Adu aims for course correction
By: Craig Stouffer
Examiner Staff Writer
July 7, 2009
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| Freddy Adu needs a solid performance in this month's CONCACAF Gold Cup to solidify his spot on the U.S. National team roster. (getty images) |
Former prodigy has spent most of the year on the Monaco bench
It wasn't so long ago that all eyes were on Freddy Adu.
But a half-decade after making his professional debut at age 14 with D.C. United, Adu is the one trying to get himself noticed after scoring a goal against lowly Grenada last weekend.
"I have a friend in Portugal who was telling me it was all over the news and what not, that we played and I did OK, and I scored a goal, and all that stuff," said Adu, who plays for Benfica of the Portuguese Super Liga. "So [the coaches] do watch. You can't take anything for granted."
Adu has languished on the bench for most of the last two years since making the jump from Major League Soccer to Europe -- last year he was on loan in the French first division with AS Monaco -- and it has affected his status with the U.S. national team as it moves closer to qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
After not playing all during the Americans' historic run at the Confederations Cup, Adu needs a solid performance in this month's CONCACAF Gold Cup, including Wednesday at RFK Stadium against Honduras, to help reverse his fortunes for club and country.
"This could be a chance for me," said Adu. "My coach can say, 'Hey, the kid's doing well. He's not completely out of form or what not, and maybe I'll take a look at him when he gets back.'"
"It's been hard for him with his club teams," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, "and it's very difficult when you're not playing regularly to come in and perform at the level of the games that we played in South Africa so in the [Grenada] game I thought it was a good opportunity for him."
It's also tough because Bradley and others are less interested in Adu's exploits in front of the net than finding evidence that he's fixed his more pronounced defensive shortcomings.
The magic Adu conjured with the ball at his feet was what first drew the spotlight, but it's taken most of his adolescence for him to figure out that it wasn't enough to keep it.
"I haven't always I gone about it in the right way," said Adu, now 19. "But now, and in the past couple years, I've really sat down, basically just thought about everything, and I'm really just trying to apply everything, to be a better professional."
Now that kind of remark deserves some attention.
