Prodigy Adu slowly matures both his game, mind in MLS

~ Soon to turn 17, Freddy Adu is finding his way among the men.

DENVER -- Imagine for a second that you work for a large corporation. Being a high-level executive, you've built a reputation, earned attention from the media and peers across the country, maybe even internationally.

Then, one day, the company brings in a 14-year-old wunderkind who everyone fawns over. Doesn't matter that you've been on the job nearly as long as he's been alive. He's got the potential and is going to get the attention, whether it's deserved or not.

Worse yet, this kid makes more money than you, more than anyone else in your field.

Now overlay this scenario into the world of professional sports, where machismo rules and frustrations can turn into physical confrontations.

This is what D.C. United's Freddy Adu was up against when he became the face of Major League Soccer as a 14-year-old phenom two years ago. It's no wonder he had such a hard time adjusting.

But now that the hype has died down and his body and game have matured, Adu is proving he deserves to be playing alongside men 10 to 15 years older.

"I think he's getting better at just playing good soccer rather than letting the outside sources -- the coaches, the media and everything else -- bother him," Colorado Rapids forward Clint Mathis said. "I'm looking forward to seeing him in the next few years."

Adu's future has pulled him along since he was a scrawny 12-year-old who could do magical things with a soccer ball.

Weight of expectations

Of course, we live in an era filled with hype, so it was a natural fit to project greatness on someone with such quickness, agility and there's-no-way-he's-that-young understanding of the game.

But with hype comes pressure.

Some can handle it. Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Sidney Crosby -- they each had the mental toughness to not only withstand the burden of hype, but live up to it.

Others have been crushed by the can't-miss tag. For every prodigy-turned-superstar, there's seemingly a dozen misfires, athletes like Southern Cal quarterback Todd Marinovich and St. John's basketball player Felipe Lopez who flamed out before they ever got started.

It didn't help that the MLS needed a superstar.

Struggling to find an identity and a fan base in a country that's blase about soccer, the MLS latched onto Adu as if he were a comet of hope that would propel the league within reach of the popularity afforded to the likes of NASCAR, the NFL, NBA and baseball.

It's a lot of pressure for anyone, much less a soft-spoken 14-year-old.

"I think soccer sometimes is desperate for some heroes, desperate for some household names," said Glenn Myernick, assistant coach for the U.S. men's soccer team. "I think a lot of the stuff that at times got in Freddy's way early on didn't have anything to do with soccer. It had to do with commercialism. I think if we can just be patient with Freddy and let him learn his soccer, I think he has enough ability to develop into a very talented player."

Adu's potential made him the first pick of the 2004 draftt, earned him a league-high $500,000 and millions more in endorsements, gave him national -- yes, even international -- celebrity.

His talent was unquestioned, but that didn't mean he was ready to handle the pressure of being the face of an entire league. What 14-year-old would be?

It was sort of like the genius kid who skips six grades and lands on a college campus; the intellect is there, but maybe not the maturity to fit in with students 10 years older.

Adu did his best to fit in, working hard, saying all the right things, but gap in age was like a chasm he couldn't find his way across.

"It was tough," said Adu, who turns 17 on June 2. "We had different interests and that was a big thing. But it's getting better. I know we're headed in the right direction."

Adu showed glimpses of his brilliance from his rookie season, when he scored five goals and had three assists. Now the flash-and-dash has some substance to go with it.

Adu has picked up some of the nuances of the professional game, and though he's still one of the smallest players on the field at 5-foot-8, 145 pounds, he's built up his core strength and doesn't get pushed off the ball as much, one of the big knocks against him as a rookie.

While he's never going to be just another player, Adu clearly fits in now.

"Everybody wants to be famous when they're young, but it's hard," Adu said. "I've tried to handle it the best I can. The key thing is to keep working hard. The hard work has to be there all the time."