More than anything mentioned so far, his penchant for being knocked over by a stiff breeze is his biggest problem.
1. When you have space, run at the goal!!! 2. Stop trying moves when players surround you, just keep it simple. There is a time and place for those moves, but not 35 yards from goal with 2 guys on your back. 3. Work harder off the ball to get into positions where you CAN get the ball. 4. MOST IMPORTANT: Freddy is a great passer, so when you receive the ball have a look around and play an effective ball. Freddy was at his best tonite when he played really good passes.
This is really a myth. Freddy wasn't knocked over that much. And when he was, it wasn't because of his small size or lack of strength. It was because he held on to the ball doing nothing for forever.
Someone should rewatch the tape and tell me how many times... 1) He was knocked to the ground. 2) He was knocked off the ball. 3) He was straight up dispossessed. It was too much against a Honduran B side.
He was really active in the first game. He was pressuring very high and won several balls from effort. However, he might have taken some slack for losing the team 'form' from coaches. Don't know. It was strange not to see him busting his rear against Honduras. Almost as if he was told to hold form. Which makes sense with Ching in there to hold possession and matriculate up the field. I thought he and Ching did not pair well at all together.
As long as Freddy does not give up and pack it in (and doesn't suffer a major injury), he WILL develop into a top-level player. Perhaps not the overwhelmingly dominant player he was in the youth tournaments, but a definite top-flight, first XI sort of player. But it will take work and time. And I hope he realizes now just how much work he's got to do. He hasn't lost anything. Just fallen out of form and game fitness and gotten rusty. Form is temporary. He can get that back.
I have lost a lot of my respect for Adu as a player. Last night, he brought home to me the fundamental flaw in his game: he does not play with fluid involvement of his teammates. By that I mean that either he is unaware of the moment-to-moment field tactics or he elects to ignore them. Either way, his play is too much centered on himself and not on his teammates. He holds the ball too long looking for his own opportunities; he dribbles too much trying to create his own opportunities; he fails to play quick combination play to create tactical space for himself; he fails to make hard runs off the ball, creating tactical space for himself and opportunity for others. He is distinctly second string. Unless his speed of play and tactical generosity grow by 50% at least, he is not suitable for the USMNT, regardless of his ball skills.
This is basically what I've been saying all along whenever people would argue "we need our most skilled players on the field, and that means Adu." That style of game you describe served him well as an early-maturing youth player, but it will never cut it at the senior level for reasons that you've clearly observed. Nevertheless, there's no reason he's not fully capable of learning to play at this level. But he needs playing time to do that. And to regain match form and fitness, which he's lost. That is all fixable. A good club season could do wonders for him. But in order for that to happen, he MUST make this adjustment. Anybody remember just how down everybody was on Onyewu-The-Human-Yellow-Card two years ago? Look what two years did for his game. We've never had a better defender. Very often I think the difference between a very talented failure and a player who goes on to have a great career (not only in soccer but in a number of sports) is the ability to make the first adjustment when talented, senior-level opposition learns to shut down the game you'd relied on as a youth to get you to the top level. Some make that adjustment and become smart, talented veterans. Some never learn and become washouts. There's no reason Adu can't learn, and he will if he doesn't give up. The problem is that kids who could kick the whole world's ass without even trying sometimes lack the fortitude to dig down and compete when it's not so easy anymore. It took Landon a long time to really learn how to do that, but it's clear the past, oh, 2 years (since about Beckham's arrival) that he's finally learned to do just that. Adu might do it this season, which would be ideal. Or it might take a few years. Or... it might not happen if he mentally packs it in and doesn't believe or care anymore. But I don't think he's done that yet, so I still have hope.
the downsides of his game right now are things we've seen him do better at before. good luck to him in training camp. hope he finds some field time
Never have jumped on the Adu bandwagon. He has never shown consistantly, game by game that he should be playing at the senior USMNT. Can he? Sure. He is still young enough. I think becoming a full time starter at the club level would approve his confidence and his consistancy. However, Adu has shown enough holes in his play (getting knocked off the ball easily, not connecting well with teammates, and poor decision making) to warrent concerns that WC2014 is more realistic for him.
I would like to have seen how Freddy does if Feilhauber starts and Pause is left in Chicago where he belongs. Freddy seemed caught between playing forward and trying to start the attack from midfield.
Ditto. Would have also liked to see him on the wing. BB played him there at Saprissa, but not in the GC? Another head scratcher.
From what I understand, the position BB put him in last night........is the position Adu wants to play. He wants the Donovan role. Problem, no? He's not remotely as good as Donovan is right now. Who knows about the future, but right now it's not even close.
I keep reading posts that go something like... I would like to see Freddy playing as a.... Or... I would like to see Freddy paired with... Or. I would like to see Freddy played in a..... formation. This isn't limited to Freddy supporters by any means, but what you all really want to watch is the team practices, not games.