Old vacuum cleaner might be a good nickname for a worn out defensive midfielder. Old step over or Old malingerer might be a better fit for Freddy, er Frank . ..
Damn the manager kept it hella real. You usually don't get those types of comments even if it's how they feel.
No way a guy as good at the age of 15 today as Freddy was when HE was 15 would be "just a good prospect." People are forgetting just how promising Freddy was. How good was he? In the year he turned 14, he contributed to a U-20 team that won a knockout game. He was age eligible for the next THREE U-20 championships, had 6 years of growth ahead of him, and was still good enough to help one of the 8 best U-20 teams in the world. He just never got any better after that, because he didn't work at getting better. His peak, arguably, was with DC in 2006. DC hardly missed a beat when he moved to the middle for Christian Gomez, who often tired and got subbed out in the 75th minute or so.
He also never grew much more and got relatively slower and weaker compared to the people he was competing against as he moved up to adults. World class technical ability, mediocre size speed strength to go with lousy work habits.
Freddy's career failed for 3 reasons. 1. His practice habits are reportedly terrible. 2. His decision making when playing against pros was terrible. He had all the technical ability in the world, but when you pass when you should shoot, shoot when you should dribble, and dribble when you should pass, over and over and over and over again, there's no place for you playing with pros. 3. The role God created him for, an attacking mid with few defensive responsibilities playing behind 2 strikers, disappeared from soccer at the exact time he was leaving his teenage years.
Sorry but for all us "try-hards" who didn't have an 1/8th of Freddy, or Franks ability and had to get by on guile and guts, this story is awesome. I don't have the least bit of sympathy for the turd. As good as a player as Messi and Ronaldo are, soccer is still thankfully a team game and if you can't connect (no pun intended) in some form or fashion with your teammates out on that field, you're as good as worthless. Atleast until they create an X-games equivalent of soccer.
I will say, I thought that he was on the road to comeback when Bob Bradley used him in that 2011 Gold Cup final against Mexico. I guess it's not surprising that game was totally void of defense by the USMNT.
I wouldn't say that's the only 3 reasons. His tactical awareness and positioning off the ball have always been bad, his defensive abilities are almost nil, his balling winning abilities are way below average, his speed/size/strength/work reate is below average, and while I agree on the decision making, I'd add that he'd try to dribble 3 people and fail rather than a simple pass. The Guardian's Fiver picked up on this story: MUCH ADU ABOUT NOTHING “It’s a joke … Marketing knew, the staff at the club knew … only the coach did not know who the triallist was. Whoever invited him, let him trial him. What is the point of having such a player? The CEO says that it’s marketing. We may as well have Janusz Chomontek [a Polish football freestyler]” – we could be wrong but, reading between the lines, we don’t think Radoslaw Mroczkowski, manager of newly promoted Polish club Sandecja Nowy Sacz, is entirely on board with Freddy Adu joining his team.
I would argue that everything except what I put in bold is covered by the #10 role disappearing. I mean, compare him to Valderrama in terms of defense. Compare him to Etcheverry in terms of ball winning. Or on the world stage, Riquelme. It wasn't that long ago that many MLS teams defended with 7 field players and the keeper. Freddy would have gotten much more rope in that era. Still would have hanged* himself with his crappy decision making. *Remember, pictures are hung, people are hanged. Horses are hung too, but that's a different kind of hung.
Still remember lots of fans being excited seeing him play that summer of 2008 when he saw time against Argentina and Spain. He dribbled himself silly in that Spain game and then looked up and realized he was all alone in a corner of the field with no teammates anywhere near him, I'm sure Bob Bradley loved that.
There is some truth to the 10 role disappearing, I guess, but if Freddy had the tactical ability and possesion skills of Valderrama, I'm not sure he wouldn't have done a better job carving out a role for himself. Heck Pirlo doesn't move much either, but he was recently playing for a Euro finalist. (I remember Etcheverry as more of an animal as far as defending and ball winning, but you have likely seen him more than me.) Point being, if you are good enough, a role will probably be found for you. Freddy was a trickster, Valderrama and Etcheverry were very much team players.
In the past I would sign and never get a chance to play. I do not want to make that mistake again!— @FreddyAdu (@FreddyAdu) August 1, 2017
The full text of his tweets: Just wanted to let everyone know that I will not be signing with sandecja. I have been in a situation like this before in Monaco and it ended badly. I havnt had a chance to train or do anything with the team but I have to find the best situation for my career. It is important to have everyone on board before signing and that's not the case here so I've decided to wait for a better situation! Thanks for the continued support! In the past I would sign and never get a chance to play. I do not want to make that mistake again! Some people might try and spin this as a bad thing but I see it as a good decision because I do not want to be in the middle of this! Definition of insanity is when you keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. At some point you gotta learn from mistakes!