What? I did not agree with the headline that was above Greg Seltzer’s article on
MLSsoccer.com reporting that Freddy Adu was on trial with FC Sion. The headline referred to Freddy Adu as a “journeyman.” My first reaction was, “Freddy Adu isn’t a journeyman. That’s going too far. He’s young and he’s talented. He’s not a journeyman. A ‘journeyman’ is guy who has played for awhile and bounced around some teams without ever really doing very much . . . oh.” Here are the cold, hard facts: since April 2007, Freddy Adu has gone through Real Salt Lake, Benfica, Monaco, Belenenses, Aris, and was recently on trial with FC Sion.
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Freddy Adu -- the player who once held the future of American soccer in his hands – was trying to convince a middling team in the Swiss Super League that he was worth a roster spot. He did not get an offer. At this rate, it would not surprise me to see Freddy playing alongside Lee Nguyen this season. When you have this kind of a track record, you just have to own the That said, I am not here to bash Freddy Adu. In fact, I think I am one of the few rational people left who holds out hope that Freddy Adu will come good one day. I’m sure right about now, I must seem like Lloyd Christmas thinking a one in a million shot with a girl is a good thing (If you don’t know what I am talking about, stop reading this now and go rent Dumb and Dumber), but I really am a rational person. Really. I am. For example, I do not think that Adu should have gotten a call up for the USMNT. I am not going to argue that his failure to catch on somewhere has been about a coach or a system or a league or something other than Freddy himself.
There are a lot of things said about Adu -- his defense is bad, he does not train hard, he’s not professional, he has an ego problem, he lacks discipline, he Tweets too dang much -- some or all of this may be true, I cannot say. Certainly, though, when your last six clubs decide they do not want you around, that is saying something about you, and what its saying ain’t good. So, if I know these things, how is it possible for me to hold out hope for Adu? He didn’t even get an offer from FC Sion, dude!
Well, it’s because I can’t help remembering that Freddy Adu was the only U.S. soccer player in my lifetime who made me rise from my seat in anticipation when he turned toward the defense with the ball at his feet. Did he do that for you, too? Do you remember that awesome feeling of anticipation? The things you yelled at the T.V. when he abused a defender? He was fantastic in the 2007 U-20 World Cup: scoring goals, getting assists, beating defenders, and dominating games. As a US youth player, Adu made the right passes, he had pace, he had guile, he had confidence and he was a leader. He is the only person to ever score a hat trick in both the Final Round of the U-17 and U-20 World Cup. Think
about that. He was not a fluke. Go back and watch those U-20 World Cup games against Poland and Brazil and see if you don’t get excited about the kid who is wearing #11. See if it doesn’t excite you to hear the crowd reacting to an American that way. Now, don’t start with the “he was really 28 years old back in 2007” stuff. First, I have seen no evidence of age fraud. Second, even if it were true, his age would not account for his footwork and his creative flair. There are plenty of guys in your local men’s league who prove that. Of the current USMNT players, only Clint Dempsey comes close to Freddy’s kind of skill with the ball. Adu was born with a certain level of ability that others were not. His skill is inherent. Remember that sick move in the corner against two Brazilian defenders in the U-20 World Cup that led to Altidore’s goal? Freddy is capable of doing things with the ball that others in the USMNT player pool do not even think of. It comes natural to him.
As a youth player, Adu was a game changer. I don’t believe you can teach someone to be a game changer. I think a person either has it or they don’t. Because I think this is an inherent trait, I believe Freddy still has that potential in him. As a result, I believe that Adu has an upside that no one else in the current USMNT player pool possesses. I don’t buy that he is too small or too slow to do it at this level. Soccer is a sport that does not require a certain body type in order to be successful. There are plenty of too small or too slow guys who have made their impact on the game over the years. Unfortunately, the reality is that Adu has not met expectations.
The good things about Freddy are things from three years ago done at the youth level. I think the path he has taken has kept him from developing as he should have by now and, if continues as he has been, he will always be a journeyman. He needs to catch on someplace permanently, put his head down, and start on the long road toward reaching his upside. I don’t care where he begins his road. He may have to ask Jay Demerit to try to get him a spot on Jay’s old non-league team. Freddy needs to go somewhere where he can play every minute of every game under a coach who is willing to teach him and he needs to get there ASAP. Wouldn’t it be great to see the U-20 style Adu playing with Dempsey, Donovan and Davies? That looks like a team that has the ability to play some exciting, attacking football. A guy can dream, can’t he?
To be clear, I am not saying that Freddy will be able to achieve his promise. There are a million talented youth players who never made it at the next level, so the odds are against him. I am just saying I hope he does make it. So, I will not bash Freddy. I will not take some perverse pleasure in his failure should he never make it. Instead, I will continue to hope and wish him success, because, after all, if he were able to deliver on the promise that he once showed, wouldn’t that be the best outcome for everyone?
