The sight of the three-ring Freddy Adu circus packing up and moving out of town brought mixed emotions to D.C. United following the trade Monday that sent the 17-year-old midfielder to Real Salt Lake.
“He definitely wore out his welcome with a couple people,” said one source close to the team, adding that Major League Soccer itself was at least partially responsible for the hype surrounding Adu in his three seasons with United. “He was in commercials with Pele before he ever played.”
Though just a teenager, Adu earned more than $500,000 per year, significantly more than any of his teammates. As a result he dominated the headlines regardless of his performance on the field.
“I don’t think there’s been anything else that we’ve experienced that’s been quite the same,” said United president Kevin Payne. “Obviously, Freddy came with expectations that were in many ways, by many people, unrealistic, but he did a great job while he was here in a lot of different ways.”
Adu still had issues, clashing with coaches and ultimately requesting the move out of Washington, but he leaves behind a number of close friendships.
“I enjoyed every second of it,” said United forward Alecko Eskandarian. “The only thing I didn’t enjoy was when people made it into a me-versus-Freddy thing, as far as competing to play in the same position. We got along really well and we wanted to play together. We really never got to play next to each other or with him behind me, so that’s the only thing I kind of regret.”
The dramatic move has put the rest of the team on notice that United’s front office may yet bring more offseason surprises.
“It shows the organization is willing to do what they feel is in the best interest of the team,” said another source. “It’s like nobody is guaranteed to have their place secure.”
