Some Revs Content: Just How Old Is Freddy Adu?

[Danizinho]

http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2003/08/19/adu_14_is_in_good_position_to_strike_it_rich

I had heard from a couple of guys who've trained with Freddy Adu at IMG that they thought he was much older than advertised. Two years ago, one former Rev told me he thought he was 17 or 18 at that time. After reading this particular quote, I'm under the impression that the U.S. Nationals are probably aware they're harboring The Original Danny Almonte. Tell me if I'm wrong, but...

""Inter put together a written offer for $15,000 a year for five years," [Revolution assistant coach Matt] Driver said. "At the time, Freddy didn't have a birth certificate, so they went by his baptismal record. Inter was willing to take a chance on him -- he was that good a prospect, even if he was one or two years older than what the baptismal record said."

[Treetaliano]

so he's 20 now?

jesus christ

HE IS 14

[Danizinho]

Originally posted by Treetaliano
so he's 20 now?

jesus christ

HE IS 14

Hold on Caballero.

Driver's quote pretty much dismisses that myth.

He's 14 just like Jack Benny was always 39.

[Gregor]

jeeze Dan, didn't you know? size & font = veracity

[Kenp]

Freddie Adu sure doesn't look or play like a 14 year old.

It certainly appears like the USSF is trying to maintain a policy of "plausible deniability" with respect to Freddie, but still hedging their bets by assigning him to the U17 team. It could so easily be resolved with a bone scan.

If Freddie's official age is maintained and Danizinho's sources turn out to be right, Freddie will start losing a step by the time he hits 24, and be washed up by 26!

An uncharacteristically informative article from Frank. However, I'd love to know more about the "tons of kids out there like [Freddie]".

Whatever Freddie's age, he's exciting to watch.

[Tea Men Tom]

But later in the article, Driver makes statements where you assume he thinks Adu is 14.

He even talks about how at his age, it's too early to speculate at what position he'll wind up because they're not sure how he's going to develop heightwise.

I think people should just leave the age issue alone. So what? I heard that idiot on Big Soccer radio last night (the guy from FSW) going on and on about the issue.

As long as he's not over 17, who really cares? The kid is a talent and whether he's 14, 15 or 16, he still would be a huge catch for MLS, even on a short term basis.

BTW, have to agree that it was a rare good column from Frank. He actually contributed something to the soccer knowledge base today. :)

[Danizinho]

There's definitely talent out there. While there's more that's known than unknown, the infrastructure could still do a better job of ferreting it out.

For example, there are a couple of Rhode Island based talents, even though they are notch below Freddy Adu. Two are the Karmue brothers - Peter and Unise - who play for Providence Country Day in East Providence. Like Adu, both are originally from Africa [Liberia].

On the club level, one plays for Stacey DeCastro's Bayside United [Peter], and Unise plays for MidState. The younger Karmue, Unise, was Adu's roommate while training for ODP. They're still very close, too.

I agree. A very informative article about Adu's future by FDA. It's also interesting about Matt Driver. As Inter's US representative, Driver's apparently well-regarded in the international community.

[Thriller]

COME ON, THAT FREDDY ADU IS NOOOOOOOOOOT AN 14 YEARS OLD BOY!!!!!
HE´S OLDER.
EVEN 16 YEARS OLD KID LOOKS YOUNGER THAN HIM.
So, here we start: USA spreading its pride for having a 14-years-old boy football talent, someone who really isn´t a real American or a real 14-years-old-boy.
Look who talks about Cheat, if this is the begining I´m scare to think about the rest.

[Treetaliano]

you're all a bunch of ********ing tools..seriously

Have any of you seen Freddy Adu in person?

I have. At the US-Mexico friendly in Lancaster, CA earlier this year..got my photo with him and Memo...

I am 27 and 5 foot 9 inches tall. I was taller than him by about least 3 inches, and I outweighed him by at least 10 pounds...I am 160 pounds.

Look at him next to Szetela...Szetela is a frigging beast...how come he's not "20" ?

Posted by me about 6 months ago...

Adu Adu Adu...

You know what...I'm freaking sick of this Adu isn't 13 sh!t...really..it damn sad...I'm going to lay it out like this...

First ask yourself...what in the bloody hell good was it for Mrs Adu to state that her sons were anything other than their real ages back when she applied to come to the USA? (I myself went thru this process trying to obtain a visa for my wife when we were thnking about living in the states before I decided I'd like to live in Italy)

Was Mrs Adu going to jeopardize her and her son's futures by saying her 8 and 12 year old son's were 8 and 4 instead?? What good would that have done?? You make ONE false claim, hell you make one SPELLING error on those documents you might as well kiss your visa goodbye.

Ok so if you have managed to come up with a good answer for that one, please share it with us...

I'm going to assume that you haven't...

Ok now try this...do you know ANYTHING about Ghana?? Anything at all?? Take a wild guess what the official language is of Ghana? Well...I'll be damned...It's freaking ENGLISH!! Imagine that...now...Take an equally wild guess at which calendar they use in Ghana? Well f*** me sideways...it's the same exact one that the USA and 90% of the world uses...Now Mr Argentine Futbol and you other idiots that can't get your heads out of your asses, do you have any children?? Well...in the case of you, Argentine Futbol and the quality of your posts I can't imagine that you've been able to show the intelligence to con some female into ever having sex with you, but you are someones child no? I'm going to go out on a limb here and surmise that your parents love you.

Do you think that Mrs Adu doesn't love her sons?

Of course she does.

You might think that such a special and important date such as the birth of your child would be burned into your memory would you not??

So up until this point..let's review

Mrs Adu speaks and has spoken English her entire life
Mrs Adu understands the concepts of months, days and years
Mrs Adu wanted to and applied to enter a lottery to gain a visa to move to the USA which she won
Mrs Adu then filled out the required documentation, knowing that any mistekes or falsifications would lead to her not obtaining said visa, and/or being banned from ever trying again
Mrs Adu then was approved and brought her 8 and 4 year old sons into the USA and began her new life here

Again if you have a retort for ANY of these points, please share it with us..

OH...But his brith certificate wasnt filled until he was FIVE!!!

Well you know what? I am American, and I nor my parents ever received a correct copy of my birth certificate until I was 18 when I applied for my driver's license and had to declare for the draft. My "original" said my name was Alan, (which isn't my given, it's my middle name), and it also said that I was born on November 2nd, 1975. Now this is America OMG how did this happen?!? SO I had a screwed up birth certificate and the only way I was able to get it fixed was with long legal wrangling and basically my parents saying..well yeah...he was born on the 1st, not the 2nd...Point being...Even IF this birth certificate was issued when he was 5, don't you think that Mrs Adu would have noticed something was amis if it stated the incorrect date?

Another point. I am now 27. I can remember EVERY one of my birthdays until I was 3. I can remember where I was for my 3rd birthday, who was there, what kind of cake I had etc...same goes uo until the time I was in college except then it was what beer did I have with what busty blonde...point is....it's not that difficult to remember.

SO again, what benefit would it had been for Mrs. Adu to bring her "12-15" year old son into the states, enroll him in school etc (that is assuming of course that she was able to fool the American Consulate, the State Department and the INS as well as having sever memory problems) and claiming he was 8? Any bright ideas? Unless her idea was to get deported and/or arrested then I would like to here some good ideas.

OH!!!...but if they claim he is younger than he is, than he will get more hype, then he'll get more money!!

Huh??

They boy was "discovered" by...get ready for this...playing in the playground at RECESS!! Holy crap! A little boy playing soccer at recess with other little boys! So one of the other boys tells his coach "hey this new black boy from school plays really good, coach. Maybe you shouls ask him to play for us!"

So then what happens..."Coach" invites young Freddy to practice and then is blown away by his skill.

So NOW the conspiracy must begin, right?

"Mrs Adu, I'd like to invite your boy to be a member of our team, but the best thing for you, and the boy ,is to lie and say he is younger"
"Gee Coach that's a bloody good idea! Maybe, you could bring him over to Italy, and have Inter Milan offer us $750,000 just to TRAIN with the team!"
"You sure are a scemer Mrs Adu! I think I'm gonna like you!"
"Just call me Emelia"

Wow...thats biggest sense of intutition ever, because you know what? Inter did make this offer...but for some reason...Mrs Adu decides that after she has conned the American Consulate, the State Department, the INS the Baltimore public school system and god knows how many other official agencies, Freddy himself can't remember his own age etc...then they just decide to up and refuse a contract for THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION DOLLARS!

You actually believe that?? Really?? please stand up on your anti-American-we-don't-want-to-give-your-nation-any-soccer-credit soapbox and be heard.

OHH!!! But he doesn't LOOK 13!!

I dont know about the rest of you guys, but I specifically remember when I was 11 or 12 and in 7th-8th grades and having to "hit the showers" with all the other kids. Does anyone else? I was the kid that wrapped myself in my towel all the way from my locker to the shower cause I was embarassed to be seen naked infront of all these other kids who were already um...well let's just say "gone through the change" Hell, a few of those kids were 6 feet something and well..."very devolped" So a boy being 13 and 5'7 is NOT strange at all. Look at the pictures for f***s sake. Take a glance at a few of the ones from the Jamaica match that fidlerre posted. Freddy looks like a midget compared to those kids. Look at him compared to some of the other kids on the USA U-17 team, he looks younger than almost all of them. It works both ways. I got pulled over last spring in California by a cop who thought I was ditching HS and joyriding. WHen I told him that I had already graduated with my MASTER'S degree he laughed in my face...

It boils down like this. Most of you naysayesr dont want the USA to be successful, and now with this kid it allows us to be even more successful than we will be regardless of whether Adu plays or not, you've got to find some excuse to discredit this kid's talent or worse yet, question his and his mother ethical and moral standards. I've gotta guess this hurts the poor kid. he has enough damn pressure on him as it is, and he has to deal with this crap?

Freddy is a talented young man. He has a bright future ahead of him, and you know what Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany etc? He's an American. Developed his skills in America and will continue to do so.

Freddy Adu is THIRTEEN. Now deal with it.

[AndyMead]

Just don't refer to Danzinho as a troll.

[Danizinho]

Treetaliano: Besides having serious mental issues, you're an apex jocksniffer. That I'm sure of.

Also, if I were the Adu's, I'd get a 209A against you.

This is just a discussion, too.

[dban]

Originally posted by Thriller
COME ON, THAT FREDDY ADU IS NOOOOOOOOOOT AN 14 YEARS OLD BOY!!!!!
HE´S OLDER.
EVEN 16 YEARS OLD KID LOOKS YOUNGER THAN HIM.
So, here we start: USA spreading its pride for having a 14-years-old boy football talent, someone who really isn´t a real American or a real 14-years-old-boy.
Look who talks about Cheat, if this is the begining I´m scare to think about the rest.

Are you really this stupid or is this just your internet persona.

[mpruitt]

Not that I'm clalling Driver a liar or FDA a poor reporter, but every other figure that's been reported on in regards to the Adu Inter offer has been much higher than the one he speaks about.

In fact, though Adu has gained attention because of his exploits performing against older players, his value has been exaggerated, the original Inter proposal inflated without credible confirmation. Inter offered Adu what was essentially a developmental contract in April 2000 after a U-14 tournament in Italy.

"The idea was that Freddy could continue his education here and we would keep an eye on him and make sure he was developing, and Inter would bring him over several times a year with his mother. [Tarzy] said it wasn't enough money, and Inter came back and was willing to go to $25,000 a year for five years, and after five years Freddy would be free to do what he wanted. He would be 16 or 18 years old with $125,000 in the bank accumulating interest."

"Someone with political clout started pushing the right buttons and this became a human interest story," Driver said.

"Coaches identified him and he has been brought along at the right pace under John Ellinger, who is one of the best youth coaches in the country. But Freddy is not the only kid in the country who is that good. There are tons of kids out there like that.

All these are pretty explosive alligations. This is a very negative Adu story if you go back and read it. It kinda stinks in my mind actually. The day after you see a SI report from Whal basically stating that there might be some money issues with Freddy and MLS you have a goal keeper coach basically coming out and slamming him, and saying that the figure which had been reported for his signing at Inter was not only highly inflated, but they had in fact turned down lesser money?

Again I'm not calling Driver a liar or FDA but statements like "his value has been exaggerated, the original Inter proposal inflated without credible confirmation." Are pretty freaking brash, and based on what? What is that assesment accredited to? What Matt Driver said? He was told to scout Adu? Under what relationship, through his involvement with the ODP program? And then he comes out and says there are a "ton" of kids in the US with his talent? Something I think is very fishy about this story.

[NFLPatriot]

Interesting article. If Adu signs with MLS this winter, he would have to be in the draft, with Dallas or Chivas holding the first pick.

If he signs a developmental contract with a European club, and then is loaned to MLS until he turns 18, can MLS then assign him to DC as a discovery pick or allocation?

I think somehow he will end up in DC next year, unless that means he can't be on the US Olympic team, too.

[Danizinho]

Originally posted by AndyMead
Just don't refer to Danzinho as a troll.

AndyMead: WTF is your problem? Seriously...

I strongly suggest you re-read the column, too.

Like I said, too, calling folks trolls on the Web is nothing short of laughable. Internet xenophobes??? Wow.

[AndyMead]

Originally posted by Danizinho
AndyMead: WTF is your problem? Seriously...

I strongly suggest you re-read the column, too.

Like I said, too, calling folks trolls on the Web is nothing short of laughable. Internet xenophobes??? Wow.

Where else would you call them a troll? "Troll" is a term used precisely for internet message boards.

I stand by my claim. Good day, sir.

[mpruitt]

On second thought. This is poor reporting by FDA, he makes a lot of allegations based on one source. Has anyone ever heard of Matt Driver ever being a representative for Inter before this? How come that wasn't better explained? I don't think that anything in the article really questions whether or not Freddy is 14, it does question the fact whether or not you can prove he's 14. That is a legitimate question, but apparently according to to another one of Whal's articles SI sent people to find out and didn't come up with anything to suggest otherwise.

In regards to Danizinho's sources on the Revs... They're people like anyone and have a right to their oppinion. But there's no way that they would know any better than you or I what Freddy Adu's honest to goodness age is. I'm sure that they told you their oppinion in some form of bieng off the record, but just as I scream at other people for questioning his age, nothing really gives people the right to speculate that a 14 year old kid is lying without any proof to validate that claim.

[Treetaliano]

Originally posted by Danizinho
Treetaliano: Besides having serious mental issues, you're an apex jocksniffer. That I'm sure of.

Also, if I were the Adu's, I'd get a 209A against you.

This is just a discussion, too.

Jocksniffer...very profound.

Show some facts to discount anything I wrote above...

no on second thought...scratch that..welcome to my signature.

[Danizinho]

Originally posted by Treetaliano
Jocksniffer...very profound.


Yes, a jocksniffer.

What else would you call a 27-year-old male who poses for pictures with young men in soccer kits?

[Weber King]

Originally posted by Treetaliano
you're all a bunch of f***ing tools..seriously

Nice language, tool.

Troll elsewhere.