Best place for Adu to land in the MLS
By IVES GALARCEP
HERALD NEWS
Now that media from London to Madrid have jumped on the Freddy Adu bandwagon, dubbing him the next Pele or Maradona, and clubs from England to MLS have tendered offers for the 14-year-old, it's time for some serious decision making. Adu, the boy wonder, flashed enough of his brilliance at the Under-17 World Championships in Finland to name his price and his future professional home. He will do so in the coming months and the decision is not as tough as some make it.
Adu needs to come to Major League Soccer. Sure, Manchester United can offer the glitz and Real Madrid the glamour, but there is no better place for Adu to grow as a player and marketing icon than in the United States, in a league desperate to have him and in front of fans ready to love him.
The first thing to consider is playing time. If FIFA guidelines are actually upheld that could prevent Adu from playing in Europe until he is 18, would it really be worth it for him to sign with Manchester United or Inter Milan to spend the next three years playing reserve team and youth games? If Adu signed with MLS, the Potomac, Md. resident would be likely be wearing a D.C. United uniform by this time next year. There will be no scenario in which he winds up a MetroStar.
Joining MLS would not guarantee minutes for Adu, but would certainly bring him much closer to seeing the field in professional matches than if he went across the pond. It would also allow him to be with his family, mother Emelia and 12-year-old brother Fro, during a key time in his young life.
Some skeptics will argue that, even with his amazing skill for a 14-year-old, Adu can't possibly hold his own in MLS. Anyone who saw him play in scrimmages against the Chicago Fire and MetroStars in February, when he was just 13, knows that Adu would hardly embarrass himself. The best scene from that series of scrimmages came against the Fire. Having scored two goals against Chicago in a scrimmage a week earlier, Adu shook off considerably heavier defensive attention to create a handful of scoring chances against the stingy Fire defense.
The performance was made even more impressive considering he had just gotten off a plane from Maryland a few hours before the scrimmage.
Does this mean he'll score 20 goals and win rookie of the year? No, but he would score some goals and, more importantly, put people in seats.
There are those who think playing in MLS would stunt Adu's growth as a player and hurt his chances of eventually playing in Europe. Tim Howard and Bobby Convey, who both made the transition from MLS to England, would argue that point. Convey is the perfect example for Adu to consider.
Convey joined MLS as a 16-year-old, started 18 games as a rookie and developed well enough over the next three years to establish a place in the national team pool and have English club Tottenham sign him.
Adu also has to consider the possibility of playing in World Cup 2006. Adu will be 17 when the next World Cup kicks off in Germany and it isn't outside of the realm of possibility that he earns a place on the United States roster.
Playing in MLS would not only allow him a chance at playing professional games, it would also keep him in the vicinity of U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena, who lives in Virginia and would most certainly keep a keen eye on the youngster.
MLS must also do its part by breaking its modest bank to assure the signing of Adu.
Consider the $5 million the league spent on the disaster known as the Luis Hernandez experiment as the ceiling worth reaching in order to land American soccer's next big star. If the league signs Adu and develops him, it would only improve the league's reputation as a legitimate alternative for young talents looking for a springboard to Europe.
That will mean not only more American youngsters staying home, but also more foreign youngsters like Carlos Ruiz taking a chance on MLS.
If Adu were 19 and not 14, he would be crazy to choose MLS over Europe.
If a jersey and starting job were awaiting him at Inter or Ajax, Adu would be a fool to pass up the opportunity.
Those things will come for Adu, but not yet.
What is awaiting Adu is an opportunity to be a star in this country. The rest of the world can wait.
A second look
The talk after the Metros' 2-1 loss to Chicago on Sunday was of effort and of how close the game was, but in the end it was just another loss in a game that saw the team's top players deliver sub par performances.
Jonny Walker looked shakier than in any previous outing, Amado Guevara seemed to disappear for long stretches and Clint Mathis continued to wallow in a slump that must end if the team is to have any hopes of winning hardware this year.
Mathis has been lively in the team's last two games, but has yet to show the burst that allowed him to notch goals in five consecutive matches earlier this season.
His recent struggles seem to have carried over from poor showings for the United States in the Confederations Cup and Gold Cup. Has he lost his scoring touch? Is he struggling to connect with Amado Guevara? Whatever the problem is, Mathis needs to solve it before he is left with no European options when he becomes a free agent after this season.
Help may be on the way. Polish striker Andrzej Juskowiak is the type of holding forward that could work well with Mathis, who likes to play withdrawn and deliver passes and make runs into the area.
Wolyniec has been serviceable in a holding forward role, but his finishing has left much to be desired.
Another option for Bradley may be to team Mathis in midfield with Guevara and play rookie Mike Magee at forward alongside Juskowiak or Wolyniec.
That move would mean the benching of midfielder Mark Lisi, who was very effective in the first half of the season but has struggled to make an impact in recent weeks.
Reach Ives Galarcep at|(973) 569-7077|or galarcep@northjersey.com
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