Top > Sport > 2006 > December > 2006-12-14

Freddy Adu joins Real Salt Lake

Freddy Adu, only 17 years old, has played three seasons for DC United. He has grown frustrated with not playing his natural spot on the field, at central midfield and wished to leave Washington and play elsewhere. On Monday he was traded in a complex deal to Real Salt Lake. "I just felt it was time to move on and put myself in a situation where I could play my best position and continue to grow as a player," Adu said.

United Coach Peter Nowak could not comfortably accommodate Adu in his preferred position, as the spot is already taken by the league`s most valuable player last year, Christian Gomez. At Real, a team that won only 15 of 64 games since it joined the league in 2005, Adu will have a more central role.

Adu makes over $500,000 a year. The deal between United and Real will send the only an unproven goalkeeper, Jay Nolly, to United, as well as a possible future draft pick, the rights to acquire an international player through an allocation from MLS this winter, and money to put toward a player acquisition if Adu ends up in Europe.