Freddy Adu in Japan! (with Video)

[DaMarcus the Hoosier]

Well, not actually in Japan, but on Japanese TV.

Having lived in Japan for a while some years back (before the World Cup, etc.), I usually watch Fuji News on the International Channel before I head out to work. And imagine the shock as they have a special report from North Carolina about Freddy Adu! And not even during the sports segment of the program -- it was during the "news" segment!

Nothing earthshaking, but it does contain heretofore unseen (as far as I know) video of the mythical Freddy in action as well as some interview snippets. Most revealing: he used to get really upset when people questioned his age, but now he just takes it as a compliment. The Fuji News crew filmed him during a day of training with the U-17s vs. some college-age players, and unfortunately during their day of shooting did not catch any unbelievable moves by Freddy, oh well.

Still, this was the LAST thing I expected to see this morning!


http://www.fnn-news.com/en/headlines/headline.html

Click down to "Click here to view FNN coverage of a 13-year-old rising soccer star from Ghana who is a member of the U.S. under-17 team." and you can watch a ram video (probably in Japanese, but his interview snippets are in English with Japanese subtitles).

(Oh yeah, just as some subtext, Fuji News swings toward the local Fox news coverage in the US (at least for where I live) in that in frequently gives extensive news coverage to sensationalistic stories and nonsense "non-events." As a recent example, they have devoted upwards of 5 minutes (think about how often a news story gets FIVE minutes of coverage here - rarely) each day to the story of a seal living in local river.)

[BerwynBlazers]

http://www.fnn-news.com/realvideo/sp2002082808_G2.ram

[Delta Blues]

I wonder who he'll challenge? Chen, Sakai or Morimoto?

[bojendyk]

Thanks for posting this! It's great to actually get the visuals.

It's tough to get a wel-balanced view of the kid from just a few minutes of footage of a practice, but what they show is pretty impressive. The kid can dribble! If he can finish too, then maybe he really is worth the hype. I see nothing here to suggest otherwise.

[PaulGascoigne]

Originally posted by Delta Blues
I wonder who he'll challenge? Chen, Sakai or Morimoto?

Which one can cook FooFoo, Accara, and groundnut soup? They need a W. African specialist.

[dogbyte]

This kid has serious game. Damn. 4 years from now, he will be 17, and alot better too. If he pans out, he should get a shot at the Ronaldo spot on the 1994 roster. Ronaldo didn't get to play, but did soak up the atmosphere.

[Stogey23]

Damn, great catch!

[peledre]

The kid has got some skills. Plus he sounds American, make him a citizen already!

[DaMarcus the Hoosier]

Originally posted by peledre
The kid has got some skills. Plus he sounds American, make him a citizen already!

Yeah, that was one thing that kind of took me off-guard -- despite only having been in the country a few years (I'm sure someone knows how long), you would be hard-pressed to tell any difference in his English from any other kid his age. Shows the power of how quickly people can learn and adapt to a new area when they are at a young age.

Of course, somebody could prove me wrong -- Do people in Ghana in general or Freddy's family specifically operate in an English-speaking environment? Other than their success at the youth level in past years, I am clearly showing that I know next to nothing about the country (sorry!).

The other thing that was nice to hear is how humble and soft-spoken he appears to be. That it has any bearing on how well he can play soccer, but giving the pressure that is/may well be placed upon him, I'm sure being humble will be a big advantage...

[dark knight]

Any chance this will be replayed tonight?

[JMU Soccer!]

Originally posted by DaMarcus the Hoosier




Of course, somebody could prove me wrong -- Do people in Ghana in general or Freddy's family specifically operate in an English-speaking environment? Other than their success at the youth level in past years, I am clearly showing that I know next to nothing about the country (sorry!).


Speaking from having a brother in the Peace Corp who was stationed in Ghana for two years, as well as having met many Ghanians. I can say Yes, it is an English Speaking Environment. They also speak Twee, a native dialect to their country.

My brother and his wife own a cat named "Onte" which means, "He who does not listen." in Twee.

[Freestyle2000]

I've seen Adu play at the youth club level (this past June), and he is worth the hype, especially for a 13-year-old.

He can finish, though it's not the strongest part of his game. He played a withdrawn forward type when I saw him, and reminded me of a bit more forceful Jaime Moreno (NOT in skill level - he's just 13, remember).

He'll be really, really good in three or four years. One of the best young U.S. talents ever.

RS

[DaMarcus the Hoosier]

Originally posted by dark knight
Any chance this will be replayed tonight?

This was on the Wednesday morning Fuji News shown on the International Channel (10AM EST, 7AM EST), which features a digest of the Wednesday evening news from Tokyo (i.e. given the time zone differences, a few hours delay, probably enough to get the Japanese translated to English and ready for subtitles). Chance of it being replayed tomorrow on Fuji News is nil, as they do not do rebroadcasts, at least on the International Channel.

[superdave]

Originally posted by dogbyte
If he pans out, he should get a shot at the Ronaldo spot on the 1994 roster. Ronaldo didn't get to play, but did soak up the atmosphere.
That worked great in the '98 final game. :)

[dark knight]

I'd rather he take the Pele spot.

[MarioKempes]

This kid is good and is going to get better.
Still, it's very early, and he may not turn out to be a star. Many a player has looked good as a youth but sputtered out in later years.

If I were a betting man, though, I'd expect to see him on the 2010 team.

[mattgabe]

Here's a question: if he's not a US citizen, how can he play on the US U-17s?

Also, he's a pretty mature 13 -- big and well-spoken. He seems a bit older than that (but probably not much). Then again, maybe I just grew up with a bunch of especially immature dorks... ;)

[LoveFifa]

No way in hell that kid is thirteen. 16 probably. He would have to be on some form of Human Growth Hormone to be that developed at thirteen.

And, no, I'm not knocking him. Just pointing out an observation. I hope he is everything and then some. We can use a superstar.

[flanoverseas]

Originally posted by mattgabe
Here's a question: if he's not a US citizen, how can he play on the US U-17s?

Also, he's a pretty mature 13 -- big and well-spoken. He seems a bit older than that (but probably not much). Then again, maybe I just grew up with a bunch of especially immature dorks... ;) He doesn't play any sanctioned matches.

[capt. america]

holy crap, kaiser soze does exist!