Adu: This is finally the season

Long before David Beckham made MLS a household name, there was a 14-year-old prodigy named Freddy Adu who carried on his shoulders the entire weight of high hopes and expectations of a league looking to gain traction and momentum in the vast mainstream sports landscape.

That was four years ago and although the focus might have shifted away from Adu (who turns 18 in June) and some of those unfair expectations, his focus clearly has sharpened.

Brian Kersey/WireImage

Freddy Adu is confident he'll flourish under John Ellinger.

Lest we forget Adu, and Landon Donovan to a lesser extent, are the only other MLS players that have a "Q" rating that is measurable with not only the casual and avid soccer fans but also to other pro athletes. Former Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson continues to mentor Adu. Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams took the time to come out in Dallas to watch Adu score in the U-20 national team's recent 2-1 win over Haiti on March 28.

ESPNsoccernet caught up with Adu before the start of his fourth MLS season and first with Real Salt Lake after his offseason trade from D.C. United.

ESPNsoccernet: How's the preseason been?

FA: This by far has been my best preseason. It's been very good and I've gotten quite a bit out of it so far. I am really focusing on doing the little things to help my body recover and regenerate. That's a big key. I am taking things like that more seriously now, things I never used to do before that I'm doing consistently now.

ESPNsoccernet: How is it being reunited with John Ellinger, your former U-17 national team coach?

FA: You have no idea! [Laughs]. I just feel better about myself, about everything. I crave the freedom to just play and John gives it to me. I am really feeding off my teammates who have some much respect for me and I have so much respect for them. Chris Klein, Mehdi Ballouchy, Jeff Cunningham, all my teammates are all trying to get me the ball and I'm trying to do the same. I want to break down defenses, that's what I am supposed do.

ESPNsoccernet: Can Real Salt Lake pick up where it left off after a strong finish to last season?

FA: On paper our attack is as good as anyone in the league. We're all beginning to get settled in and John has been experimenting with positions and formations. We've been playing a lot of 4-3-3 this spring to take advantage of our attacking talent. I'm playing more as a left forward with Jeff [Cunningham] in the middle and [Chris] Klein out right. The three of us can interchange or whatever. I know my role will also be to come into the middle some, that way our width can come from our overlapping outside backs. We can also play with two attacking midfielders with [Jason] Kreis, Mehdi or myself playing in front of [Carey] Talley. Right now it is working out perfectly. We've had some great success already this preseason. Everyone likes it so far, so we're going to find something that works and stick with it.

ESPNsoccernet: Is this where you are most comfortable playing?

FA: I have always said this and I will tell you the same, attacking midfield is always going to be my natural position. I want to get the ball as much as possible, take on people and produce for the team. I am spending a lot of time in the middle of the park. It's where I'm more comfortable and in this role where I play left forward/attacking midfield, I have the freedom and flexibility to come inside and that's great.

ESPNsoccernet: Have you had a time to reflect on your move from D.C. United to RSL?

FA: The D.C. chapter is over. I am looking forward to this next part of my career. I learned a lot in D.C., don't get me wrong. I learned so much from guys like Ben Olsen, [Christian] Gomez and Jaime Moreno. I learned a lot from them and it all definitely made me a better player. I want to continue to learn now from the veterans here on this team and continue to get better and better. To be honest with you, I feel right now I am playing the best I have ever played! I'm so much more confident when I get the ball. Specifically, when my teammates rely on me to create for them, that's when I play my best and that's when my confidence level is high. Right now I am happy. And when I am happy I play better, I play my soccer.

ESPNsoccernet: You're playing well with the U-20's. What are your thoughts on the senior team and where you're at right now in your international career?

FA: I am ready to go. I have been ready since last year. I will be the first to tell you, yeah, my first couple of seasons I wasn't quite ready to go on and contribute. I really am now. But you know at the end of the day, you don't get to pick that. All you can do is keep working hard and prove you deserve to be there. My situation is different. People are always going to look at me differently. Although this is my fourth season, people are always going to look at me as a kid. Those first impressions are hard to get rid of sometimes. Obviously, I don't like that and want to be treated the same as everyone else. I have played in the league and have already won and have done more than some of the guys playing now on the national team. It's tough, but all I can do is do what is right and focus on RSL and maybe I will get called up. I want to play for the U.S. team, but if I'm not going to get that chance to play for the U.S., I am not going to shut the door on Ghana either. I have learned you never know what's going to happen. You can't put all your eggs in one basket. We'll see what happens.

ESPNsoccernet: How has it been dealing with such lofty and sometimes unfair expectations?

FA: People are going to set expectations for you and knock you down at the same time. I have learned that those are their expectations. People have expectations for themselves and I have expectations for myself and for my career and right now I feel I am on the best track. I have set a timeline for myself and I'm ahead of that right now. I feel great. I laugh sometimes at all the people that say Freddy is this or won't amount to that. I laugh because when I started I was only 14 years old. I have played well in this league and I don't know any other 14 year-olds that came into the league and scored five goals and got four assists in their first season. I honestly don't know. I have been around, I have been in it and I am getting better as we speak. I know in the near future I am going to be where I want to be and know I'm on the right track. I am just very happy. I feel this is finally the season. I honestly feel like this is finally the season for me and I cannot wait to get underway. My confidence is there and my touch is there. I cannot wait to show what I got. I am really ready to go out and play.

ESPNsoccernet: How was your experience at Manchester United?

FA: No one knows this, but the decision I made to come to Salt Lake came after my experience at Manchester United. It was exactly what I needed to see. I have to put myself in a situation where I can prepare myself. I want to go to Europe and given what I learned, RSL is going to best prepare me for that next stage. I need to build my confidence up and have the offense run through me. I love being under that pressure. That's something that I wanted. I will take the blame when we don't play well. That's what I have on the U-20's and I do well when I am in that situation to do the job of creating for my team. I really love that, that's what I wanted and that's why I came here. I cannot take anything away from D.C. United. D.C. United had Christian Gomez, the MVP of the league. The ball is not going to come through me and it's not supposed to. It's going to go through Christian and Jaime [Moreno]. Most people don't know what goes on behind the scenes. They don't know how much time you put in training or what is really happening.

But I'm telling you, I'm just so comfortable playing right now. I am taking so many more chances. I'm taking so many more chances, shooting a lot more. You are going to see me play with a lot more flair. I am taking people on a lot more. I'm just being me, finally back to being me. I promise you, you are going to see a new Freddy Adu when the season comes.

Allen Hopkins covers Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer for ESPN and ESPN.com. Look for Allen patrolling the sidelines during MLS Primetime Thursday on ESPN2. He can be reached at studiosports@yahoo.com.