Morgan Langley is too small. He’s a curiosity at best. He doesn’t belong.

Boy, did everyone get that one wrong. Now the scrawny local boy nicknamed "Flea" is biting back.

Langley, unheralded and underappreciated in soccer for most of his life, is writing his own true underdog story as a new member of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.

To look at Langley is to look at defiance of the longest of odds. He was cut from the ‘Iolani soccer team his freshman season, when he measured only 4-foot-10. Barely recruited — he was a Star-Bulletin All-State second-teamer as a junior, taking ‘Iolani to the 2006 state title game — the forward made his way to Swarthmore College, a Division III school outside of Philadelphia.

Even after a stellar career there, his best chance to make an impression as a pro was an open tryout, and then he had to work his way up with the Harrisburg City Islanders of MLS’ minor league.

With his uncanny speed and extra gear in the open field, Langley surprised and impressed every step of the way.

He is one of three active Hawaii-born players in MLS (Brian Ching of the Houston Dynamo and Zach Scott of the Seattle Sounders are the others), and is among four locals all-time who have stuck for any length of time. He’s teammates with the likes of Freddy Adu.

Langley fully appreciates just how rare and unique his late-blooming success is, for both his college route and his origins.

"Coming from Hawaii, I will be honest, it’s something I’m proud of every single day when I step into the locker room," said Langley, who sports a tattoo of the islands. "It’s amazing."

Sure, he eventually grew (to 5-foot-10) and dreamed about making it to MLS. He also had an interview lined up with Bank of Hawaii if that fell through.

"Morgan had a fierce, fierce determination to go as far as he could with soccer. And he’s a done a pretty darn good job of it," said his father, Michael Langley, who now lives in Vermont. "But to say he would be a professional soccer player, I can’t say I would have predicted that."

Neither could his college coach, Eric Wagner, at least regarding the top level of American soccer. Wagner was disappointed in Langley’s first two college seasons at Swarthmore before the forward worked tirelessly to become a star in his junior year.

Langley went from a reserve to an All-American who netted 14 goals each of his last two seasons. He also had a deft touch as a passer and would go on to break the Garnet’s all-time records in assists (27) and total points (95).

"I think it’s a lesson to coaches and a lesson to anybody who watches sports to really never give up on somebody completely," Wagner said. "I’m just so proud of how hard he’s worked and how he’s matured and developed. It’s a great success story."

After netting two goals in 20 matches with Harrisburg, Langley had his pro breakthrough in a friendly against the Union at the end of August. The coaches were already familiar with him, having seen his matches at nearby Swarthmore. Union coach Peter Nowak wanted him at outside midfielder.

Langley signed for the minimum (about $32,000) on Sept. 15, becoming just the third player to take that minor league route to the Union.

Two days later, he played outer mid in the final 10 minutes of Philadelphia’s 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew, a game with playoff implications. The Union (10-7-13) have had two games since, but Langley didn’t appear in those contests.

"It’s been fantastic to be signed by them," Langley said. "But I have higher goals for myself from here on. … I want to be starting. I’m not satisfied with just being signed at this point. At first I was really stoked. Now I’m like, all right, it’s time to do the work."

That focus is what got him there. Its origins lay in his fierce competitiveness to equal his older brother and best friend, Dylan, whom he followed onto Honolulu Bulls club teams as a youth and later trailed to Swarthmore.

Dylan Langley had the same size disadvantage as his brother, but felt it might have helped Morgan in the long term.

"We were 4-10 playing against guys who were like 6 feet," Dylan said. "We learned how to muscle them off the ball and keep our body in a good position."

After Morgan’s first game with the Union, he sprinted across the field, found Dylan in the stands, hugged him and gave him his jersey.

No one really cared that it was misspelled "L-A-N-G-E-L-Y" on the back.

However you spell him, Langley is locked up for the rest of the season through the playoffs, with contract options for up to two more years. Right now he’s set on giving the Union no choice but to bring him back.

"Morgan’s just one of those guys you can’t deny," said his former Bulls coach Phil Neddo. "I believe he has all the tools to make it. The only thing that will deny him will be circumstance."

If you’re good enough, they will find you. Morgan Langley always believed it.

And why not? He’s made a career out of turning doubters into believers.