Someone sent me not one, but TWO, realistic looking e-mails saying that Real Salt Lake acquired Freddy Adu. Is this an update of the Nigerian scam, changed to Ghana in some way? Anyone know of a good spam blocker that works on Yahoo Mail? EDIT - okay, they've also hacked into MLSnet. Talk about commitment to a prank. If they had done more research, though, they'd have known that DC wouldn't have given away a starting midfielder and a former starting keeper for a backup and "future considerations" including a "major allocation" or some crap like that. If this WERE real - and I'm not that freaking stupid - this would probably mean one of three things. (1) Freddy Adu is the biggest bust since Uschi Digard. (Use safe mode when you run that Google search if you're at work, my friends.) (2) Piotr Nowak bungled the biggest can't-miss prospect since the opposable thumb. (3) A little of both, plus someone actually believed me when I said Nolly was a hot prospect. Or maybe no one is at fault, and that this was a good change for both Adu and DC United. GOD, I'm funny. My knee-jerk reaction is to go with (2), seeing as how Nowak was supposed to be not just the adult, but the hard-nosed pro who would teach the realities of the game. I've got a little trouble blaming the kid who's less than half Nowak's age. If Nowak didn't want to be in loco parentis, he shouldn't have taken the DC job. Ray Hudson could have screwed up Adu just as well, and he at least would have been funny about it. If this story is real, which it of course isn't, so I don't know why I'm bothering with it. Expect my multi-page FC Dallas/Steve Morrow post first thing in the morning.
Really? Because it flashed on the bottom of the screen during the Bears game. I nearly shit myself when I saw it. Not that me shitting myself isn't a regular occurence. Its very liberating. You should try it.
I do not understand why this trade happens since Adu will concievably be in Europe before the end of 08
Could it be that DCU is making room for a "Beckham Rule" star player on their roster? Is this actually a prank? (I'm not a big US soccer fan so maybe I wouldn't know, but it looks pretty real - i.e. even international media is reporting this story)
I think Mr. Loney is being sarcastic. of course this is Real (pardon the pun) it's been reported at mlsnet.com, foxsports.com, espn.com, I'm betting even yanksabroad.com is reporring it. who knows, maybe even ussoccer.com is posting this story. I never can tell how deep the sarcasm runs on bigsoccer............
Freddy's most endearing quality on the field was his smile - His least endearing quality was his pout - His most frequent quality was looking lost on defense when opposing wingers or defenders went by him unmarked Freddy would be estatic after he scored his goals - He would tease teammates for scoring only on PKs after they scored theirs Freddy came gifted with a creative knack on the ball - He also says diving is creative Last year he complained about lack of playing time, which soccer experts Kornheiser and Wilbon blared to America - Last year Freddy started approx 2/3 and played nearly 3/4 of available games and minutes of play - Last year he was at the bottom of the team for offensive midfielders and forwards in scoring per minute Freddy came to DC United gifted with quickness on the ball and a nifty scoring touch - He came with little awareness of off-the-ball runs (although this he gained some late last year and more this year) - He came with absolutely NO knowledge or desire to play Basic Principles of Soccer on the field (i.e. Three Rules of Defense & Three Rules of Offense) - And that he has retained until the very end The only way DC United won the lottery for Freddy as a star of select team soccer was at Mrs Adu's insistence - The only way DC United will sign another young 15-16 yr old player is if he has played more pick-up 3v3 and 4v4 soccer than select team or ODP soccer He came having a limited knowledge of field play by knowing only one position: A-Mid - He leaves having played A-Mid some, and having played a lot at Forward and Wing - The question is whether or not he bothered to learn anything from this
guys this is the first step in a domino trail.... how do you get Real Madrid's attention? how to you establish player swaps, loans, etc? how to you get to fly over there for training, coaching etc? you get the one player in the MLS Real Madrid voiced interest in. Net result, Freddy plays in the MLS, is loaned to Real (for extra $$$). RSL gets 1-2 Real Madrid younger players on loan. If Freddy sticks then he's transfered or essentially shared at some level. Huge marketing, bringing Real Madrid closer to your organization.
i think this is a great thing for The Major League Soccer. they got on sportscenter! The Major League Soccer should trade him again so they can get on sportscenter again.
Presumably D.C. traded him because they know he's going to transfer to Europe once he reaches 18 anyway (and the transfer window, that solution in search of a problem, comes up), which means he'll leave sometime next season. Why not get something for him and then build your team from the beginning of the season rather than trying to reconstitute it during the season when he moves on? I would have thought Freddy would have wanted to stay long enough to play in the CCC and MLS/FMF competitions, though.
RSL just traded a "major" allocation for an average MLS winger (above average offensively; way below defensively) who's going to be around for two months. The rub is that Adu may very well be a spectacular #10, a position he was never going to play for DC as long as Christian Gomez was around. Bottom line is that it's put-up or shut-up time for Freddy. He's done a lot of talking the past couple of years - about his playing time, about his position on the field, about running the offense through him, etc etc - and now, for a few months at least, he's likely going to get his chance to prove it wasn't just talk. Same applies to Nowak, who always wanted one midfield general and 4 "workers" around him. DC better be the shiznit from beginning to end this year, or he's going to be looking for work.
This is ridiculous! They've hacked Yahoo, ESPN, etc too! Everyone is reporting on this story. At this rate, people might believe he's actually going to RSL...
...and Freddy is now dreaming of what? Having to live in Utah for at least a couple of months...I mean, look what that reALity and being re-united with Ellinger has done for Clint Mathis.
I remember one outburst in 2004 when he complained about not being able to play and another in 2005 when he complained about being benched after being awarded MLS player of the week. Any other outbursts? Please provide the quotes. I wanna see them. A lot of people say that "Freddy talked a lot" yet have no evidence to back it up with.
Nowak did a good job with Freddy, close to a great job. But there have been times where I think, especially in the last two seasons, he was far too cautious. My biggest complaint (and the one I think forever ended the partnership) was the conference final. Adu didn't always play up to his potential, but he was having one of this best games of the year that day. We needed a goal. Adu seemed poised to help us get it, and he was pulled out. I still don't understand it. Most of the time, Nowak was correct in his playing time. But there were a few where it seemed it wasn't so much about Adu's form on the day as it was keeping his young star in check.
Okay, let's suppose Real Salt Lake are being tools for accepting him, even for two months. (1) How happy will recent investor Dave Checketts be about being rooked by AEG? What do you think that does for the stadium they're trying to build? What do you think Checketts tells other potential investors, including the marks who just bought into Kansas City? (2) Am I wrong in thinking potential suitors will see this transfer and think "Hey, if this kid is God's other son, why is DC United giving him up for Jay Nolly?" Will future big names be concerned that they too could be exiled to hellholes like New England or Houston? And while Freddy's contract is up, should we really be screwing around with the kid just for spite? (3) Yeah, DC's supposed to also get a major allocation. Whoop-de-yip. Here's how major allocations work. Let's not use real names, in order to avoid giving offense. But suppose national team star Bandon Bonovan wants to go to the Galaxy, or English World Cup and media superstar Michael Beckman wants to go to the Metrostars. However, those teams don't have enough allocations. Here's what doesn't happen: Fradu or Bonovan or Beckman are told, "Sorry, because of our unique system, you can't go to the team you want. Instead, you're going to a place called Columbus, Ohio. It's the home of the first Wendy's. Hello? Hello?" If DC United had their eye on a major name player, then they will get that major name player. Suppose for the sake of argument that player was a young phenom named, oh, Eddy Fradu. That young player goes to DC, and whoever holds the number one draft pick gets a controlling interest in a deep, dark shaft. In fact, had Adu been sent to Dallas for an allocation and Shaka Hislop, that would have been the absolute toffee peanuts. Did Dallas ever even spend that allocation they were supposed to have gotten for Freddy? I hope it wasn't on Eddie Johnson! Or Hislop, come to think of it.