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designated players
benfica for the soul
Freddy Adu has played his last Major League Soccer game for what would appear at least the next five years, which is the reported length of his deal with Portugese Super Liga club Benfica. I’ve long supported Americans playing abroad, so I’m happy to see Freddy get his chance.
But it’s just not that simple.
American soccer has never seen the likes of Freddy Adu. Who else has held such promise? Landon, maybe, but he didn’t have American press attention at 14. It’s why, along with some flashes of brilliance, that attention is still on Adu, and it’s why his transfer may end up being more exciting than Beckham’s. With Beckham, you know what you’re getting. With Freddy, it’s up in the air like a Flavor of Love clock ceremony. This could get ugly or end happily ever after.
A teenager is being moved to a new country with a new team, new language, new expectations. He leaves the U.S. without reaching really any expectations, youth world cups withstanding. Some might say his move to the Iberian peninsula is asking for more of the same.
But ages 14-18 hardly make a career; there is plenty of time still for Adu to find his feet fulltime (and against men). Remember, somewhere in that age range, Michael Jordan, as a high school sophomore, was cut from his high school basketball team.
Worry and excitement. It could make for some good TV, if we get to see any of those games stateside.
Will Adu, both older and wiser yet still ridiculously young, prove to the world (and Bob Bradley; Adu’s best moments are exactly what US Soccer needs) that he is ready for the big time? For his sake, you have to hope so, because one has to wonder if the player and the fans can take a repeat of the last four years. But it is another four years – he’ll be just 22 – that we need before we can even begin to know what US Soccer really has in him. Right about 2010.
Jay Jaeger
on Aug 1st, 2007 - 7:18am
I think this move is good for US soccer. MLS is losing a good player - well are we? He never played that well in MLS, but let’s not worry about that for now.
European soccer is a very different style than MLS, it is a known fact. Not saying MLS is bad, just saying they currently are on different levels. International play is even harder than club play, so for our players to get experience in other countries will benefit the US MNT in the future - the future being three years away in South Africa.
How will Freddy do over there? I don’t know. He played excellent in the U20 World Cup, not so excellent in MLS. To me that means nothing. A player has to fit in the system his team plays. Look at EJ - unstoppable for KC right now, but my three year old nephew could play against him when he puts on the MNT jersey.
The point is, I am happy to see a good US player move to an international league. Not to weaken MLS, but to strengthen US Soccer.
Madkow
on Aug 1st, 2007 - 10:13am
I for one am extremely pleased with the Adu move. The kid really needs the experience on some of the highest levels of soccer. At least Benfica is competing in UEFA. DC and RSL have not really helped Adu progress. Hopefully on the big stage with some good players he can shine.
Patrick Dunnigan
on Aug 1st, 2007 - 12:01pm
Leaving MLS to go to a bigger more challenging and pressure-filled stage was necessary for him and needed to happen as soon as possible (in my opinion). Because of the way he began in MLS (as it’s proclaimed savior, despite being 14 years old; think about how mature and grown you were at that age) he has never fully felt comfortable in the league and developed a mental block when it came to MLS. He also never got a chance to be the “#10” (referencing the “creator” role that #10 implies for you non-soccer people out there), to play his favorite position, central midfield.
He has been far from spectacular in his 4 years in the league but has been beyond spectacular consistently at the youth national team level (where he was captain) even against the world’s best (see the Brazil highlight reel film from last month’s FIFA U20 world cup – he outshined Brazilian star Pato).
Like with many things in life, sometimes we need a clean slate, to start from scratch and to begin anew again. This is why he needs to leave. He needs to start from a clean slate again, at a place where he’s not ordained the savior of the league, team, etc. He needs a fresh start.
Further, most American soccer players do not understand the pressure on the players in Europe. There is no NFL, MLB or NBA (NHL purposely left out) to compete with media coverage and local news. Every citizen lives and breathes their hometown team. Every game is life and death and any American who has played in Europe will tell you….. that day in and day out pressure makes you a better player. You can’t afford to half-ass a practice every once in a while or take the day off every so often. American players being in this environment is what is going to take our National Team to the next level because that is the environment that the world’s best stars play in. This environment will toughen Freddy up, and as long as he responds well to it (he’s more mature now) he will thrive.
The next question then becomes, where should he go? England? Italy? Germany? Holland? Spain?
Many people always talk about the powerhouses of the world, the Chelsea’s, the Man U’s, the AC Milans’ etc. But it would be a huge mistake if he went to a New York Yankee type club; a club that consistently buys the world’s best talent each year. Most astute soccer people have always said, he needs to go to either Holland (Ajax in particular) or Spain where they have a reputation and history of developing young talent in their youth system and reserve programs that eventually play on their first team. These are also leagues that allow for much more skillful play (which is Adu’s strength) in contrast to the much more physical English Premier League or German Bundesliga (Adu is only 5’8ish).
His current pending transfer to Benfica in Portugal is another team and country that fits that mold. This is a good decision. Benfica is a European power (finished third in Portugal last year), they play in the Champion’s League, and they are famous for signing young prospects and turning potential into the real thing (they just signed two other stars from the U20 world cup last month form Argentina, the team that won it).
He will have the perfect balance between being challenged and having opportunity. He will have to work harder than he ever has to gain a starting spot, yet it is possible if he does. He would not see the field anytime soon if he went to Chelsea or Man U etc. and these are crucial development years where he needs to be seeing first team action every week against the world’s best.
Lastly, he wanted to leave, and he wants to play in Europe. He has always been a player that plays best when he is happy and he will have a chance to play in the middle of the field, to be the “# 10”.
So he has finally gotten what he wanted. It’s now on him. Time will tell….
Chris
on Aug 1st, 2007 - 4:16pm
Concur with most of what Patrick said above. In the end Freddy has to do what makes Freddy happy. I find it hard to be too critical of someone that entered their chosen profession at the age of 14 and has been able to experience any level of success. It is odd how everyone wants to say the MLS has done nothing for Freddy. I guess he could have been in High School for the last 4 years if we didn’t have a domestic league. To those that are critical of the MLS and the opportunity it gives players think about where our player development was 20 years ago in this country.
Salt
on Aug 1st, 2007 - 7:35pm
How is being an All-star at 17/17 not reaching expectations. You talk about goals, the top youth players(who are forwards or playing there actual position, not wingback) have about the same scoring stats at that age, and they’re not playing wingback. he did vry well in MLS if you watched the gamesand not just the stat sheets. He was clearly the most skilled.
Brian
on Aug 5th, 2007 - 10:13am
Like what salt said, he spent the entire time playing left-wing and he is a central attacking midfielder. Also a problem with the press in the USA is they raise the expectations to levels that are good expectations for someone like ronaldinho or henry but freddy adu is only 18 and everybody thinks he’s failed in the MLS because the expectations were to high. Also thats kind of whats happening with beckham right now. Everyone thinks that beckham will score a goal every game or throw some amazing moves out there but thats not the kind of player he is. But the press is making him look like he can do everything and once the non-soccer fans realize that then there going to hate soccer more then they did before.
emmanuel izuogu
on Sep 10th, 2007 - 5:04pm
I AM A YOUNG TALENTED PLAYER, LOOKING FOR A CLUB TO PLAY FOR, WHERE I WILL
DISPLAY MY YOUTHFULL REASOURCES.
IT WILL BE A GREAT PLEASURE IF I COULD BE RECRUTED TO ESTABLISH MY CARIER.
BELOW ARE MY PERSONEL DATAS TO ENABLE YOU MAKE GOOD USE OF YOUR POSITION AND
OFFICE FOR AN HONEST EVALUATION OF MY CAPABILITY.
SURNAME: IZUOGU
GIVEN NAMES: EMMANUEL
NATIONALITY: NIGERIAN
AGE: 16YRS
PREVIOUS CLUBS: JUNIOR SPARTANS GABON, RED DOVES OF GABON; BLUE SEA OF GABON
POSITION IN FIELD: MID FIELDER
WEIGHT: 65KG
FOOTBALL CONTROL: EXCELLENT
ATHLETIC RATING: EXCELLENT
LEG (S) RIGHT LEG
AWAITING TO HEARING FROM YOU.
SINCERELY
EMMANUEL IZUOGU
emmanuel_top10@yahoo.co.uk
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