He contacted John Adu of the UN, who said he'd been looking for them.

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For days they met at the UN office with Adu to try to arrange asylum.

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"We wanted to allow Freddy to pursue his dreams and develop his God-given talents, " said Adu's mother, Emelia.

BBC: Adu signs for DC United

"I grew up watching MLS, and I look forward to the challenge, " said Adu, who was underwent a league physical exam on Tuesday.

BBC: Adu signs for DC United

They got in touch with a UN refugee representative, John Adu, to whom they'd been referred by diplomatic contacts, and he promised to help them leave Zimbabwe.

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Mubadala Development, an Adu Dhabi company, owns five percent of the Ferrari team, while the government-owned Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding acquired a 30 percent stake in McLaren last year.

CNN: Middle East fuels Formula One's expansion

Adu will be a Project-40 player - an MLS program designed to accelerate the development of top young Americans while awarding them college scholarships for use in future years.

BBC: Adu signs for DC United

Bahia's Correio newspaper quoted him as saying Brazil is "a place where I've always wanted to play" and reported that Adu has already been given a nickname, "Adivis, " as is typical for soccer players in Brazil.

WSJ: Freddy Adu Is Headed to Brazil

Once seen as a messiah destined to save U.S. soccer from perennial mediocrity, Adu rose to fame at age 14 by becoming one of the youngest players in decades to appear in a professional U.S. sports match.

WSJ: Freddy Adu Is Headed to Brazil