I love Adu, but he did not play as well in the WYC as people on this board have said. Sure he had a good pass to Convey today, but the play was not at all difficult. He has passed and possessed the ball fairly well this tournament, but when taking players on(which is his specialty) he was easily knocked off the ball and dispossessed. Does the kid have potential? Yes. Can I name 8 players on our team that played better than him? Yes: Convey, Mapp, EJ, Marshall, Clarke, Grabavoy, Whitbread, and Cronin.
Flashes of brilliance mixed in with a lot of subpar play. Not too bad for a 14-year old. However, if he were 19, I would be unimpressed.
Wow! He's still a boy. I didn't see the game, but according to matchtracker, he got outmuscled quite a few times. That will change.
Yeah, you have to remember that he is only 14 playing with a bunch of good 19-20 year olds. If you expected more than what you saw him do in the tournament your expectations are to high. I thought he did especially well in this game versus Argentina.
If you hear the announcers on Galavsion say "ole!" then you know you're doing okay. I heard them yell "ole!" quite a few times when Adu had the ball. True, he still needs to work on his game, but Rongen rates him higher than several players sitting on the bench. Adu is good with the ball at his feet and moves with confidence you usually don't see in other US players. He does need to work on getting stronger on the ball, then again he is only 14. Considering his performance, he has a great upside. Give him a few years and he'll be a killer.
Here's all you can say about Adu, he's potentially the best US player ever. Anything else doesn't matter that much.
2 things that really struck me today. 1- When Freddy got the ball (not enough, imo), he was the ONLY U.S. player the Argentine defenders actually backed away from slightly and let him come to them. That's advanced scouting, right there. 2-Go check a tape of the match. Going into today, Freddy was criticized for poor defense, rightfully so. Watch this game and see who blocked the shot while hustling back on D that sprung Freddy for his breakaway and delightful ball through to Convey. Yep, it was Freddy himself. Freddy was clearly the most TALENTED player on the field in any game he played this tournament. Doesn't mean a 14-year old will always be able to show it against men, but anyone who doesn't see that is either a little shy about even dreaming an American can be that good or blind.
That's what you hear the most about on BS but what makes him outstanding is his touch. If you have some time take notice of the number of passes he plays through the air that land at the toe of one of his teammates. It is truely incredible. He's got a long way to go and A LOT of players have lost it on the road he's on but with time he could be the best player ever.