Hippocrates In San Diego

Adu For A Change

DC United soccer star Freddy Adu — who has yet to live up to hype or expectations — reportedly will be spending two weeks in England training with Manchester United, the most famous (and most despised) club in professional soccer. This likely is a tryout of sorts, as the wealthiest of wealthy teams is unlikely to ask America’s most well-known young player to visit without the opportunity to show his wares for the club. ManU, now owned by Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer, is potentially just making a tryout offer to Adu as a favor to fellow NFL owner (and owner of MLS teams in Columbus and Dallas) Lamar Hunt. But regardless of their intentions, Adu has an opportunity to make an impact on English soccer, where only American goalkeepers have had any success.

I personally am not a huge fan of Adu’s; in the 3 years since MLS signed him to a league contract after the 2003 SuperDraft (at age 14), he has yet to show the physical presence on the field required in a league where the tallest and most physical players typically line the backfield in defense. This disparity in size will only be exaggerated in the English Premiership, where tall defenders of northern European and other origins patrol the aft one-third of pitches across England. His impact on the US Men’s National Team has been practically nil; perhaps it will take some maturing and experience in a world-class league to improve his confidence and presence on the USMNT. While he is only 17 years of age now, and has great potential, I don’t forsee him becoming an international presence before the age of 21 or 22, as he proceeds towards physical maturity.

In soccer, forwards with a nose for the goal typically don’t develop the intelligence and instinct necessary to play the position well until they are in their mid to late 20’s, and occasionally later. It’s a position that is often physically demanding, as players (especially dangerous goal scorers) are often the target of fullback elbows, pushes, bumps, and checks as play proceeds into the penalty box. To avoid the punishment, top-notch goal scorers often have a quiet approach that allows them to sneak into the penalty area practically unnoticed, with the ability to change pace from a trot to a sprint in just one step to avoid close marking. This takes years of experience, years that Adu has spent languishing on the bench in Washington DC and in his few travels with the USMNT.

Image courtesy CNN.com.