Union midfielder Freddy Adu has been named the team captain for the United States' U-23 team, in advance of its Summer Olympics qualifying tournament later this month, according to SI.com soccer reporter Grant Wahl.

Neither U.S. Soccer nor the Union have made an announcement regarding the captaincy.

Adu, Union teammate Amobi Okugo and the rest of the U-23s are expected to finalize their rosters by Tuesday. The CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament begins Thursday in Nashville, with the U.S. partaking in Group A. The semifinal and final matches will be played at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., March 31 and April 2, respectively.

Adu and Okugo stand to miss two more matches for the Union. They flew to Nashville following the Union's March 12 loss at Portland and missed Sunday's home-opening loss to Colorado.

Adu being named captain to the club is a far cry from two weeks ago, when he told me prior to the Union's season opener that he'd be thankful just to get a call-up to the team. Maybe that's just Adu being the consummate team guy who's unwilling to ruffle any feathers, but it sounded genuine. He really wanted to be on this team, and now he's its captain.

“Sure, it would (be great)," Adu said of a potential call-up. "You give it your all and have a pretty good idea where you stand with the team. I'd love to be a part of that team. That's a goal of mine. At the end of the day, if I am with the Olympic team ... it'll be great."

(Photo / Associated Press)