My Case for Freddy Adu

(For the record, I expect this to draw a very polarized response.  It always seems to be with Mr. Adu...)

Normally, I'm against everything I'm about to do.  I prefer to keep things in perspective and not let a few good games dictate my opinion.  But what Freddy Adu has shown me in his couple of appearances over the past few weeks makes me really believe that there's is a good chance (not saying it's a definite, just saying good odds) that he will be on the plane to Rustenburg in June.

Now, unfortunately I'll lose some of you, who may think that that previous statement was just so ridiculous that there's no point in even reading through the rest of this post.  By why exactly is it so ridiculous?  I feel like so many people have taken sides on the Freddy Adu situation and have become so firmly entrenched in their beliefs that there's an aspect of pride involved at this point.  It's just too hard for some to swallow that pride and admit that the other side of the coin could very well land face up.  But when you take all things into consideration, seeing Freddy Adu at the World Cup really isn't as crazy as it may sound.

Let's look at the reasons some people might think it's ridiculous, one by one.  First, there's the obvious, that Freddy has only started playing after roughly a year and half with few minutes at the club level.  Fair enough.  But if you've watched any of his appearances with Aris, it's evident that Freddy is fit and sharp, with both of those areas improving each week.  The amount of time a player needs to get back into game form isn't a 1-to-1 relationship with the amount of time he had previously spent sitting, so it's not like he's going to need over a year to get back into the swing of things.  At this point, he's already had a month and a half of training and is now getting consistent minutes as a starter and substitute.  He's back to being a contributor, and he's back to a good (not yet great) level of game form.

Expanding off that, some might say that a World Cup resume should be built on a lot more than just a possible five months of good form.  But just a few months ago, everyone was on the DaMarcus Beasley bandwagon, penciling him into the final 23 even though his time at Rangers has been littered with injuries and infrequent appearances.  At some point, form is just form, and all the stuff before it gets thrown out the window.  Freddy might have had a rough year or so, but this late in the cycle, those late roster spots that are up in the air should go to the person who distinguishes themselves the most down the stretch.  We don't make a case for Sacha Kljestan by sighting his great form at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009, so why do we make an anti-case for Freddy Adu by citing the opposite?

It would be understandable to say that Adu's odds were slim if another player had really staked a claim to a spot as a back up midfielder, but the guys currently on the fringe of that final outside midfield spot (assuming that Bob will bring four outside midfielders, with Stuart Holden, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan holding down three of those slots) have not exactly made an emphatic statement to this point.  Robbie Rogers has had some bright moments, but he's also been very inconsistent and struggled at times against a Honduras "B" team last month.   Edgar Castillo hasn't really shown enough to merit an inclusion (and might not even take a midfield spot away if he's lumped into the pool of defenders), and DaMarcus Beasley continues to be on an up-and-down roller coaster of injuries and form.  Is anyone really that convinced that either of those three are considerably better options than Freddy Adu at this point?

It's not as if Bob has been averse to calling in Freddy, even in the midst of the tough run from a year ago.  After all, he brought him in for the Confederations Cup despite the disastrous year at Monaco.  Yes, Freddy didn't play in South Africa, but I'm not saying he would this time around either.  I'm just saying he'd once again be a good option to have on the bench, and would be willing to say that there are good odds he'll end up being the best option when all is said and done.

A big knock against Freddy has always been that he doesn't play defense, and so he'll never really fit into the Bob Bradley system or he'll be a liability on the field.  But Adu has been tracking back well and doing the dirty work on the defensive end thus far with Aris, a promising indication that his game is more balanced.  Perhaps all Freddy needed was the tutelage of a good coach at the club level to get him to play hard on both sides of the ball, because it seems that Mr. Cuper has gotten the former MLS starlet to put in just as much effort in the defensive half as the attacking half.  And, as an outside midfielder, that's all he really needs to do.  Just track back well and help slow the attack.

Some have also said that Freddy is too slow on the ball, stalling attacks because of unnecessary dribbling when a simple pass would suffice.  But that too seems to be the Freddy of the past.  With Aris, Freddy has been playing smart and simple for the most part, only taking the occasional risk in what I would deem proper situations (in the attacking third with no real outlets, or with a chance to get a shot off in and around the 18).  Of course, sometimes it doesn't work, and he'll get the ball stolen.  But that happens to every player.  Unfortunately, Freddy is under a microscope a lot of the time, and his sins are blown out of proportion as a result.

There are also the myths that Freddy is fat and too slow.  The first one isn't even worth addressing, but the second one seems to come up too much not to discuss.  Maybe Freddy doesn't have raw breakaway speed, but really, how often does a player get the chance to utilize his 40 yard dash skills in the course of a normal game?  He's quick, capable of winning the little 5 to 10 yard races that come up so often throughout a match that can be the difference between a goal and a turnover, and that's something he hasn't lost.  If you need evidence, just look at the goal he scored today.  He beat a defender to the spot inside the box, simple as that; he didn't need to blow past some one over 20 or 30 yards.  And really, how many people not named Landon Donovan in the US player pool can do that effectively anyway?  None come to mind.  Freddy might not have blazing speed, but he isn't exactly lumbering around out there.    

The bottom line is, Freddy Adu brings a skill set to the roster that few others do (Landon, and maybe Benny Feilhaber being the only others in terms of creativity on the ball).  And when on form, I don't know how many people would really pass over him in favor of Rogers, Beasley, or Castillo.  Yes, that means that he will have to stay on form and healthy over the next couple of months, but so do all the others.

So really, why is what I said at the beginning of this post so ridiculous?  Freddy is on a solid run of form and visibly more and more confident on the ball each game.  His three biggest contenders can't say that much right now.  Another couple of good performances over the next two weeks, and I wouldn't be surprised if he got a call into the March 3rd camp in the Netherlands.  After that? Who knows?  There are so many variables involved that could really push things one way or the other for all the players involved.

All I'm saying is, right now, I'd like my odds if I was betting on Freddy to be in South Africa.


Let the criticism commence.