I'll have Mike Petke on the show tonight (Thursday) around 10:30-11pm to talk about the Adu signing. If you wanna hear his thoughts, tune in to DC101. Roche
Good on 'ya, Roche. I'm sure our wanker will have one or two things to say that aren't in the official MLS Adu press kit. If you have the inkling, please see if you can clarify what DC must give up as a sacrifice to MLS' Adu altar. GM
They talked all about Freddy. Mike spoke of how little things like staying in a hotel or eating on the road when the team doesn't eat together could become difficult. It sounds like the team is going to take on a big brother role together. Mike said he spoke with Freddy earlier in the day before Freddy left for L.A. and that Freddy sounds very excited to get going. He also believes that Freddy won't make a huge impact in his first year but just expects him to learn. Roche also metioned at the end that Petke would be traveling to Europe soon. Does anyone know if it's just vacation or is he looking to try and impress someone over there?
watch them trade Prideaux and then Petke and Nelsen leave. The starting central defense for your 2004 DC United - David Stokes and Galin Ivanov!
Maybe he and his wife are just going on vacation and will watch some soccer. Just because Freddy is going to LA this weekend does not mean we are trading him to the Gals.
Mike's going to Italy and England with his wife on vacation. His wife is a big time fan (watches WAY more soccer than Mike) so they will be taking in some matches in England while they are over there. That actually was in the interview but I had to cut it down due to time constraints. I talked with him for about 20 minutes overall and he had a lot to say. I got the vibe that he really isn't expecting much of anything from Adu this season except for a few flashes of brillance. His biggest concern wasn't United supporters (or soccer fans in general) but of "regular" sports fans who are expecting Freddy to have a LeBron like season. When that doesn't happen, he fears that mainstream media will either criticize the coaches for not playing him or label Freddy a bust. Either way, it wouldn't be fair to Freddy. He also thought Freddy would have it rough on the field as their would be players who would resent Adu coming in as a 14 year old rookie making more money than them. While Mike can see their arguement, he said you can't blame Freddy for getting what he could get. The general theme of Petke's attitude was: Don't expect much from Freddy next season and don't rip him when he doesn't live up to the tremendous hype. He may be mature beyond his years but at the end of the day, he's still a 14 year old boy. Roche
I think that is exactly the right attitude to have. I'm kind of afraid that people will be disappointed when Freddy doesn't light up the league next year, but I think it's ridiculous to expect that to happen. And thanks for putting soccer on the radio, Roche!