After Rocky First 2 Seasons, Adu Is Starting to Settle In

"I see a young man who is more comfortable on the field," Chicago Coach Dave Sarachan said of Freddy Adu. (Joel Richardson - The Washington Post)

You see the difference on the training grounds, where Freddy Adu messes with teammates between drills and jokes with the coaches as if they were old college chums.

You see it on game day, when D.C. United's resident teenager dances around lunging opponents and waves his foot over the ball like a sorcerer casting a diabolical spell.

You see it after a match, when his radiant smile lights up the locker room following what is commonly another D.C. victory.

And, of all places, you see it at the dinner table, at home in a quiet neighborhood in Rockville with his mother and brother, where the 17-year-old forward-midfielder eats everything in sight.

"He doesn't like food," Emelia Adu explained. "So when I see him eating well, that tells me something. That tells me he is very happy. He is sooo happy."

The reasons for his joy are many. After shuttling between the field and bench his first two years, he has played almost every minute of every game this season, the reward for finally evolving into an effective two-way player.

He is tied for the team lead in assists (six) and was named an all-star on merit, not marketing value, as he was two years ago. He has gained the trust of his older teammates and has repaired a once rocky relationship with Coach Peter Nowak.

But what he says has made him the happiest this summer is playing an essential role on a club that has not lost in 2 1/2 months, is running away with the Eastern Conference regular season title and is in serious pursuit of the best record in Major League Soccer's 11-year history.

"I'm just having a lot of fun," he said this week as United (13-1-5) prepared for tonight's game at Chicago. "Everything is clicking."

Adu has scored just one goal, but that is no reflection of his contributions. Playing as if he's no longer burdened with the enormous expectations heaped upon him when he turned pro at age 14, Adu has refined his soccer skills and developed a keener understanding of the game.

"I see a young man who is feeling more comfortable on the field, who doesn't feel like he has to do everything in a short amount of time," Chicago Coach Dave Sarachan observed. "It just seems like he's enjoying soccer."

In his first two seasons, Adu was viewed as a novelty act, an undersize, naive teenager who brought unprecedented attention to the league but who struggled to adapt to professional demands and to understand his expanding role. As his playing time swayed, tension grew with Nowak, culminating with an outburst on the eve of last fall's playoffs that earned him a one-game suspension and jeopardized his future with United.