now i've seen this kid play on his pot cougars team and guest playing for older teams... I really dont know why everyone thinks he is amazing...he has skill yes but not enough to be offered a spot with inter... i have been to my share of games in the world and ive seen the junior Arsenal play.. now some of those kids are about 12 and know twice as much as the best player in the US.. they know where to be and could punish the DC youth teams! And all this stuff about moving to Real and things of that nature.. I think real has more power to take the best players in the world than just the US ... so stop thinking this freddy kid is the next pele or rivaldo... and he is no way 13 he has to be atleast 16
Re: Re: Freddy Adu? Really Yeah, um they already offered him a contract. Might want to check your facts before posting next time 'OLbloke'.
thats funny inter has never replied with a response about wanting the boy when reporters have asked about him......... hmmmmm
Actually, yeah they have. See below. Again, I know you're a newbie, but try to have your facts straight when you post on this board. People here are pretty knowledgeable. From a Washington Post article from last year: "We have never done this before -- Freddy is the first American soccer player that we have ever seen with potential as a pro in European soccer," Piero Ausilio, General Secretary of F.C. Internazionale Milano's Youth Sector, said in a translated e-mail interview. "Simply, he's a great, talented player, with great physical tools and wonderful technical attitude." Inter Milan officials said that last spring they offered the family a five-year, $125,000 development plan that would allow Adu to stay in the United States and would not bind him to sign a pro contract with Milan in the future. The family says the offer was much more lucrative, with talks beginning at $250,000 and escalating to $750,000. Neither side can explain the discrepancy, but both agree the offer was rejected by Freddy's mother, Emelia Adu, who in caring for Freddy and his brother Fredua, 10, works two full-time jobs. Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A59390-2001Aug24?language=printer
As for the DC youth teams... the DC United U-15 team just toured England. After losing their first two matches, mostly because they were still getting accustomed to the more physical style in England, they won 6 consecutive matches against EPL and Div 1 youth teams (all U-15 except Sheffield United, who fielded their U-16 team). Freddy's older (and supposedly less talented) brother plays for one of the DC United youth teams. Any questions?
first of all the teams they played are not as talented as most of the junior teams in england but i have to admit they did perform well at the everton tourny which is good for us soccer
Not as talented as *most* of the junior teams in England? What does that mean? I think they played a fairly decent cross-section of English Premiership and Div 1 junior teams... which are already better than *most* of the junior teams in England.
he's just a troll. If he'd seen Freddy play in person, he'd know there's NO basis to the 16, not 13, comment. Just ignore him.
besides that, look at that alvin alvey kid (or whatever his name was... alvin ailey, alvin the alligator...) in the little league world series this weekend. he was huge. yes, 12 and 13 year old kids can be big. i don't know why people can't believe that...
I was supposed to have refereed Freddy's H.S. game for The Heights vs. Wilson in DC last year...on September 11, 2001. So I still haven't gotten to see him play (I did ref his younger brother the next week in a JV game, and he's rather big as well for someone who is supposedly 11). But I do have a friend who works for DC United and saw Freddy work out with the team earlier this year. He said that Freddy wasn't overwhelming anyone but also wasn't totally out of his element there -- he was just, well, young and inexperienced. He summed it up this way: if Freddy really is 13 (and he has no reason to believe he's not), then he's unbelievable; if he's older (even 16), he's still pretty damn good and a future star.
Welcome aboard OlBloke! As you can see, we enjoy spirited conversations. Freddy may or may not become a great player, but as many have already pointed out, the US continues to be overlooked and underappreciated. When our club teams beat international club teams ... they make excuses like "it's not our A team" or "they didn't really care" or "lucky goal" or something. When our National team wins they say the same things. I guess it's to be expected when our youth teams do the same thing that we'll hear the same excuses. BTW, the Super Y League is NOT the US's top youth teams either ... not by a long shot. Oh yeah, and while DC United's teams are atop the Super Y League in their divisions, only 1 (U-17) is still in contention for our National Super Y League title. Oh yeah, does Manchester United have a decent youth team? Prolly not. -Tron
im thinking this will europe really if freddy becomes big take him as american talent or just another immigrant who traveled from a soccer country, to become big in a non soccer country?
First rule of soccer debating - "They can't refute your point if your syntax is so scrambled that they can't understand it!"
Shabba doo blingidy dong. So there. Are you trying to say people will view Freddy as just an import from a soccer loving land who happened to grace a non-soccer country with his presence? Sure they will if they're pre-disposed to viewing the US as incapable of producing/nurturing a high class soccer player, they'll say Freddy learned everything in Ghana. To me it is silly to think that any player has learned everything they will, or is fully formed as a player when they're 10 years old, which is when Freddy came to the US.
Make your own decision. U17s are currently 13 and 2 months (Freddy), 15 and 2 months to 16 and 8 months (everyone else) U17s versus '84 CASL Elite (16 to 17 and 11 months) http://www.ibiblio.org/footy/2002/0814_u17_casl_sab.php U17s versus NC State University (17-21) http://www.ibiblio.org/footy/2002/0817_ncsu_u17_ajm.php Freddy is #11, and is nowhere near his listed height.
Players are born with all the skill they have, they just have to figure out how to use it right. thanks