Washed up at 20?

Good article in the Sports Illustrated that arrived today about the kid who was the future of MLS and perhaps US Soccer six years ago. Except it didn't turn out that way.

Freddy Adu signed with DC United at age 14, projected as the American Pele. But six years lateer, he is warmin g the bench for Aris FC in Greece, his sixth professional team. And he almost certainly will not be on the United States roster for the World Cup.

"What happened?" asks SI's Grant Wahl, one of the nation's top soccer writers, who has written another masterpiece. What happened is summed up by Jerome De Bontin, an American who is president of Monaco in the French league. De Bontin is quoted as saying, "Everybody has the same analysis. He had incredible talent, yet he was lacking standard tactical knowledge that most players his age had. It was tied to the fact he became professional at 14 and in some ways stopped learning at 15."

Somethin g to think about the next time MLS looks for a teenage saviour.