United States Soccer: Freddy Adu’s Redemption

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at Internationaled.org

Published: June 27, 2011

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When Freddy Adu was only 14 years old, he inked his first major contract after he was the No. 1 overall pick by DC United in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft.

Freddy Adu again made history on April 3, 2004 when he was a second-half substitute in a match against the San Jose Earthquakes. Adu made his first MLS appearance at 14 years old, making him the youngest player to ever appear in a professional game in the United States since 1887.

At the time of his emergence on the national stage, some sports writers were giving Adu the title of the next Pele, and even going as far as saying he would be to the MLS what Michael Jordan was to the NBA. It looked as if Adu had the weight of the world on his shoulders and he never played to full potential.

Adu’s MLS career can best be characterized as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. During the first few seasons with DC United, he bounced from the bench to the starting rotation. He was never the dependable player that the DC United brass expected him to be (he was only 14 years old...what did they expect?).

In 2006, DC United realized their "Adu Experience" wasn't going the right direction and they traded the promising forward to Real Salt Lake and once again, Adu fell out of favor with the team and had to build from scratch. By the 2007 MLS season, Adu was a starter for Real Salt Lake, but struggled as he only managed to score one goal in 11 MLS matches.



 

Although Adu was struggling in the club level, his international play was at an all-time high. In the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Adu scored three goals and served as captain of a team that beat Brazil and made it to the quarterfinals.

After such a terrific performance at the U-20 World Cup, Portuguese team Benfica purchased Adu for $2 million from Real Salt Lake and since then, his playing career began to derail.

In July 2008, Adu joined...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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