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Just like LeBron Nike deal to make teen soccer phenom Adu a millionairePosted: Monday May 26, 2003 8:14 PMUpdated: Tuesday May 27, 2003 2:37 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Thirteen-year-old soccer prodigy Freddy Adu agreed to a $1 million contract with Nike, The Washington Post reported Monday. Adu, already an offensive star on the U.S. under-17 national team, also has agreed to be represented by SportsNet, LLC. Arnold Tarzay, a lawyer and family adviser, did not confirm the amount of the deal to the Post, which cited sources for the worth of the multiyear contract. The paper said Adu is not likely to sign a pro contract for at least a year. Nike spokeswoman Celeste Alleyne did not comment to The Associated Press. A call to a representative of the U.S. under-17 team was not immediately returned. The agreement comes less than a week after Nike signed high school phenom LeBron James, the expected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, to an endorsement contract worth more than $90 million. Adu would become ineligible for NCAA soccer with this deal, but he does not plan to play in college. A native of Ghana, Adu came to the United States when he was 8 and has been training with the national team in Bradenton, Fla. He became a citizen in February in time to help the U.S. qualify for the Under-17 FIFA World Championship. Starring with U-17sAdu played for the under-17 team that lost to Mexico 2-1 on Sunday and beat Costa Rica 3-2 on Monday in Lancaster, Calif. The U.S. goals on Monday came from Adu and two players who have already signed with Major League Soccer teams -- Eddie Gaven and Guillermo Gonzalez. The match was part of the triangular friendlies played in Lancaster the past few days between the three teams that qualified from the CONCACAF region for the Under-17 FIFA World Championship. The U.S. results brought the team's overall international record this year to 6-2-2. The matches for the under-17s were the last before they travel to Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday for an international youth tournament. That tournament will serve as preparation for the U.S. before it plays in the World Championship in Finland this August 13-30. Korea and Argentina both qualified for Finland by winning their respective qualifying tournaments. "We came out and played better today than we did against Mexico," U.S. head coach John Ellinger said. "Costa Rica gave us a good game and we had to do everything we could to hold on for the victory. Overall, I'm pleased with our players performance and think these games will help us get ready for the World Championship in August." In the 77th minute against Costa Rica, Adu gave the U.S. a one-goal lead after finishing off a dribbling showcase with a well-placed shot. Collecting a back pass from Gonzalez on the left flank, Adu quickly beat two defenders as he pushed the ball to his right, near the top of the penalty area. The last defender couldn't slow Adu as he pushed it to his right one more time to get around him and then opened his body towards the goal and calmly slipped the ball past Cambronero into the left side of the goal with his left foot.
The tournament in Korea will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.
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