he did so on June 2 -- he would be eligible to move overseas. He was not in uniform for Real Salt Lake's 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution last Saturday as the club allowed him permission to travel to Portugal to continue discussions.
After agreeing terms, Adu trained with the club on Tuesday at its Caixa Futebol Campus. In their preseason, Benfica is preparing for a tournament against fellow Portuguese club Sporting and Real Betis of Spain next weekend.
"Really what we know about it is that Freddy has received a fantastic opportunity to go overseas and play, where he has said he wanted to for a while. In my opinion I have to respect that and allow him the opportunity to do that," RSL head coach Jason Kreis said then. "... What it does for us is it gives a tremendous opportunity to have money to spend and a roster spot to use to bring in another talented piece of this puzzle we are trying to create."
In addition to the transfer fee between Major League Soccer, the league could receive a percentage of any future transfer of Adu to another club. Portugal has long been known as a developer of quality young talent, including players such as Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo, who was the leader of the "Golden Generation," which won the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1989 and 1991.
"I would also like to credit Major League Soccer for making this deal happen and for providing Freddy with the unique opportunity to start his professional career at a young age," Motzkin said.
