OC teen becomes youngest male to sign professional soccer contract in US

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- When you think of men's professional soccer in the United States, Major League Soccer comes to mind, but it's not the only men's professional league in the country.

The Orange County Soccer Club plays in the United Soccer League and this week, they made history by signing a 14-year-old to a contract.

Francis Jacobs passes Freddy Adu as the youngest American male athlete to sign a professional contract.

"Obviously, it's pretty cool because I signed the pro contract," Jacobs said.

"We're very protective of him," said Oliver Wyss, the general manager of Orange County SC. "We do understand that he's still a teenager."

Jacobs said his friends are excited of his signing.

The Mission Viejo teen chose to stay close to home as multiple European clubs were showing interest.

"The beauty of it is he is allowed to make mistakes," Wyss said. "We know he's not the final product. We want to develop him. We want to make him better."