Freddy Adu, Former MLS Star, Crashed Out of Europe, Playing America's NASL Tampa Bay Rowdies

Freddy Adu's soccer career has come a long way since D.C. United made him the youngest player to ever play in the MLS. Unfortunately, it hasn't been in the direction he would have hoped. After failed stints in Europe, Adu is now back plying his trade in the States. However, it's not in the MLS, it's in one of America's lower leagues, with NASL's Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Most of you are surely familiar with Freddy Adu in some capacity. If you aren't, here's a brief recap of his career: he was touted as the next Pele from an early age; he joined the MLS at the age of 14; he had considerable success as a youth international; he went to Europe; he moved to a cave somewhere in Siberia (presumably).

In 2007, Adu left the States and signed with Portuguese powerhouse, Benfica. However, he would play just 11 games for the club, in what would prove to be the start of a tumultuous time in Europe. He played in France, Greece, Turkey, and Portugal again, often playing in the country's second best league. Every time was a new, fresh, exciting beginning, but every time he failed to live up to the expectations that were placed upon him. Playing time was sparse, and he looked like a shadow of the player he once was. Physically the tools were still all there, but mentally Adu had been torn apart.

Perhaps Adu's unfortunate fate isn't all that surprising, though. The expectations that were placed upon him from an early age were ridiculously high. Placing the weight of a country's entire soccer hopes on the shoulders of a 14-year-old is--quite frankly--unfair. There are so many variables yet to be determined when a player is 14, and, adding in the pressure of being the next "Pele," or the country's savior, doesn't exactly give a kid much room for error. It can be debilitating.

That's also not to say Adu's career hasn't been without some impressive feats, because it has, but compared to the (unfairly) high expectations that were placed upon his young shoulders, he's grossly underachieved.

Some 12-years after making his professional debut and Adu has now worn the shirt of more than 10 teams (for perspective, that's a lot). During that twisting, winding journey, he's experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows--all before being able to legally rent a car. Now, at 26, he'll look to begin again in America's NASL. This time, from the ground up.