Adu to Monaco on loan

[Frank Cunha]

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

[Ricochet]

MLS sees a new Beckham in Adu, 14


http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,...607207,00.html


[/img]

[MUFC]

Why a new beckham?

A new pele maybe :hey:

[Frank Cunha]

its going to be a battle for Adu rights

[Ricochet]

the reason they say he may be the new Beckham is because the hype machine that follows adu, and that freddy could atleast in america be the guys thats always talked about, etc like Beckham. On the pitch the liken his skills to Pele though.

[thetool]

Adu is the hottest young "property" in football. His skills have caught the attention of virtually all the major clubs. As the battle to sign him continues, it may be his sponser who decides his fate. Nike, paying the lad 1m USD, gives all Nike sponsered clubs first picks. Manchester United have been linked to Adu. This may give the club an advantage of Real Madrid.

BTW, Adu himself stated he supported Man U until Beckham departed...what can you really expect from an American kid (with most people in America opting for player loyalty as opposed to club loyalty) ?

[Ricochet]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....sa/index.html

Adu's options
Youth phenom's case prompts pleas for patience
Posted: Thursday September 25, 2003 7:54PM; Updated: Thursday September 25, 2003 7:54PM
By Ridge Mahoney, Soccer America

For a brief period at least, the Freddy Furor has subsided.

America's teenage wunderkind has gained his first experience at a world championship, during which agents and scouts from around the world observed him and met with his representative, Richard Motzkin.

Motzkin proclaimed a deal should be done soon either with a foreign club or MLS, whose deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis was in Finland to stipulate the joys and virtues of staying home.

To his home in Potomac, Md., Freddy fled to spend some valuable days with his family before returning to residency camp in Bradenton, Fla., where he will continue a study plan that will graduate him from high school next May at the ripe age of 14.

"We're going through a very proper negotiating process with multiple parties to see if we can reach a conclusion that works for Freddy and his family," said Motzkin.

(Motzkin had said during the tournament he expected a deal to be done "within weeks, not months.")

At the under-17 world championships in Finland, Adu scored four goals and did little to eradicate his reputation as a supremely talented, utterly compelling, infinitely gifted child prodigy.

Yet questions abound. Assuming a deal can be brokered, could he move unfettered to a club in Europe, where FIFA transfer rules severely restrict opportunities for underage foreign-born players? Would it be best to take up residence at the academy or youth team of an AC Milan or Man U, or join MLS with the goal of playing sooner rather than later?

A player such as Everton youngster Wayne Rooney, who was developed in the club's system and made his Premier League debut at 16, before signing his first pro contract, is not subject to FIFA restrictions that were implemented after cases of African and South American teenagers imported by European clubs and then abandoned became public.

If Adu did join MLS, which team would get him? Ordinarily, he would be allocated or drafted but in no way is Adu or his situation ordinary.

"I really don't want to comment about that at this point," says Gazidis. "Until he signs with us, I don't see any need to discuss it in public."

His "hometown" team, D.C. United, may or may not have an allocation available for next season. Since the Bobby Convey transfer collapsed, the allocation provisionally given to the team as compensation is no longer valid.

One variable was removed a few days after Brazil beat Spain, 1-0, in the under-17 final. (Not coincidentally, those are the teams that beat the U.S. and to some extent shackled the 14-year-old phenom, who was hobbled by an ankle injury entering the competition and suffered some severe hits in the second U.S. group game against Sierra Leone.)

NO TRIP TO UAE. U.S. under-20 coach Thomas Rongen, citing time constraints, said barring extensive injuries to the current squad he wouldn't be considering Adu or any of his under-17 teammates for the Youth World Championship to be played in November.

"I can't experiment. I can't integrate new players," says Rongen, who will have only a five-day camp in October to prepare his team before it leaves for UAE.

"If I had weeks, and we had 10 more games to go in terms of preparation, I would clearly include Freddy Adu, and probably three or four other players like Eddie Gaven, like [Danny] Szetela, like [Jonathan] Spector, maybe [Memo] Gonzalez."

"His development clearly has accelerated being with the [U-17] program and getting valuable international experience. It's the next logical step, but he has three more under-20 World Cups to go. I don't think missing this one is going to stifle him or any of these players."

Rongen's point is a sobering one. The next generation of under-20 players will begin training in January for the 2005 Youth World Championship to be played in the Netherlands, Rongen's native country. Adu isn't eligible for the next under-17 world championships; players can compete in the same age group more than once in FIFA world tournaments, except at the under-17 level.

As to joining MLS, which has only a few reserve teams but does permit teams six developmental slots in addition to the regular 18-man roster, Metros coach Bob Bradley politely disagrees with those who believe Adu would burn it up right away.

"He might be the next Pele, you never know, but you might also have a situation like Nii Lamptey, who was great at that level and was supposed to be the next Pele but clearly wasn't," says Bradley, who nurtured young stars like DaMarcus Beasley at Chicago and currently has 18-year-old Mike Magee on his MetroStars roster. "It's going to require patience on our part, but I think everybody realizes the talent that is there. He's got certain gifts and you don't want to rush him, but at the same time you don't want to hold him back, either."

'NOT THE SAVIOR.' Rumors that MLS is prepared to "break the bank" to acquire Adu are deflected by Gazidis. "We're in competition for a lot of players," he says. "In that respect, Freddy is no different.

"He's still a 14-year-old. He's not the savior of soccer in America, but could he become a very significant player for the United States and in the world? Absolutely yes. He has that potential.

"He's a special young player for me because he's always a danger in the game. At any moment he could produce something that will affect the result of the game through a moment of brilliance or a moment of speed or a moment of opportunism. That's a very special characteristic to have even at this young age."

[Frank Cunha]

hope he sign's with the Mls

[Ricochet]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Sep27.html

Adu Invited for Under-20 Tryouts

From News Services and Staff Reports
Sunday, September 28, 2003; Page E03


Teenage soccer phenom Freddy Adu has been invited to participate in a tryout camp for the U.S. under-20 national team, sources said, and could represent the United States in the upcoming world championships.

Adu, whose family moved to the Washington area from Ghana in 1997, will join the under-20 team for several days of training beginning Oct. 5 and hopes to make the team that will compete in FIFA's World Youth Championships in November in the United Arab Emirates.

Thomas Rongen, coach of the under-20 team, told The Washington Post last month that Adu, who has a $1 million deal with Nike, would not be invited to the camp, citing the lack of sufficient time to evaluate new players. However, sources said that Rongen has changed his mind and Adu was informed of the decision about a week ago. Rongen did not return phone messages, and a spokesman for U.S. Soccer would say only that the roster of players invited to the under-20 camp will likely be released in a few days.

Adu, 14, starred in the Under-17 World Championships for the United States last month in Finland and his agent is mulling offers from several of Europe's biggest clubs. A decision on which team Adu will sign his first professional contract with could be forthcoming, and a possibility remains that Adu could play for D.C. United next season as a part of a loan arrangement between his European team and Major League Soccer. . . .

[Frank Cunha]

that's great news, will be great if he makes the team

[Ricochet]

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/Natio...930083807/view

Rongen names roster for U20 friendly with Japan; Freddy Adu to train with squad at Home Depot Center
By US Soccer, 09.30.2003.


(editor's note: following is the text of a US Soccer news release. Thomas Rongen had previously said that the roster for this camp would give a good, but not exact, idea of the roster for FIFA World Youth Championship. Top Drawer Soccer will have full coverage of the Oct. 8 match with Japan.)

The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team will participate in its first training camp at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., from Oct. 5-9, which will include a game against Japan on Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. The 5-day camp will be the last training session for the team before competing in the FIFA World Youth Championship in United Arab Emirates from Nov. 27 to Dec. 19. Head coach Thomas Rongen has named a 15-player roster for the camp, but more players may be added during the following week.

GOALKEEPERS (2): Clint Baumstark (MLS), Steve Cronin (Santa Clara University)

DEFENDERS (4): Ryan Cochrane (Santa Clara University), Jordan Harvey (UCLA), Craig Jared Klass (University of Washington), Chad Marshall (Stanford University)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Arturo Alvarez (San Jose Earthquakes), Craig Capano (Chicago Fire), Ricardo Clark (MetroStars), Bobby Convey (D.C. United), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Jordan Stone (Dallas Burn)

FORWARDS (3): Freddy Adu (Potomac FC), Ed Johnson (Dallas Burn), Mike Magee (MetroStars).

[Frank Cunha]

no Zak Whitebread

[Ricochet]

No one thats playing in europe is on this squad

[Ricochet]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Sep29.html

Freddy Adu will make his debut for the U.S. under-20 men's national soccer team next month in a friendly against Japan, under-20 team coach Thomas Rongen said yesterday.

Adu, 14, will take the spot of D.C. United's Santino Quaranta, who is out with a knee injury, but still may not be among the players who travel to the United Arab Emirates in November for FIFA's World Youth Championship, Rongen said. The match is scheduled for Oct. 8 in Carson, Calif.

Adu, whose family moved to this area from Ghana in 1997, starred in the under-17 world championships in August and is being sought after by several of Europe's top clubs.

"Santino's injury opened up a spot to allow me to bring in a player [for the Japan game], and Freddy makes a lot of sense in that position," Rongen said.

Rongen said Adu would not be among the players he expected to take to the United Arab Emirates at this time, although injuries to other players could alter that scenario. He expects Quaranta to be back on the field in three weeks -- he is recovering from recent knee surgery -- but many of Rongen's players will be participating in the MLS playoffs, and other health issues could arise.