissioner
"I have seen him once. He's spectacular. He's a great young man and somebody we hope certainly will play in our league at some point ... I've been told by our coaches that he's the best young player they've ever seen anywhere, America or otherwise. So we're pretty excited about that."
- Oneonta Daily Star, June 18, 2003
John Ellinger, U.S. Under-17 National Team Head Coach
“When I asked him, ‘Do you realize the things you’re doing out there?’ he shook his head. All I could think was, ‘Good Lord, son’.”
- Newsweek, Dec. 2002
Ray Hudson, D.C. United Head Coach
"For the country and for the club and for the League, it would be an absolutely gargantuan coup if MLS were able to take Freddy for the next three or four years."
- USSoccerUK.com, Oct. 23, 2003
Arnold Tarzy, Adu family adviser and former youth soccer coach
"Freddy would be absolutely huge for MLS. The sheer curiosity would put people in the seats. Freddy has the ability to capture the interest of the casual fan in a way not seen since Dr. J captured the interest of the casual fan for basketball 30 years ago."
- SI.com, Aug. 18, 2003
Arnold Tarzy, Adu family adviser and former youth soccer coach
“I manage a team called the Potomac Cougars and we rarely lose. So we come up against this kid in his first game and he is doing unbelievable things. He has all the skills and all the tricks too, and he’s eight years old. It was incredible.”
- London Times, June 1, 2003
Juan Carlos Michia, U.S. Soccer National Staff Coach, Region III
"I think he is going to be a tremendous player for our system. I think he is going to change soccer in this country because I think ... what Michael Jordan was in basketball, Freddy’s going to be in soccer."
- USSoccerPlayers.com, March 25, 2003
Michael Bradley, IMG Soccer Academy player and son of MetroStars coach Bob Bradley
''Every time you think you've seen him do something impossible, he does something else that seems impossible the next day."
- USA Today, March 6, 2003
Peter Mellor, U.S. Under-17 Assistant Coach
"Tactically he is very smart for his age. He seems to have that God-given soccer savvy."
- Hartford Courant, March 2, 2003
Dave Sarachan, Chicago Fire Head Coach
"From a pure physical soccer standpoint, it’s rare to see it. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a kid like that at this age, at least I haven’t.”
- FoxSportsWorld.com, Feb. 21, 2003
Ray Hudson, D.C. United Head Coach
"His movement, quickness, balance and awareness are natural gifts, Wayne Gretzky stuff, If he started in an MLS game tomorrow, he wouldn't be out of place."
- Miami Herald, March 2003 |
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