SALT LAKE CITY — Freddy Adu was traded Monday from D.C. United to Real Salt Lake, ending a sometimes tumultuous three-year run in Washington for the highly touted teenager who clashed with his coach and was often frustrated by his role.

The 17-year-old will move to an MLS franchise in need of a marketable star as it hopes to boost attendance and gain support for a new stadium. He will also get to be an attacking midfielder, a position he never played consistently with United.

“It will be fun to be reunited with him,” said Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger, Adu’s former coach on the U.S. Under-17 club.

Adu’s stated goal is to play for a European team, and he becomes eligible to transfer to a club outside the United States once he turns 18 on June 2. He recently spent two weeks working out with Manchester United in England.

Salt Lake general manager Steve Pastorino said Real hopes getting Adu into a new environment will keep him happy and stateside.

D.C. United also sent goalkeeper Nick Rimando to Real Salt Lake. In return, D.C. United will receive a major player allocation, the rights to goalkeeper Jay Nolly and future considerations.

Adu became the youngest player in MLS history when D.C. United chose him No. 1 overall in the 2004 draft, but his youthful temperament showed almost immediately when he was used mostly as a substitute early in the season.

Although he ended up starting 14 games as a rookie and 16 in his second season, he complained publicly both years about playing time and said the team had ruined his chances of making the U.S. team for the 2006 World Cup.

Adu finished with 11 goals and 17 assists in 87 appearances for United, and helped the team win the MLS Cup during his rookie season.

Nevada remains in Top 25 despite loss to rival UNLV

RENO, Nev. — With a pair of home games this week against St. Mary’s and Pacific, Nevada is clinging to a spot in The Associated Press Top 25 despite Saturday night’s loss 58-49 loss to rival UNLV, which snapped the Wolf Pack’s 12-game home winning streak.

It was the Runnin’ Rebels’ first victory over a ranked team on the road since February 1991, when they finished the year 34-1 with a loss to Duke in the national championship.

Nevada (7-1) was ranked 25th in the new poll released Monday, down from No. 20 last week. The Pack remained ranked primarily because three teams in last week’s Top 25 all fell out after losing on Saturday.

Maryland (9-2) dropped from 23rd after losing 73-62 to Boston College. Xavier (7-2) fell out after a one-week appearance following a 73-67 loss at Creighton. Georgia Tech (6-3), which was ranked since the preseason poll, fell out from 25th after a 73-64 loss at Vanderbilt.

Nevada hosts St. Mary’s tonight and Pacific on Saturday night.

Senior forward Nick Fazekas continues to lead the nation averaging 14.1 rebounds per game. He had 17 against UNLV despite playing with bruised ribs. He’s 14th in scoring with an average of 21.8 per game.

Cheeks wants to focus on 76ers, not A.I. trade talk

PHILADELPHIA — Allen Iverson’s nameplate was gone and his locker was cleaned out. All that’s left to officially sever his relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers is a trade.

Iverson was still a Sixer on Monday night, though he was not in the arena for Philadelphia’s game against Portland, the third straight contest he was on the inactive list.

Iverson’s days in Philadelphia are numbered and the NBA’s leading scorer may soon have his trade demand granted. With four games this week, the Atlantic Division-worst Sixers seem unlikely to let the situation fester and are prepared to deal their franchise player.

Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks was peppered all day with questions about Iverson, but said his only focus was on the players in the locker room and snapping the team’s seven-game losing streak.

“I’m not here to say how this happened, how that happened,” Cheeks said. “We’re just going forward with the people we have and we’re trying to win games. I think our team has been pretty good through all of this.”

Iverson’s relationship with Cheeks had deteriorated this season, with Iverson leaving a recent practice reportedly after a blowup with his coach. He skipped a team bowling function later that night, apologized and was fined by the organization.

Iverson demanded a trade last week and Sixers chairman Ed Snider said on Friday the All-Star guard had “probably” played his last game with Philadelphia.

Also, the Sixers said Chris Webber would be fined for missing a shootaround. Webber’s return flight from an unannounced destination was delayed. When asked before Monday’s game where he came back from, Webber said, “wherever I came back from.”

States side with reporters about protecting sources

SAN FRANCISCO — Two dozen states filed a brief on behalf of two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, telling a federal appeals court that public interest demands the recognition of a journalist’s right to protect confidential sources.

In papers filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, the states, led by New York, challenged a federal judge’s order to imprison the reporters who refused to testify about who leaked them secret grand jury testimony of Barry Bonds and other athletes.

Most all of the two dozen states have some type of media shield law. They urged the court to adopt a reporter’s privilege in federal court, where one does not exist.

“Here, the states’ broad protection for reporters weighs in favor of recognizing a common law reporters’ privilege,” the states argued.

In August, a federal judge found reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada in contempt of court for refusing to reveal how they obtained transcripts from a grand jury that investigated whether the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative supplied steroids to professional athletes.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White sentenced the reporters to up to 18 months in prison unless they testify. They remain free while their case is being considered by the San Francisco-based appeals court.

A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 12.

Moss questionable for Raiders with ankle injury

ALAMEDA — Oakland receiver Randy Moss is questionable for the Raiders’ game against St. Louis after twisting his ankle. He injured the ankle after a 16-yard catch on the second play of the second quarter in Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Moss limped off and did not return.

“When you turn an ankle over like that, it can be difficult, especially when you’re a so-called skill guy making those cuts,” head coach Art Shell said Monday.

Moss leads the Raiders with 42 receptions for 553 yards and three touchdowns. He has not caught a TD pass since Oct. 22 against Arizona.

Shell said Ronald Curry, who had eight catches for 99 yards and a TD against the Bengals, would start if Moss can’t play on Sunday.

NBA to go back to old ball

NEW YORK — The NBA will scrap its new microfiber composite ball and bring back the old leather one beginning Jan. 1. The league sent a memo to its teams Monday, telling them that the change would be made for the remainder of the 2006-07 season. In the memo, NBA president Joel Litvin said that Spalding had 450 new leather balls on hand for use.

Players have complained about the new ball since training camp, saying that it bounced differently than the old one — both off the floor and the rim. They also said the synthetic material cut their hands.