CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- D.C. United is expected to officially add soccer prodigy Freddy Adu with the first pick in Friday's MLS Draft.
Adu, a 14-year-old naturalized American born in Ghana, will become the youngest professional American athlete in more than a century when he takes the field in April.
On Nov. 19, Adu became the highest-paid player in MLS with a guaranteed salary of $500,000. He also inked a $1 million endorsement deal with Nike.
In MLS -- an organized single-entity operation -- all players are signed to the league and not individual teams.
Adu has been compared to Pele and Diego Maradona and is arguably the only player that might attract hard-core sports fans to an MLS match.
The Columbus Crew has the second pick, followed by Los Angeles, Dallas and last year's champion, the San Jose Earthquakes. San Jose has the fifth pick from a previous trade with the Colorado Rapids.
