The entire reserve squad gets called up today, Freddy makes an early app. He is brought in in the 86th minute.
Ratings for the game. Freddy Adu 4: Panicked and conceded a needless corner, for which Bordeaux equalised.
Good news for Freddy, he had the same or better raiting than 6 (3.5,3.5,4,4,4,4) of the players on the *winning* team. That is a joke btw, just pointing out the subjectivity of the "ratings"
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 Agreed For a kid that will most likely captain a U20 team at a U20 World Cup that is still 9 months away, writing him off at this point in his career is some sort of sick overreaction.
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 What do you mean, forget all that reasonable stuff, he gave the ball up in the opposing team box and they went 85yds to score, he should hang up his boots!!! Done I say...done!
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 I'm a relative soccer newbie, and this thread is a great example of what I've found of soccer fans in relation to other sports (and something typical of British and Euro journalism as well). Reaction to players is all or nothing...either someone is the greatest or they're shit. Ironic with soccer, with such little tangible results available to be earned during the game (goals, assists, etc.), that there seems to be no middle room to appropriately describe a performance or one's role in a game. And basically, people believe what they want to believe. Example: Fred comes in, tracks back on defense, sees the loose ball and an oncoming Bordeaux players comign hard for it, and gets there first and boots it out. One person could see that as a heady play, allowing for a reset on defense and stopping what was probably going to be a dangerous play in a close game. Another could say that he lacked composure, and should have had the skill to collect the ball and get around the oncoming player, or that by giving the corner, he was putting ASM in a more dangerous situation than previously existed. Both are right, really. There's no way to know. It's not like American football, where a receiver runs his route a yard before the first down marker and it's evident to everyone that he screwed up by doing so. These ambiguous plays happen in other sports too, but most often in soccer IMO. So if you come in thinkign Freddy is shit, and he's the last ASM player to touch the ball before two goals are scored against them, then you're probably going to blame him for the goals. It is what it is. I'm generalizing, obviously, but that's what I see a lot on these boards. As for his career...there are too many examples to mention of young wunderkinds who putter around at different clubs before they find the right situation to make an impact and grow into their natural talent. And Freddy presents the problem of beign a bit of a tweener...is he a withdrawn forward? Or a CAM or a winger? Well, depends on the situation and style. It's not like Jozy...he has one position, and Fred's versatility is a blessing and a curse, because there isn't a definitive place for him to fit in. He needs to get out of Monaco, I think that's a given. Benfica was a great situation for him...hell, he was playign just as much as Jozy is for Villarreal until Coach Pornstasche came in and forgot he existed in the second half. Otherwise it was a great situation...but it's not now, with the addition of Suazo and the lack of a reserve team, so no need to go back. Hopefully his agent can get him somewhere...by God, you can't tell me there isn't a lower table La Liga squad that couldn't use a scoring touch this time of year??? And if he's not good enough for the big time, find a team with a reserve. Fred just needs to be playing. Thing is, we're not all wrong. He is the kid that's dominated multiple U20 world cups, he is the kid who has shown lots of brightness on the USMNT against the world's best, and he is the kid that basically saved Benfica's ass multiple times last year, without the benefit of much playing time with his teammates. He's not trash that has fooled our own eyes for 7 or 8 years now, that the great Eurosnob managers and fans have some great intuition that trumps what we've seen. He's just a young player in a bad situation and he will require some patience and some luck. Thus is life for an American footballer.
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 Another note: most posters are obviously far from writing off his career. Anything but. The reaction has more to do with the fact that since he rarely plays, that when he does people desperately want him to do well, and at the minimum things didn't go very well today. Add on the fact the WCQ's start 2/11 v. Mexico and we'd like to have a decently in-form Adu available, and we have a fairly normal Big S. implosion. All in a day's work.
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 The next U20 World Cup is in late September - October. So it's not the summer. Unless Freddy is a key player for whatever club (not likely), he's going to play in the U20 WC. I'd say there is a 90% chance he plays if healthy. Why not? Anything to give him some minutes to show what he can do will be good for him.
If he wasn't making decent money right now I would feel really bad for Freddy. He could not have asked for a worst place to be in Europe soccer wise.
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 QFT - I haven't seen Terp on here, then he comes up with this. BS needs more of this.
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 If he's at a club why take him away from the day to day club business. I would hate for him to be practicing or learning a system then be taking up in the middle of October to playing a youth tournament. He's been there done that. Rather have another player have a chance to shine.
Well I think he may be done for Monaco. Can Benfica recall him and loan him out somewhere he'd get some PT? I would think Belgium would be a decent spot ... to a Standard Liege, Club Brugge, or Anderlecht?
You don't loan a player out giving the other team an option to buy if you are really interested in bringing him back. Benfica hasn't shown any interest in bringing Adu back.
Exactly. I would expect Adu to be unloaded this summer when the loan runs out. It doesn't look like he is in Benfica's plans for the future and Monaco isn't working out. Perhaps Belgium or the Netherlands would be a decent fit. He is a little small for some of the Scandinavian leagues (maybe Denmark would be okay). I hope he can get settled some place soon and begin to play, otherwise his usefulness to us for SA2010 might be somewhat diminished.
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 The U20 WC is late this year and it does provide a dicey situation. I am interested to see how it turns out. Players that are key starters for their clubs will probably stay with the clubs but I think marginal starters and bench players will be encouraged to play in the tournament. If it becomes a trend that mere bench players are staying with their clubs, the whole U20 WC becomes pointless. Are clubs going to be required to release players? I think so as it is a FIFA event. But I would be stunned if Freddy didn't play in this tournament. As of now, he's just a bench player at a mid-lower club in France. If he plays and does well, it could add a few more $$ to his name for any potential transfer. Plus he will be guaranteed to get some good quality minutes.
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 That scenario-- Adu leans on a youth tournament 10 or so months from now as a tonic for his senior club setbacks, as a way to position himself to start again-- basically negates his entire 2009 before it even starts. (sad part is that is one way it could all play out for the kid.)
Re: Adu: Monaco vs. Bordeaux 12/21 It's not optimal certainly.. but when you have the U20 World Cup to look forward to that is still 10 months away, it means you are still very young and there is still plenty of time to get things on the right track. That tournament is a good springboard for young players. Maybe Freddy can get a fresh begining out of it.
Ives jumps in on the current Adu situation. Figured I'd post for discussion: http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_...ing-centerback-whats-next-for-freddy-adu.html