Freddy Adu

[Chizaggi]

Am just wondering.. why do people actually think Freddy is older than the age that he says he is.. is it his performance or appearance? Freddy came to america at 8, did he really know than that he was going to soon be playing pro and needed to carry his age back while on his way to america? He prolly didn't even know some people played or pay attention to soccer in the USA.. trust me.

Edited March 28, 2006 by Chizaggi

[vasilios]

Am just wondering.. why do people actually think Freddy is older than the age that he says he is.. is it his performance or appearance? Freddy came to america at 8, did he really know than that he was going to soon be playing pro and needed to carry his age back while on his way to america? He prolly didn't even know some people played or pay attention to soccer in the USA.. trust me.

there r many rumors going around, some true others not so true, i have heard that as u kno it is difficult to come into the us, one way that helps families come into the us is if they have younger children, also i heard that freddy's uncle was banned from playing pro soccer because he lied about his age, making himself younger, and thereby worth more, nd now i hear his uncle is also his agent, but most of this stuff is just lies, its just u can never be certain

[IrishLegacy]

Freddy Adu's biggest mistake as a player was not when he was 16 and went to the MLS, but was when he turned down a 750,000 EURO contract offered to him when he was 13 by Inter Milan.

[manU721]

Freddy Adu's biggest mistake as a player was not when he was 16 and went to the MLS, but was when he turned down a 750,000 EURO contract offered to him when he was 13 by Inter Milan.

 

So he can sit the bench in Europe instead of the USA?

[stayNskool]

Rooney may have been scoring at 16 for Everton but Everton is a Mid-Table club in the Premiereship and Rooney was neither starting for nor scoring often for them. I believe his career high total was 7 goals in the League before Joining United as an 18 year old(which is when Freddie will leave MLS, because then he will be allowed to sign a full Porfessional contract). All these players you mention as producing at the same age as Adu are actually 2 years or more older than the kid. And I believe we can all attest to the differences physically and in overall maturation between what is a Sophomore in high school and a Senior in Highschool/Freshman in college.

 

To be honest Freddie would actually probably benefit more from riding the bench in Europe with one of their top teams and training everyday with the best in the world than he would playing with players in MLS who will never be as good as Freddie soon will be. Look at Steven Gerrard, Rooney and Michael Owen. Each of these kids was an exceptional talent who was brought into their clubs Youth Academy at a very young age. They didn't play with their first team very often at 15, or 16 but by the time they were 17, or 18 they were regulars. These 3 of course are prodigies beyond most comparison but it shows that you don't have to get regular first team games when you are 16 to develop into a top flight player as you get older. You just the apporpriate atmosphere and to be playing with the best on a daily basis

[Chizaggi]

Rooney may have been scoring at 16 for Everton but Everton is a Mid-Table club in the Premiereship and Rooney was neither starting for nor scoring often for them. I believe his career high total was 7 goals in the League before Joining United as an 18 year old(which is when Freddie will leave MLS, because then he will be allowed to sign a full Porfessional contract). All these players you mention as producing at the same age as Adu are actually 2 years or more older than the kid. And I believe we can all attest to the differences physically and in overall maturation between what is a Sophomore in high school and a Senior in Highschool/Freshman in college.

 

To be honest Freddie would actually probably benefit more from riding the bench in Europe with one of their top teams and training everyday with the best in the world than he would playing with players in MLS who will never be as good as Freddie soon will be. Look at Steven Gerrard, Rooney and Michael Owen. Each of these kids was an exceptional talent who was brought into their clubs Youth Academy at a very young age. They didn't play with their first team very often at 15, or 16 but by the time they were 17, or 18 they were regulars. These 3 of course are prodigies beyond most comparison but it shows that you don't have to get regular first team games when you are 16 to develop into a top flight player as you get older. You just the apporpriate atmosphere and to be playing with the best on a daily basis

 

Well Put!!!

[beckham23]

Two years ago at the CASL Tournament in NC I meet Freddie's younger brother

who was supposed to be 12. He was playing for a U-14 Maryland team and looked

like he was 16 years old. Sorry, the Adu's are not the age they claim to be. I

think Daniel Kelly is as good if not better. I've watched Daniel play for the last three

years with my son and he's the real deal. He's getting called up to play for the

U-20's!!! Go Tennessee Soccer.

[frommy]

im gonna have to disagree with your kelly and adu comparison. kelly is an amazing player, but he is not as good as adu. also i understand how anyone could be skeptical about adu's age based on his talent, but how does someone that is 5'8 150 make people think he is older based on his appearance? i know we have all seen plenty of 16 yr olds that are a lot bigger than that.

[Tin-Man]

im gonna have to disagree with your kelly and adu comparison. kelly is an amazing player, but he is not as good as adu. also i understand how anyone could be skeptical about adu's age based on his talent, but how does someone that is 5'8 150 make people think he is older based on his appearance? i know we have all seen plenty of 16 yr olds that are a lot bigger than that.

i am no doctor or anything, but when he was supposedly 15 and 16 they could've taken an x-ray of his bones around the foot and shoulders and seen how much space is inbetween his growth plates, he is 17 now right? they still probably can, if there is space, in theory, he is probably 17 because 17 year olds still grow but if he is older like 19 then there should be very very little room because he has grown to be as tall as he will ever be. once again i am no professional at this kinda thing, but it seems to me that sense the question is so popular they should've went and seen when he was younger, and my personal thoughts are that they have had those x-rays and that he is older but they want the AWE! effect of his being so young and good to hang around for awhile. once again these are my thoughts, but he is a great player nevertheless.

i have also heard that some people think that Brandon Tarr is older then he really is too. it wouldn't matter because i heard that he went up a year on the national team and scored on a divsion 1 college team, if i didn't hear wrong. and i believe they beat them by one point. please inform me if i am mistaken on that.

[manU721]

Two years ago at the CASL Tournament in NC I meet Freddie's younger brother

who was supposed to be 12. He was playing for a U-14 Maryland team and looked

like he was 16 years old. Sorry, the Adu's are not the age they claim to be. I

think Daniel Kelly is as good if not better. I've watched Daniel play for the last three

years with my son and he's the real deal. He's getting called up to play for the

U-20's!!! Go Tennessee Soccer.

First of all, if Freddy Adu was playing for ANY high school team in Tennessee, that team would be the best in the country...he is that good and that fast compared to regular high school players. Now I have seen Freddy up close , got his autograph, and he looks about 15 yrs old in the face. He is also very small. You cant say that Kelly is just as good as Freddy, he is absolutely not better!! Freddy Adu is a prodigy. Daniel Kelly is a great player and may go pro, but it will be when he is 20 or 21..and then he probably wont be the 1st pick in the MLS draft. If Freddy played in a real high school it would be rediculous what he would do to the best defenders in the state. Freddy Adu would literally run circles around Daniel Kelly.

[gameball]

I usually stay off post like this but let me throw some food for thought.

First of all Daniel Kelly is NO Freddy ADU, and truthfully unless really developed, never will be.

2nd , Freddy, probably is older than said, it still will not matter , it mattered when he is playing with younger players, then he would have had a very big advantage, But, the things he can do with a ball are good at any age.

3rd If he never grows, can he be an impact sure, you ever evalutated the Italian leagues, many little big men. The asian teams are small and fast too.

Personally, I think Freedy is a very good player, is he the answer to the US Teams play in World Cup NO , will he ever be remembered as a GREAT player, unfortunately I again say NO.

[cut it out]

Speaking of Messi, is he going to be able to play in the second leg vs Bienfica? A scoreless draw in the first leg is bad for Barca, especially since they were the away team. If they tie 1-1 in Barca then Bienfica moves on... Puyol is back so Messi may not even matter. Ronaldinho's new commercial is sick

 

The MBA goalie from last year played against Adu and had a couple balls get by him. However the best young player in the country is Indiana University freshman Lee Ngyuen, player of the year last year. He was Big Ten freshman of the year and signed on with PSV Eindover(spelling?)....the same team as DeMarcus Beasley. Adu would be in Europe right now if he were THE truth. No matter how good you are in America, it does not compare to the top three or four percent of youth talent in European Academies.