Great minds (ie Revs fans) think alike. Here is what I posted on the RSL board yesterday after watching the game
I just wish we could somehow lure him back to DC United. Oh, well. Its going to be a great summer at the U-21s with the Adu-Altidore combo.
This is really astute. The best thing about Freddy's play was the fact that he was playing on the wing. Considering the fact that the US has yet to replace Eddie Lewis, this is great news. What impressed me more than his agression was his strength on the ball. The kid was getting whacked, even by slammers like Mastroeni and Vanney, and was still playing dangerous. You could not have said that about Landon when he was 18, or Clint Dempsey 2 years ago. However, I have to agree that RSL is a crap team. Kreis is a good coach, but he has little to work with Klein is way past his expiration date, Pope is a shadow of his former self, and Ballouchy just kinda runs around like a chicken with his head cut off. If he stays in MLS, he needs to get on a quality side or at least get assurances from Kreis he will get the right people in there...Or of course, get to Europe.
I don't think he's going anywhere before the end of the season for a couple reasons. 1. MLS wouldn't want to take him out of SLC mid-season. 2. No team good enough for Freddy to be interested in will be so desperate to have him that they can't wait until January.
At some point, soccer gets to be like Saturday Night Live in the sense that it's never "cool" to be impressed with the current show. I remember people scoffing during the Dana Carvey / Phil Hartman / Mike Myers years that the show hadn't been good since Belushi and Aykroyd left. Then when Will Ferrell was banging the cowbell, the show hadn't been good since Hartman left. When there's something legitimately new, like the Andy Samberg-Chris Parnell Lazy Sunday videos going all over the Web, then it's briefly cool. But then we all get back to scoffing at the current group. In MLS today, Jozy Altidore is Andy Samberg. Freddy is Seth Meyers -- he's branching out with new skills, he's doing pretty well, but it's not cool to say so.
I'd modify that analogy a bit; Meyers, like Adu, is a promising young "player" who has suffered under some poor direction (SNL's current writers; John Ellinger).
But Meyers is the current head writer. Of course, you could argue that those around him are incompetent.
How could anyone scoff during the 92-93 season of SNL? The cast included - Dana Carvey Chris Farley Phil Hartman Mike Myers Kevin Nealon Chris Rock Rob Schneider Tim Meadows Adam Sandler David Spade To get back on topic, there's no way Adu or Altidore crack that lineup.
I will tell you what I think Freddy's best attribute is as a soccer player. It isn't his vision. It isn't his dribbling ability. Point blank it is the kid's desire to be the best. He may never actually be the best, but after watching him for three years now, I am ABSOLUTELY convinced that he will make the most out of all of his gifts. Maybe I have been "watching" him too closely over the last three years. But several of the complaints about his game have gone from being negatives to being fixed. Year 1 - He looks lost out there, no tactical awareness, doesn't really know what to do off the ball, physically got pushed around alot. Adu's response - He bulks up in the off season putting on fifteen pounds I believe, looks stronger, and learns how to make better runs off the ball (still not a strength of his) Year 2 - Still physically getting pushed around, doesn't work hard enough defensively, not a great crosser Adu's response - He became a much better crosser (I think this was largely due to Gomez pushing him out on the wing and he being forced to more or less develop his ability to cross) and he started to be "serviceable" defensively. Year 3 - No right foot, doesn't take over games Adu's response - I don't know where it came from, but he has developed a right foot. He is bigger and stronger as a result of his age. He is on a poor team and he has begun the process where I think you honestly see him contibuting heavily and/or coming close to "taking over" games. IMHO - Adu is growing each year. He is turning into a very good pro at 17 and is improving on most of the detriments in his game. His vision and passing the long ball is top notch, might even be the best in the league. His one touch play and short passing is good but not great (my guess this is mostly due to the quality of the players around him). He can shoot with both right and left and has some decent pace on both (especially for 17...he will grow). His set pieces are good (not great yet IMHO). He is not a defensive juggernaut and his off the ball running is not anything to write home about....obviously. But he is getting better each year at both things and I think because at his core he truly wants to be the best USMNT player ever, he will continue to push himself harder and harder to be the best. I don't know if Freddy is Bruce S and/or whether he accesses bigsoccer. My guess is that Nowak combined with Gomez put a bit of a chip on Freddy's shoulder especially when there were times when he wasn't starting in his second year and he was getting frustrated (playoff situation e.g.). As a result, he worked harder each year and has gotten better. He is now reaping some of those rewards, and he may just well reap more rewards in the future. IMHO Nowak deserves credit here, not condemnation. He treated Adu like a pro and not a phenom. He had Gomez and said, Adu you have to play on the left right now because Gomez is one of the best a-mids in the league. Plus I think nowak truly worked with Freddy on his tactical knowledge, off the ball runs, defensive responsibilities etc. It is paying dividends in the Adu we are seeing today. Kries may as an offensive minded coach "unleash" Freddy this season. But Nowak deserves credit for making him a more complete player and not "giving" him anything. Make him earn it. Just like everyone else.
So much for the Anacostia community activist who, in opposing a DC United stadium in her community said that "blacks don't play soccer..." Sheesh. Still pisses me off. Freddy looked great. Of course I was one of the ones who liked him at DC (but not the hype), so what do I know. The thrill of soccer is the anticipation that something exciting and unique is about to happen. There aren't a lot of players who can create that. When Freddy got the ball, there always was that feeling from the crowd at RFK, that excitement of expectations. Looks like Freddy is really starting to deliver on that.
I'm pretty concerned with all of you. Freddy has been flat-lining for 1 1/2 years. He has only chipped away at some core weaknesses, but has a ton of work to do. In the meantime, he's lost his goal-scoring instinct- which was actually better at 14, 15. That there is such praise of Adu from the Colorado game- when he was wide-open on the wing vs. a below average (w/below average pace) defender in Gargan...and Freddy couldn't score or assist......what's the big deal about? After watching him for 3+ years in MLS, I have a bigger expectation. Remember, he's supposed to be phenom. When he doesn't have the ball on his foot...when he has to play defense. Its the same ol' problems. And that's the vast majority of the game. I personally WASN'T impressed with Freddy's growth in that game. Someone said he hit a great right footed shot. My goodness, he was 6 yards from goal and running. You'd have to be a 10 year old to not hit that hard. Even Beasley can score on those. I don't see a guy determined to get incredibly better. I see a kid who is still lost about how to improve (who may or may not figure out), and a kid who still thinks he can mentally take off quite a bit. 14 games, 0 goals, 3 assists. That's not improvement.
Freddy played forward mostly his first year with DeeCee so his scoring was bound to decrease a bit when he moved to the wings. Highlighting one of Adu's failures to get past someone in light of the plentiful times he has beaten someone(see youtube) is tendentious at best. Let's use the time Ronaldinho didn't get past Wynne to judge Ron's qualities. There's nothing majorly wrong with his game. He's playing on a garbage team that before Kreis got the head position wasn't even getting Adu the ball. They made an effort to get him the ball the past game and he created a goal. Surprise surprise.
I think you are always better looking at what a player actually IS rather than what he is SUPPOSED to be. Freddy is being knocked because he is supposed to be a phenom? Well, OK. Do that if you want, but where is the value in that?. I think he is finally with a manager who will look at what he actually CAN do and not always what he needs to improve on. Not too many "complete" players in MLS (or ANYWHWERE for that matter), but despite his deficiences, he does some things better than almost all MLS players and if the manager is smart he will accentuate that, not what he can't do.. Novak helped in a way point out what he needs to improve on, but there was a "cost" to that approach as well as a benefit. Personally, I think the cost was too high, but we can differ on that. Come on guys, El Pibe wasn't exactly a terror on defense, barely moved from the cneter of the field, and rarely scored a goal, but I doubt there aremany MLS managers wouldn't love to have him in his prime. Baggio rarely palyed defense and his managers were smart enough to provide cover for him so he could work his magic. Is freddy at their level yet? Of course not, and he may never get to that level but he certainly is one of the better, more exciting and more skillful player in MLS and as an American. At 17, people seem to want to write him off. I just don't get it.
if you had never heard of the guy and just watched a game, you would say " wow, that guy is spectacular for 17/18 years old".
I've alternated between pro and con regarding Mr. Adu, but he's seemingly finally feeling he can just play and do what he does best at RSL. It was stated earlier that some coaches try to work so hard on a players weaknesses they forget to work just as hard at developing their strengths. It's laudable to improve deficiencies, but just as, if not more important to perfect strengths. Could you imagine forcing Ronaldinho to be a defensive star and punish him for not being one? I think Freddy has gotten the short end of the stick in this regard. Let the guy be what he is and put him where he's most effective.