Freddy: I grew up fast in MLS

Here's a pretty good Q&A by Jamie Trecker with Freddy Adu on FoxSoccer.com. Here are a few of the highlights:

On being the youngest pro in American sports:

FREDDY: I thought it was really cool. But I didn't really understand what being a pro was — I was kind of in my own little world! But when you're 13, you know, you're like "I'm famous!" and I really didn't understand what I had to do. And, yeah, there was a lot of pressure being put on me to sell the league, and I felt it right away. I did my best, and tried to help the league out. Now Beckham gets to do it! The truth is that it was a difficult time. I don't have and regrets, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a pro and to do things that other people haven't done. If I hadn't gone through all of that I would not be in this situation today. I grew up a lot and grew up fast here. It wasn't easy, but I rolled with it. Were there bumps? Yeah. And sometimes I was running my mouth to, you know? But those were things I learned from. Now, I'm a much better pro and a much better player. I know what to do, and I am ready right now.

On his struggles in MLS:

Well, I had never played as an outside midfielder before I joined this league. I played a couple of games in the middle where I was able to score some goals, but most of the time, that's where I was. I don't think my game is suited to that outside. I'm a person who needs to have a lot of touches and the freedom to move, and you really are restricted playing outside. The difference was that I got the chance to do that for [Coach] Thomas [Rongen] the U-20 Cup and I hope I was able to prove to people that I am a dangerous player and that's what I can do. Now, I hope the coaches overseas see that and give me the opportunity to do the same thing. Don't get me wrong: I'm really happy and thankful that MLS gave me the opportunity to start my pro career. Not many people would have taken that gamble.