Going pro

D.C. set to pick 14-year-old Adu first at MLS SuperDraft

Freddy Adu will join his hometown club, D.C. United. Eric Miller/Getty Images

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- D.C. United is expected to officially add soccer prodigy Freddy Adu with the first pick in Friday's MLS SuperDraft. (Draft Order | History)

Adu, a 14-year-old naturalized American born in Ghana, will become the youngest professional American athlete in over 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 an endorsement deal with Nike reportedly worth up to $1 million.

PepsiCo on Wednesday announced that Adu has signed a two-year deal to endorse the company's Sierra Mist. MLS also said Sierra Mist will replace Pepsi as the league's official soft drink under a two-year partnership.

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 the league hopes he can attract mainstream sports fans to an MLS match.

The Columbus Crew have 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.

Dallas selects again in the No. 6 slot to complete a previous deal with Los Angeles and the MetroStars.

The Kansas City Wizards, New England Revolution (from Chicago) and San Jose complete the first round.

For the first time in the nine-year history of MLS, the SuperDraft will be televised live by Fox Sports World at 10 a.m. EST.

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