Rumor surfacing online today has Freddy Adu leaving MLS at the end of the season. Not sure how I feel about the news. Clubcall.com quotes Adu as saying he "will be going overseas", possibly in January.
After struggling with impatience during his first two years as a pro, the 17-year-old wunderkind has come out of his shell as a regular starter for D.C. United this year. He's played in all 15 on the United's games, starting 13, in helping the team race out to a 9-1-5 record, tops in the league. He's beginning to look more comfortable, as he has adjusted his game to the more physical pro level. It hasn't hurt that he's actually grown from a 14-year-old kid to a 17-year-old budding man.
Adu entered the league with nearly impossible expectations. He was immediately thrust into the spotlight as the face of MLS and the future of American soccer. Fans flocked to see him, but he was held back by the United and coach Peter Nowak, who wanted to bring Adu along slowly and allow him to adjust to the additional competition. Yet he was an All-Star and a steady performer.
While his stats haven't been overwhelming this year (0 goals and 4 assists), Adu has settled into D.C.'s attacking midfield role and is a vital part of the best team in the league. His game has improved greatly. But is he ready for Europe? That's a great question. A legitimate question. Not only is it just Europe. It's England. It's the Premiership. The premier league in the world. And the teams rumored to be interested just happen to be the cream of the crop -- Manchester United and Chelsea, two of the top club football teams in the world.
Two main questions stand out in Adu's possible transfer -- can he get an English work permit and why the move now since he isn't 18 yet? In England, anyone under 18 has to play on a junior team, not the big club. Also the work permit calls for Adu having played in 2/3 of the USA's national team matches -- and since he didn't make the World Cup roster, he certainly doesn't fulfill that obligation. So why the rush to get out now? Admittedly I don't know all the details, but perhaps Adu can get around the work permit issue if he heads to England while still a minor. He'll turn 18 on June 2, 2007.
Is he ready? Probably not. He's a solid player on the best team in MLS. But hardly a dominating one. He still needs more seasoning. Perhaps a year on a junior team in England get him ready for the day-to-day grind of competing for a job in the world's premier soccer league. In the end, heading ot Europe is in Adu's best interest -- financially and in his hopes to make the 2010 World Cup roster at the age of 21. One thing's for sure, MLS will miss his marketability.
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