Well, he scored 3 goals in 6 games in cup competitions, putting his Benfica goals at 5 in 17 games. And that was pretty damn good, considering how many minutes those 17 games represented. It's not like he was playing 90 minutes. He was getting those goals in ten minutes playing time.
Exactly my point...................like i said...people on these boards go knee-jerk reaction when a top player is not playing abroad. "What? hes not playing????????????? , thats it he is now out of the 23" it dosent matter that he seems to be our best field player vs the top teams in the world while only playing half of those minutes.............Hes not playing at Monaco.....(because of a marketing plan) so he is not going to make this team" People need to relax. Adu doing what he did at Benfica in his minutes given just shows what he can do with the "OK" and confidence from the manager. At Monaco, the manager dosent want him, and their is no confidence..which is why he dosent play. And by the way as i mentioned before he seems to be making the bench alot again. I would be very curious to know whats going in practice....to warrant the seat on the bench now. Is he scoring and setting up tons of goals in practice? very curious to know.
I agree with you. I am a big Adu fan and an even bigger Altidore fan. Both are still young and learning the game and its many aspects and facets at both the club and national levels. I think both are going to have a long, and hopefully illustrious, career with the US Nats. Point is, both are on course to make their impacts when they are ready. Jozy is getting the time up front with the national team despite his lack of club time not just because he is "ready," but due to the dearth of talent at that position. Freddy, as a mid (or withdrawn forward), has considerably more competition to crack the national team. There is also the lack of urgency for his position and skills as there is for Altidore at forward. He will, I'm certain, become an automatic selection, eventually. It just will likely take another year or so for that to happen. He'll only be 20 or so when that happens, roughly the same age Donovan was when he broke through (and I consider them roughly equal in their talents and potential upside, with maybe even Freddy the greater potential). But there is no conspiracy to retard his growth or damage the national team's progress out of sheer spite of preventing him from playing. He is on track to be where he needs to be for both his development and our national team's. There is, though, a lot of hand-wringing, hyperbole and outright gross exaggeration surrounding him.
My position on Adu is that he is a talented young player. He has strengths and weaknesses like any other player in the pool. He will get his time. How will he be? Don't know. We will have to wait and see. We will have to be patient.
I think this is actually where the fundamental difference in perception is. Are his skills urgently needed on the Nats or not? I would say they're not necessary in CONCACAF. I think they are necessary, at least as an available sub, in the World Cup. In a World Cup where US goals are gold, Freddy can do these things as well or better (IMO better, at these specific skills) than any Nat: beating a man, drawing a penalty or freekick for a direct shot on goal, making an inspired pass for an assist, actually putting a freekick in. When you look at that specific list, I don't think it's hype or exaggeration. Comments?
So, if as you state, that Adu isn't needed for CONCACAF, but he is needed for the World Cup, and if the World Cup is still 14 months away, and if Adu has 3 times the number of Caps at age 19 as either Donovan or Beasley at age 19 prior to the 2002 Cup, and if Adu had 14 appearances in a US Senior or U23 uniform last year (the most of any player in the US system), ... ... then why must we read the hand-wringing and complaining about how poorly Adu has been treated by the US coaches? He's on a totally reasonable schedule. Indeed, Adu is ahead of the same schedule of arguably the best US player ever (Donovan) -- that's a huge compliment to the kid, not an insult. The vast majority of fans are very relaxed and are stating that Adu is important, is getting lot's of Nat's looks, and that his time as a key player is coming. A very vocal, tiny minority are upset and want to see more of Adu immeadiately; they want him to be the "field general" now.
I guess Ribery wasn't doing much shortly before his 20th birthday, but as a general rule dribblers who are impossible to contain are tearing up leagues by this age. Dribbling is not like playing keeper or center back. It's a young man's game.
True, but Freddy is not the once in a generation 19 year old dribbler like Brazilian Ronaldo or Messi were. He's more of a defence-breaking passer who can also beat people, and that is generally NOT a 19 year old's game. He'll be using the dribbling to create space, not blowing through the whole team. And he'll be able to do that for many years. Look at Grafite's dribbling goal of the year against Bayern, he's 30.
If you're talking to me, if Adu is a plan A or B at the World Cup, I'm happy. I'm not so relaxed about it actually happening though.
unless something crazy occurs i highly expect Adu to be on the WC roster... being able to step in at winger, front runners or even CM gives him a quality versatility that is needed on a WC roster... unless he performs something stellar with his club next season or break through in Confeds and/or Gold to have a shot at starting... or some injury or simple poor form of a competing player... he'll most likely be used as a super-sub
Well now, Landon wasn't starting U20 World title games as a barely 14 year old, was he? For normal prospects, Freddy has had a TON of teenage national experience. For where Freddy was in 2003, he's fallen off the cliff. Few indeed in 2003, would have predicted Freddy Adu as a fringe USMNT squad player in spring 2009. So, it does depend on the perspective.
In terms of playing time yes, not in terms of performance. His performance as a just turned 18 year old at the U20s was more impressive than his performance as a 14 year old for the U-17s. (His performance at the olympics was as impressive)What's been disappointing is his playing time, having the most goals per minute in Portugal isn't disappointing though. Or being the only Monaco player praised by Juventus etc. He's not a fringe player for the national team, he only has been the last two games. He's still one of our most capped(recently) and highest rated players and was at 18.As I've said before, Adu's performance when in games playing A-mid or wthdrawn forward as continued to be at the Phenom level since her burst on the scene. He just hasn't had minutes to back it up.
But hes not, thats what people keep forgetting since this troubled loan to Monaco. I just dont see how he is not in our top 12; Meaning he is our Super-Sub. Again, people need to relax, this marketing loan will be over soon and Freddy will find a new team to play with either on loan again or under a new contract.
His club career is in deep freeze, but his National team career has hardly fallen off a cliff. April 2001: Donovan 19 years old. 4 Senior Caps, all in friendlies. 1 goal. April 2009: Adu 19 years old. 12 Senior Caps, 7 friendlies and 5 World Cup qualifiers. 1 goal. Adu was ahead of Donovan as a 14 year old, as you noted. And he's still ahead of Donovan as a 19 year old National Team player, which was my point. He's young, he has skills, he's getting serious looks from the Senior team, he has plenty of time the next 12 months to rise to the place the hyper-Adu-fans dream about, or to at least match what Donovan and Beasley did as 20 year olds at the 2002 Cup. Or maybe he won't match Donovan's trail -- sports are tough sometimes. But right now, today in April of 2009, he's not being ignored by Bob Bradley, he's not being forgotten, he's in fact been promoted by the Senior team well beyond any teenage 2-year-club-reserve on the planet.
Absolutely. Also, it is important to consider the style of player, just as others have mentioned. Donovan is and was a speedster who could get behind defenses. These types of players often make significant early contributions because there athleticism and exuberance makes them dangerous. However, you don't see many players who linger on the ball excelling at a young age. They excel in youth groups, but not with men who: 1. Won't let them be the focus of the attack because of their age and inexperience, and, 2. Are stronger and tougher and sometimes physically take on the ball players out of the game. With a little more experience, Freddy will have the positioning and nuance to negate his physical disadvantage. He's also quick enough and a skilled enough dribbler that, with the confidence and positional sense, will be able to find plenty of space to execute. My expectations are a little lower than they were after the U-20's, yes, but I still expect a lot from Freddy, and I'm not ready to discount him being a major part of the 2010 adventure.
I got what said, it just doesn't make sense. So because Adu is more talented than say Frankie Hejduk, he should replace him at RB just so we can put our best XI on the pitch in any way, shape or form? Like I said, it doesn't make sense.
Only if we can put Brad Friedel at center forward. He's scored more premier league goals than EJ, anyways.