The presence of Freddy Adu with Lights remains a mystery

Is there always some light at the end of every dark tunnel?

My sense is that Freddy Adu isn’t here — an attacking midfielder who has all but sat the bench thus far for a second division soccer club — to discover a happy ending to his well known and erratic journey.

My guess is he still believes a shade of supremacy still exists within those once magical feet, that while most think he crumbled mightily under the weight of unfair expectations, he imagines the story can’t possibly end in such unremarkable fashion.

That he can again reach much loftier heights on a pitch.

Adu was one of five who didn’t dress for the Las Vegas Lights on Saturday night in a United Soccer League home opener at Cashman Field, a 1-1 tie against Reno 1868 FC before an announced gathering of 9,019 and Cash the Soccer Rocker.

Who, given he drives on the back of a really cool motorcycle and can dance, already owns a decisive local mascot edge over Chance.

The short version of a very long tale: Major League Soccer in 2004 needed some traction, having seen two of its Florida-based teams fold a few years earlier. The league wasn’t totally on the verge of collapse but was taking on serious water.

It hungered for a fresh face to market, someone with an engaging storyline to parade in front of national media.

So it introduced Adu, the Ghana-born soccer prodigy who at a reported 14 years old and carrying the ridiculous and unjust designation of some as “the next Pele,” became the youngest athlete ever to sign a professional contract in the United States when he was drafted by D.C. United.

Maybe he was, as many surmised, 4 to 5 years older than advertised and others merely caught up to him over time.

Maybe he really was that young and yet fame and money slowly deteriorated his desire over the years to become truly great.

His highs and lows were epic, his fall as mighty and celebrated as his rise.

And he is here now, listed at 28 years of age and having played for as many as 13 teams in eight countries, owner of 17 caps for the U.S. national team.

Adu has yet to speak with the media since his arrival, a decision driven by his agent and yet one that is sensible in its reasoning.

The thinking: Adu isn’t here to be a mere pawn for publicity.

I get it. Adu has answered the bust and failure questions for years and knows the narrative most attach his name.

It is, at some levels, as sad a story as it is interesting.

The Las Vegas side: It swears this isn’t a gimmick, that Adu wasn’t promised a thing, not one second of playing time, not one favor.

He came on a tryout basis, was out of shape and essentially cut, but was instead kept through training camp and showed technical director José Luis Sánchez Solá — Chelís in a Brown Suit on Saturday — enough to recently be signed for the remainder of the season.

So, the question begs: If he is, even at a cut rate, one of the highest paid players on the team simply for his name, and he isn’t here to sell tickets, and isn’t needed to win games, and is still so out of shape that he can’t make a game roster of 18, why is he here?

“Despite the accolades, despite the resume, Freddy had to earn his spot,” said Lights owner Brett Lashbrook. “Chelís is adamant that every spot is taken by someone who is fully committed and can help this team win a championship for the city. He wouldn’t have asked us to sign anyone he didn’t believe could be part of that.”

It was once thought these would be the prime years of Adu’s career, a time when he existed among the nation’s and perhaps world’s finest players, but somewhere between prodigy and the fulfillment of all those weighty expectations, his life and game turned faster than those once magical feet did defenders.

Still, many remember …

“When I was 13, I had a Freddy Adu player’s card,” said Lights defender Zak Drake. “It was the inspiration that made me think I could one day be a professional. To end up playing with him has been amazing. Since the first day, he has fit in with us, working and grinding. We haven’t seen any ego. He’s all about supporting us and motivating us to be better players.”

Is this for redemption?

Is there still light at the end of a very dark tunnel for Freddy Adu?

Why is he here?

Maybe it’s this simple: He imagines the story can’t possibly end in such unremarkable fashion.

More Lights: Follow all of our Las Vegas Lights FC coverage online at reviewjournal.com/lights and @RJ_Sports on Twitter.

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.