Showing posts with label Freddy Adu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freddy Adu. Show all posts
Video: Adu's lessons learned from Abroad
A Yank Abroad no more, we wish Freddy the best of luck in the MLS and hope to cover him abroad in the near future and with the Nats.
I Miss This Freddy
I was looking forward to the US vs Spain match and though most of my thoughts go straight to the Confederations Cup win, I thought about the one before that in Espana.Anyone else remember how good he was on the day? I miss that Freddy. Here is video and then Grant Wahl's assessment after that match.
Freddy Adu made a difference. After the U.S.'s miserable display against England last week, I was hoping Adu would get a chance to start as an attacking central midfielder in a 4-5-1 formation against Spain, and that's exactly what happened.
The 19-year-old Adu is one of the few U.S. players who has confidence on the ball in tight space, and he was dangerous in his 45 minutes of action, unsettling the Spanish defense, drawing fouls and serving some penetrating balls to Eddie Johnson up front.
Adu was also noticeable by his absence in the second half, when the U.S. was unable to mount any credible attacks up the middle. Adu hasn't had many chances to perform for the U.S. senior team, but this was easily his best performance yet at this level. Here's hoping he gets more opportunities soon.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/grant_wahl/06/04/five.things/#ixzz1NzIQYeP3
Freddy Adu made a difference. After the U.S.'s miserable display against England last week, I was hoping Adu would get a chance to start as an attacking central midfielder in a 4-5-1 formation against Spain, and that's exactly what happened.
The 19-year-old Adu is one of the few U.S. players who has confidence on the ball in tight space, and he was dangerous in his 45 minutes of action, unsettling the Spanish defense, drawing fouls and serving some penetrating balls to Eddie Johnson up front.
Adu was also noticeable by his absence in the second half, when the U.S. was unable to mount any credible attacks up the middle. Adu hasn't had many chances to perform for the U.S. senior team, but this was easily his best performance yet at this level. Here's hoping he gets more opportunities soon.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/grant_wahl/06/04/five.things/#ixzz1NzIQYeP3
Why USA NEED to Win the Gold Cup
By Evan Ream
England
USA
Slovenia
Algeria
This was probably the easiest group USA could have gotten at the 2010 World Cup. England (or possibly Italy) was probably the worst seed other than South Africa; Slovenia was definitely not one of the better non-seeded European teams; and Algeria was probably the worst African team. USA won that group; their first group win since 1930. USA will not always be so lucky to get this kind of group, but it is possible for them to do it, or even get an easier group. It should not be a goal for USA to qualify for the World Cup anymore; that is a given. USA’s goal should be to get a seed. With a seed USA has a better chance of getting an easier group, and thus a better chance of winning their group and playing a winnable game in the Round of 16 (all games are winnable, but some games are more winnable than others).
· You get three points for a win, two points for a penalty kick win, one point for a draw, and one point for a penalty kick loss.
· Each of these points are multiplied by a certain number depending on the competition as well as the strength of the opponent.
· The multipliers are: 1x for a friendly game, 2.5x for a World Cup or Continental Cup (Euro, Gold Cup, etc...) game, 3x for Continental or Confederations Cup, and 4x for a World Cup.
· That number is then multiplied by the 200 minus the opponent’s current world ranking divided by 100. For example if USA were to beat the Netherlands who are number two in the world, their win would be multiplied by (200-2)/100 or 1.98
As you can see, if you understand my abbreviated version of the FIFA World Rankings formula (I’m not sure if I even did) it is better to beat better teams and beat them in a higher competition. This formula allows for teams like Norway, that haven’t qualified for a major competition since 2000, to achieve the number 11 ranking in the World. The best way for USA to improve their ranking is to qualify for the Confederations Cup.
USA doesn’t get very many games with high multipliers against high level competition due to the lack of quality teams in the area. After Mexico, the CONCACAF team with the highest ranking is Honduras at 48 (who have an aging squad and are unlikely to maintain this high of a ranking) and Jamaica at 55. CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers just won’t get it done if USA wants a seed. If USA (currently ranked 22nd, 197 points behind the coveted eighth ranking) want to make up 14 spots in three years, it will have to do something like this:
2011: Beat Canada (76), Panama (67), and Guadeloupe (not a FIFA member) in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Group Stage, Beat Guatemala (124) or El Salvador (87) in the Quarterfinals, Beat Honduras (48), Jamaica (55), or Canada (76) in the Semifinals, and Beat Mexico (28) in the Final. Advance to the 2013 Confederations Cup.
2012: Finish first in their qualifying group.
2013. Finish first in their qualifying group, win the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and do as well as possible in the 2013 Confederations Cup
Mexico got a seed in the 2006 World Cup and ended up with this group:
Mexico
Portugal
Iran
Angola
Assuming USA gets a seed for 2014 their group could end up, at the best, like this:
USA
Random second tier European team (Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Ukraine, Greece, etc…)
Random bad Asian team or New Zealand* (Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea)
Random bad African team (Angola, Algeria, whichever random African team qualifies)
*CONCACAF and Asian teams have been traditionally in the same pot, so if USA were to get a seed this would happen for sure.
At the very worst their group could look like this:
USA
1st tier European team that slipped in the rankings (Portugal, Italy, etc…)
Good Asian team (Japan, South Korea, Australia)
Good African team (Ivory Coast, Ghana)
The second scenario is much less likely than the first.
The best chance for USA to make a deep run in the World Cup would be if they were a seeded team. In order to be a seeded team, they need a high FIFA ranking. In order to get a high FIFA Ranking, they need to play at the Confederations Cup so they can play teams like Spain (1), Brazil (3), Japan (14), (and just a guess at the four other teams that will make it), Argentina (5), Netherlands (2), Ghana (15), and New Zealand (60) and boost their FIFA Ranking.
Of course FIFA could just decide to change the way the seeds are handed out for no reason (this has happened before) making all this for naught, but USA can’t worry about that. USA should do all that is in their power to get a seed. The start to doing this is winning THIS CONCACAF Gold Cup. Good luck, boys.
Evan Ream is a contributor to Yanks Abroad Video Highlights. He also writes a weekly column for The SACK Lunch Blog. Evan welcomes your comments and questions, he can be reached at reame@sou.edu. You can follow him on twitter @EvanReam
Adu scores game winner for Rizespor
*He scored in a 3-1 win over Tavşanlı Linyitspor.
*Highlights after the jump...
ÇAYKUR RİZESPOR -TAVŞANLI LİNYİT by 1453atmacalar
Adu scores for Rizespor in a 2-0 win over Akhisar Belediye Genclik Ve Spor
*He scored in a 2-0 win over Akhisar Belediye Genclik Ve Spor.
*Highlights after the jump...
Credit to john derksen for gif
Akhisar Belediyespor - Çaykur Rizespor Adu'nun1... by tunustan
Adu makes debut for Rizespor with 2 assists in 3-0 win
*He notched 2 assists in a 3-0 win over Orduspor.
*No highlights for this one yet.
Adu to go on loan to Turkey - 2nd-division side Rizespor
"The word about Freddy Adu signing with Turkish second flight promotion chasers Rizespor tomorrow is true."
*Greg Seltzer is reporting that Adu is going on loan to 2nd-division side Rizespor
Video: Adu at Randers FC
Spotted this at NSC. Its just a quick video of Freddy at Randers.
*Adu to remain with Randers for additional week
Galaxy to sign Adu??
*LA Galaxy close to signing Freddy Adu
Freddy Adu: "So You're Telling Me There's A Chance!"
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.
Continue reading after the jump...
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?
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