U.S. Soccer's Goooal!

By Rebecca Winters

Sure, Mom will have to drive him to practice. But when FREDDY ADU, 14, starts playing with Major League Soccer's D.C. United next spring, he'll have no trouble getting respect. Adu, who may be the next Pele, played barefoot pickup games in Ghana as a toddler. When his family moved to the U.S. in 1997, the youngster's formidable talent wowed coaches. Now Adu has spurned deals with prestigious European clubs to stay close to his Maryland home. Will a charismatic young star be what the sport needs to build its U.S. fan base? "Give soccer 10 years here, it'll be just as popular as it is everywhere else," Adu says. Doesn't he know Americans only like to riot over trade agreements?