Profile: Freddy Adu
In this series of posts we shall look at the most promising young players who will soon capture our imagination and become the biggest stars of the game. It’s too bad this player was not chosen by Bruce Arena to play in the upcoming World Cup. We continue with Freddy Adu. (This is an advance posting.)
Overrated. That is how this kid, who grew up in the streets of Tema in Ghana, is described.
Despite of his not so good media image; he is now a full US citizen and became the youngest pro-athlete in US for the last decade at the age of 14.
The expectations on this kid as the savior of the waning MLS was too much to handle for him and was relegated as a backup on the DC United team. Despite failing expectations set on him, he managed to make it in the league’s all-star team.
It’s going to take this kid some time to develop and become a major force to reckon with but having scored 5 goals as a backup in DC United gives this kid a reason to believe.
Below is a well created compilation of Adu’s promise in the field:
May 14th, 2006 at 7:34 am
Arena is right not to include a 16 year old! Adu has potential, but it has not yet been realised. Further, I have to take exception with this paragraph:
Adu wasn’t regegated to the bench; that was his club’s the plan from day one. As you said: a promising talent at age 14, but not yet ready for prime time. The staff at DC United knew this, even if the marketing and media hype were blind.
Finally, the MLS “all-star” team is in no small part a popularity vote by fans. Adu’s inclusion in not necessarily indicative of his status as a player.